The Pat Ruddy-designed Glashedy links opened to great acclaim in 1995, bringing a whole new golfing allure to Donegal’s Inishowen peninsula. These are the most northern golf courses on the island, a landscape of raw beauty, rock, sand and the clean coarse smell of ocean. Many believe it is heaven.
What is most remarkable is how different the course is compared to the Old links, which shares the same piece of land. Indeed, they brush up against each other constantly.
The difference lies in the terrain, with the Glashedy hogging the highest terrain and the biggest dunes. Fairways slide so smoothly between them. It creates such an elegant rhythm that you could almost forget how testing this course can be… but only briefly. Fairways may seem more generous, greens more visible, but the bunkers are dangerous and those gentle doglegs make positioning off the tee all the more important. Fail to hit greens and you’ll be struggling.
Home to the Irish Close and Boys Home Internationals, in August.
Favourite Hole: the par three 5th hits down to a green with Glashedy Rock posing menacingly in the sea beyond. The par thee 14th is an even bigger version.
What's in the Bag? Brilliance around the greens. This is no place for the timid.
Click link to view full list of “DG Ireland Top 150 Courses 2016”:
http://www.destinationgolf.travel/dgireland-16/