Bucket Lists
County Sligo Golf Club, also known as Rosses Point, has hosted the world’s best for 100 years, from 11-time Major winner Walter Hagen to Masters champion Rory McIlroy. It played a significant role in the early career of McIlroy, who earned fame for winning the competition back to back at ages 15 and 16, and tamed a beast that can be wicked in wet and windy conditions. McIlroy’s caddie Harry Diamond also owns the distinction of being a “West” winner, as well as the likes of Pádraig Harrington and Shane Lowry.
The Colt Championship Links, named after designer Harry Colt, is a rugged and spectacular course on a property which also includes Bomore links, a simpler nine-hole layout and also part of County Sligo Golf Club.
The picturesque Ben Bulben dominates the view here. Nobel laureate WB Yeats was inspired by the mountain to write some of his best poetry and many a visiting golfer has been beguiled by this special part of the world.
The 10th and 11th holes at the Colt links have some of the best mountain views, but holes 14 and 17 are where it really earns its crust as one of the best courses in Ireland. Tom Watson called it one of the best finishing stretches in all of golf and his favourite was the 14th hole, where an elevated tee shot requires accuracy over a creek to a fairway bisected by another creek, as sand dunes separate the green from the Atlantic.
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The signature hole is the long par 4 17th, which runs parallel to the ocean before doglegging left. The placing of the green creates an amphitheatre setting where you can imagine you are in the final of the West of Ireland.
Co Sligo Golf Club, Rosses Point, County Sligo; 0719177134; info@countysligogolfclub.ie; countysligogolfclub.ie
[ Fairways to HeavenOpens in new window ]
Head farther west and you reach another jewel in county Sligo’s golfing crown in Enniscrone Golf Club. If you liked the dunes of Rosses Point, then you’ll find even more dramatic ones here, with Killala Bay making for a serene experience on a clear day. There are 27 holes on the property, the main course is fittingly called “Dunes”, with a third nine called Scurmore. This is links golf at its very best, and a 14 to 17 hole stretch that stands out too.
The 15th hole is a brutish index one that earns its name, before the signature 16th hole, where marram grass and dunes protect pristine fairways and greens as the hole fades to the right.
Enniscrone Golf Club, Enniscrone, Co Sligo; 09636297; info@enniscronegolf.com; enniscronegolf.com
Hidden Gem
Strandhill Golf Club, in surfing country, is a quirky links test that is an excellent alternative to Co Sligo and Enniscrone if they are out of your budget. Strandhill uses every bit of the property available and even then it is shorter from the tips than other championship courses, but like all links courses, a gusty day and it’s plenty challenge. With only one par 5, there are many short- to medium-length par 4s where the sand dunes and undulations can be severe, and where Knocknarea Hill and the Atlantic Ocean provide the backdrop.
The 14th, nicknamed “The Short Puck”, is one of the best of the par 3s. At 153 yards, it is protected by big mounds on either side, with the marram grass like a net waiting to snare an errant tee shot.
Strandhill Golf Club, Strandhill, Co Sligo; 0719168188; admin@strandhillgolfclub.com; strandhillgolfclub.com
Honourable Mentions
Castle Dargan is a parkland course designed by Major winner Darren Clarke in collaboration with Paddy Merrigan, in a country estate that offers a different experience to the aforementioned links courses. Clarke called it an “outstanding piece of land” as the course works with mature trees, old stone walls and natural lakes.
Castle Dargan Golf Club, Ballygawley, Co Sligo; 9118080; golf@castledargan.com; castledargan.com
Tubbercurry Golf Club is a community-focused nine-hole golf club in the southern part of the county that was once played by McIlroy in preparation for the West of Ireland.
Tubbercurry Golf Club, Ballymote Road, Co Sligo; 0719185849; tubbercurrygolfclub@gmail.com; tubbercurrygolfclub.ie
