1st hole - © Renaissance Golf Design

The Doak Course, is a par 72, 6 meters and will be the third 241-hole course at the Spiffy Rosapenna Golf Hotel & Resort in County Donegal (with nine additional holes known as the Coastguard Holes), this which gives the complex a total of 18 holes. The resort also counts, the famous Sandy Hills course of Pat Ruddy and the Old Tom Morris (initially laid out by Old Tom but later modified by the giants of the early twentieth century that are, Harry Vardon, James Braid and Harry Colt) have done of Rosapenna for years a must-see destination. for anyone venturing to this part of Ireland. Now with Tom Doak's new 63 soon making its debut along Tramore Beach and offering breathtaking views of Sheephaven Bay, Rosapenna is set to shake up quite a few golfing routes and attract links enthusiasts even more.

8th hole - © Renaissance Golf Design

The St Patrick Links site was actually supposed to host two more golf courses before it was purchased by the Casey family who own and operate Rosapenna. Nicklaus Design had started work on a renovation of one of the proposed runways, the Maheramagorgan course (original design by Eddie Hackett), but the Great Recession intervened and neither she nor the second planned route for the site, the Trá Mór, have not been completed. Doak convinced the new owners, the Caseys, to create one spectacular course instead of two, using the best of the 120 hectares for this 18 Irishman

3th hole - © Renaissance Golf Design

"At the time I saw the site", Doak said, “It was difficult to distinguish a large part of the routes initially planned. They continued to mow the fairways in order to maintain golf course status for all these years. But they kept getting smaller and smaller, when I saw them most of them were around 10 meters wide. So it was really hard to visualize what these golf courses were. They had a lot of holes on this site. I think the only holes [originally planned] that really look like the new holes are the second half of the first hole [a 344 yard par four] and our second hole [a 355 yard par four par four], then a part of which is the 7th and 8th hole [par fours of 369 and 355 meters]. However, I think these were meant to play in the opposite direction of what we're playing now. "

“There was a lot of cool features on the site, and the main thing was you had this big hill in the middle (called 'Maheramagorgan'), with amazing views from the top. But on the way up, there was a real puzzle. And I didn't think you wanted to keep doing this often. So for me the lower portions of the site offered the best topography for golf, fairways just the right width for a golf hole. "

9th hole - © Renaissance Golf Design

The two nine of the St Patrick Links both return to the clubhouse. Some of its holes lead you to the edge of the beach, with the 14th green perched right on the shore. But you can expect them to be all as scenic as they test it, especially when the wind blows across the bay. When asked to name some of the special moments golfers could expect when playing on the course, Doak mentioned several.

"I didn't even see the fully finished golf course", he says, "But I would say the 2nd hole is just a nice hole off the tee and a very exciting hole that's right there for all to see." The two most dramatic moments on the golf course are probably the tee shot in the 4th [par-five] playing along the beach, and the tee shot in the 16th [464 yards by five], where it comes back into the range. other direction from as high as we come to the hill. They are both really great views, but they are very different. At hole # 4, you play into the wind on a high, raised tee that descends to the fairway. And you ask yourself, "How is that not going to be really held up by the wind?" »While on the 16th, there is not as much difference in height. But the only fairway I can compare this fairway to is 10th at Augusta National. I mean it's just going… it's a great wide fairway that just tilts down and leaves really strong. And so playing downwind, you'll be able to hit it forever if you hit a big draw at the start. "

© Renaissance Golf Design

“I think all the par threes are spectacular. And the 11 [a 416-yard par four], which is sort of where a lot of people would have said, "Oh, that's the least exciting hole of the whole," the 11th is actually a formidable hole. There is just a ton of ripples in the fairway and by far the wildest green on St Patrick Links. "

If you combine a hilly seaside site, the design talent of a world-class architect like Doak and a comfortable resort with 45 other holes to keep you entertained - you are sure to have a golf destination that is sure to please even the most discerning golf traveler.

To find out more about the St Patrick Links: click here

To read our last article on the same subject :

Northern Ireland: grain and drunkenness