Ireland’s Golf Gathering 2013. If Coming You Might Want To Check Out Rosapenna
If you’re thinking of coming to Ireland for The Gathering in 2013 and are bringing your clubs take some personal advice from the Doc. I wan’t you to have a super golf vacation, not trudge down the same conveyor belt as all the other tourists.
The Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Resort in North-West Donegal is seriously worth considering as a base for your golf holiday. Why?
practice facility. Just last week they acquired two Jack Nicklaus links courses adjoining their own along the picturesque Sheephaven Bay to become the largest links golf destination in Europe.
That’s a whopping 81 links golf holes without ever having to start your car.
Here’s a link to my lay mans review of Sandy Hills when I visited last year.
Apart from the Rosapenna courses you’re in a golfing mecca in the North and West coast with several top links courses within minutes drive. Click here to view other courses in the North West area.
For the non golfer’s there’s a tonne of stuff to do and sights to see in Donegal too. I bring my wife and four kids up every year for a break, we love it. And no, I’m not get paid anything to write this!
that do their research know that up North West, the golf is excellent, there is no congestion and you can expect to play for a fraction of the cost of the marquee courses elsewhere.
The Old Tom Links at Rosapenna is now ranked No.34 in Golf Digest Ireland’s Top 100 Course List. The newer championship course, the Sandy Hills Links, designed by Pat Ruddy has just been ranked No.42 in Great Britain & Ireland’s Top 100 List by Golf Monthly Magazine 2012; an effective ranking of 10th in Ireland.
Base yourself with the Casey Family in their four star 66 bedroom hotel with leisure centre and adjoining Golf Pavilion. It’s a beautiful little hotel with great food, amazing food and a warm family welcome. Here’s a link to the hotel.
You can walk to all the on site golf and the other courses are just a short hop away.
To find out more about the Rosapenna Hotel click here.
So there it is, some Gathering 2013 advice from the Doc. If you are coming to Ireland and need more advice please feel to contact me through the comments box. And if I’m free, I’ll join in Rosapenna next year for a round.
The three golfers have 16 Major Championship titles between them, Old Tom Morris (4 British Open titles), James Braid (5 British Open titles) & Harry Vardon (6 British Open titles & 1 US Open title).
The back nine of the original layout crossed the main road on a number of occasions and on September 1st 2009 the Strand Nine opened as the new front nine to link in with the original holes 2-10 (Valley Nine) which are now played as the back nine of the Old Tom Morris Links finishing at the new Golf Pavilion (clubhouse).
Jack Nicklaus, winner of 18 Major Championship titles including three British Opens and his design team were commissioned to redesign the 36 holes at St. Patrick’s Golf Links and work did start in November 2006 after Relton Developments had purchased the two courses from the Walsh family of the Carrigart Hotel, owners since 1976. "The land and the dunes comprising St. Patrick's is what Ireland golf is supposed to be--raw, natural, wild, windy, with bunkers, carved and created by Mother Nature,"said Tim Kenny, executive vice president of Nicklaus Design.
"It is absolutely an incredible site."
All redesign works by Nicklaus Design ceased at the end of December the same year.
The first of the two courses, Maheramagorgan, was originally designed by Eddie Hackett in 1982 but construction did not begin for 11 years and was not fully completed until 1996--the last piece of sod was laid two months before Hackett's death on Oct. 31, 1996.
The second course, Trá Mór, was designed in 1996 by former Royal County Down assistant professional Joanne O'Haire, and is said to be the only course in Ireland designed by a female.
Rosapenna has been owned and operated by the Casey family since 1981 and has seen the resort grow from one 18 hole golf course with a 40 bedroom hotel to the resort as it is today which now boasts a four star 66 bedroom hotel, leisure centre, Golf Pavilion and now 81 links holes as well as the practice facility with its own 12 hole Par 3 course.
“We are very excited that we can now extend golf at Rosapenna beyond what we know as “the top of the Valley†along the shores of Tramore Beach, the dunescape is some of the finest in the world and very similar to what we already have.
It is essentially one piece of dune land that is ideally suited to championship links golf and the views of Sheephaven Bay are spectacular“said Frank Casey Snr resort owner and operator for the last 31 years.
The Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Resort in North-West Donegal is seriously worth considering as a base for your golf holiday. Why?
1. Rosapenna Golf
Rosapenna have two top class courses, the Old Tom Morris Links and the Sandy Hills Links, another 9 hole course “Coastguard Nineâ€, a par 3 course and a top class
practice facility. Just last week they acquired two Jack Nicklaus links courses adjoining their own along the picturesque Sheephaven Bay to become the largest links golf destination in Europe. That’s a whopping 81 links golf holes without ever having to start your car.
Here’s a link to my lay mans review of Sandy Hills when I visited last year.
Apart from the Rosapenna courses you’re in a golfing mecca in the North and West coast with several top links courses within minutes drive. Click here to view other courses in the North West area.
For the non golfer’s there’s a tonne of stuff to do and sights to see in Donegal too. I bring my wife and four kids up every year for a break, we love it. And no, I’m not get paid anything to write this!
2. The Destination
You see Golf tourists travelling to Ireland don't instinctively head to the North and West coast of Ireland. Only the discerning ones
that do their research know that up North West, the golf is excellent, there is no congestion and you can expect to play for a fraction of the cost of the marquee courses elsewhere. The Old Tom Links at Rosapenna is now ranked No.34 in Golf Digest Ireland’s Top 100 Course List. The newer championship course, the Sandy Hills Links, designed by Pat Ruddy has just been ranked No.42 in Great Britain & Ireland’s Top 100 List by Golf Monthly Magazine 2012; an effective ranking of 10th in Ireland.
3. The Perfect Base
Base yourself with the Casey Family in their four star 66 bedroom hotel with leisure centre and adjoining Golf Pavilion. It’s a beautiful little hotel with great food, amazing food and a warm family welcome. Here’s a link to the hotel. You can walk to all the on site golf and the other courses are just a short hop away.
To find out more about the Rosapenna Hotel click here.
So there it is, some Gathering 2013 advice from the Doc. If you are coming to Ireland and need more advice please feel to contact me through the comments box. And if I’m free, I’ll join in Rosapenna next year for a round.
A History Lesson
Rosapenna has a long illustrious golfing history which dates back to 1891 when Lord Leitrim brought Old Tom Morris of St Andrews to Rosapenna to design the first links which opened for play in 1893. A timber structured hotel was also built soon after which accommodated golfers from all over Europe making Rosapenna the oldest golf resort in the country. In 1906 professional golfers Harry Vardon & James Braid both travelled to play at Rosapenna and they made some alterations to the course, adding length and more detailed bunkering.
The three golfers have 16 Major Championship titles between them, Old Tom Morris (4 British Open titles), James Braid (5 British Open titles) & Harry Vardon (6 British Open titles & 1 US Open title).
The back nine of the original layout crossed the main road on a number of occasions and on September 1st 2009 the Strand Nine opened as the new front nine to link in with the original holes 2-10 (Valley Nine) which are now played as the back nine of the Old Tom Morris Links finishing at the new Golf Pavilion (clubhouse).
Jack Nicklaus, winner of 18 Major Championship titles including three British Opens and his design team were commissioned to redesign the 36 holes at St. Patrick’s Golf Links and work did start in November 2006 after Relton Developments had purchased the two courses from the Walsh family of the Carrigart Hotel, owners since 1976. "The land and the dunes comprising St. Patrick's is what Ireland golf is supposed to be--raw, natural, wild, windy, with bunkers, carved and created by Mother Nature,"said Tim Kenny, executive vice president of Nicklaus Design.
"It is absolutely an incredible site."
All redesign works by Nicklaus Design ceased at the end of December the same year.
The first of the two courses, Maheramagorgan, was originally designed by Eddie Hackett in 1982 but construction did not begin for 11 years and was not fully completed until 1996--the last piece of sod was laid two months before Hackett's death on Oct. 31, 1996.
The second course, Trá Mór, was designed in 1996 by former Royal County Down assistant professional Joanne O'Haire, and is said to be the only course in Ireland designed by a female.
Rosapenna has been owned and operated by the Casey family since 1981 and has seen the resort grow from one 18 hole golf course with a 40 bedroom hotel to the resort as it is today which now boasts a four star 66 bedroom hotel, leisure centre, Golf Pavilion and now 81 links holes as well as the practice facility with its own 12 hole Par 3 course.
“We are very excited that we can now extend golf at Rosapenna beyond what we know as “the top of the Valley†along the shores of Tramore Beach, the dunescape is some of the finest in the world and very similar to what we already have.
It is essentially one piece of dune land that is ideally suited to championship links golf and the views of Sheephaven Bay are spectacular“said Frank Casey Snr resort owner and operator for the last 31 years.
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