County Sligo Golf Club (Colt Championship)

Connacht is where Ireland's golf gets truly wild. The province's western coastline delivers a quartet of championship links: Carne, County Sligo at Rosses Point, Enniscrone, and Connemara, all of which are amongst the very best links golf on the island. What sets Connacht apart from Ireland's celebrated southwest is a sense of earned remoteness. There are no bottlenecks at the booking page and no convoys of buggies clogging fairways. Golf here is played the way it was meant to be played - walking the links with the Atlantic at your back and four seasons in a day as the norm. For golfers willing to venture west of the Shannon, the rewards can be extraordinary. Why Visit Connacht? 🏆 Four unique links in one region — Carne, Rosses Point, Enniscrone, and Connemara form one of golf's great natural links itineraries More bang for your buck — green fees at Connacht's top courses run well below comparable Munster venues Accessible tee times — summer weekends require planning, but not years in advance The Wild Atlantic Way — driving between courses is an experience in its own right Genuine Irish hospitality — the post-round culture at clubs like Carne is celebrated by visitors as much as the golf itself Championship Courses in Connacht 🏌️ Carne Golf Links (Wild Atlantic Dunes) — Belmullet, County Mayo Carne Golf Links is the headline act. Sitting on the remote Mullet Peninsula in north Mayo, it is one of the most extraordinary golf experiences in Ireland — raw, untamed, and set in the biggest dune system on the island. The original 18 by Eddie Hackett (his final and many argue greatest course) combines with nine newer holes by Jim Engh and Ally McIntosh to create the Wild Atlantic Dunes routing, widely considered the most spectacular of the two configurations available. Most golfers leave struggling to find adequate words or comparable experiences. 📍 Carne, Belmullet, Co. Mayo County Sligo Golf Club (The Colt Championship Links) — Rosses Point County Sligo Golf Club, or Rosses Point as it is universally known, is the established giant of Connacht golf. Harry Colt's 1927 redesign of this 1894 links occupies a spectacular peninsula 8km from Sligo town, with Benbulben mountain framing views from the back nine on the headland. The brutish par-4 17th — 500 yards, parallel to the ocean before climbing uphill to a dune-backed green — is Christy O'Connor Jnr's pick for one of Ireland's finest finishing holes. 📍 Rosses Point, Co. Sligo Enniscrone Golf Club — County Sligo Enniscrone Golf Club offers 27 holes on 400 acres of dramatic linksland in north Sligo. The Dunes Championship Course — Eddie Hackett's original routing transformed by Donald Steel's inspired renovation at the turn of the millennium. American golf writer Tom Coyne calls it "probably the best course in Ireland off the beaten track." The dunes here are genuinely massive. 📍 Bartragh, Enniscrone, Co. Sligo Connemara Golf Links (Championship) — Ballyconneely, County Galway Connemara Golf Links delivers a uniquely Connemara experience: brutal Atlantic exposure, granite outcroppings through the linksland, panoramic Twelve Bens views, and a back nine that ranks among the most dramatically scenic in Ireland. Designed by Eddie Hackett in 1973 and voted Best Links Course in Connacht 2025, the 27-hole complex at Ballyconneely is Galway's only genuine links terrain. The par-3 13th exceeds 200 yards and demands a full carry; the back-to-back par-5 finish is genuinely unforgettable. 📍 Ballyconneely, Clifden, Co. Galway Hidden Gems Worth the Journey 💎 Strandhill Golf Club — County Sligo Eddie Hackett's compact par-70 links beside the village of Strandhill is one of the best-value Atlantic links rounds in Ireland. The 7th hole runs fully along the beach; Knocknarea mountain looms behind the opening holes, and the finish is genuinely testing when the Atlantic breeze arrives. Christy O'Connor Jnr called it "the hidden gem of the west." 📍 Strandhill, Co. Sligo Connemara Isles Golf Club — Bealadangan, County Galway Connemara Isles Golf Club is accessed by a causeway on the edge of the Atlantic and is about as far off the beaten track as golf gets in Ireland. This nine-hole links designed by Tom Craddock and Pat Ruddy in 1993 offers undulating greens laid out on the land as it naturally lies, with views of Cill Chiaráin Bay and the surrounding hills. The thatched clubhouse — the ancestral Lynch family home, built in 1850 — completes a scene that feels entirely outside the modern world. 📍 Bealadangan, Co. Galway Getting There and Getting About ✈️🚗 Flying in: Ireland West Airport Knock (NOC) is the most convenient gateway, with connections from London Stansted, Manchester, and Birmingham. Shannon is a useful alternative for golfers combining Connacht with Munster. Dublin works but adds 2–3 hours of driving. Driving: A hire car is essential — there is no alternative for Carne or Connemara. Rural routes are narrow and slower than the map suggests; allow extra time heading to Belmullet or Ballyconneely, and fill the tank whenever you can. Weather: Pack waterproofs regardless of the forecast. Temperatures typically sit between 10–18°C (50–64°F) from April to October. The shoulder months of April/May and September/October often deliver the most stable windows and better value. Where to Stay 🏨 Sligo town — ideal base for Rosses Point, Enniscrone, and Strandhill. Excellent B&Bs are plentiful throughout the area. Westport — one of Ireland's most attractive market towns. Belmullet — Staying here avoids the hour-long drive each way from Westport. Clifden — the most charming base for the Connemara leg, with excellent seafood restaurants, atmospheric pubs, and a good range of guesthouses. Food, Drink & the 19th Hole 🍺🦞 The west of Ireland's food culture has genuinely evolved. Atlantic seafood is exceptional — Clew Bay oysters, west coast mussels, and freshly caught haddock appear on menus from casual harbour pubs to destination restaurants. Atlantic salmon from the River Moy is a regional speciality worth seeking out. Beyond Golf 🏔️🌊 County Sligo is Yeats’ country — the poet is buried at Drumcliffe under the shadow of Benbulben. Carrowmore megalithic cemetery predates Stonehenge by millennia. Strandhill and Enniscrone beaches are excellent for surfing. Connemara is one of Ireland's last Irish-speaking regions. Kylemore Abbey — a Victorian Gothic castle against a mountain lake — is one of Ireland's most visited sites. Connemara National Park offers open bog and mountain walking. The drive through the Twelve Bens is reason alone for the trip. County Mayo offers Croagh Patrick (Ireland's holy mountain) and the dramatic scenery of Achill Island — connected by bridge, combining Atlantic cliffs, white sand beaches, and a fascinating history as an artists' colony. Insider Tips from the West of Ireland Never underestimate the weather. If a morning tee time gets washed out, be patient. Afternoon clearances are common on the Atlantic coast, and a late afternoon round at Carne or Enniscrone in autumn light can be extraordinary. Walk the courses. Links were designed to be walked. The 19th hole matters here. Irish golf clubs are genuinely social places - have a pint or two… Connacht Golf — The Verdict ✅ Include County Sligo, Enniscrone, and Connemara on your itinerary alongside Carne, and you'll play four of the most naturally beautiful links courses in the world. That's not hyperbole — it's the considered opinion of every serious links golfer who has made the journey west. Plan, pack waterproofs, book the hire car, and give Connacht the week it deserves.

Top 100 Golf Courses of Britain & Ireland - 2011 8th December 2010 We are pleased to announce our latest Britain & Ireland Top 100 rankings following thorough research and analysis of more than 200 British and Irish courses. In a similar vein to our newly published World Top 100, our Britain & Ireland rankings looks very familiar. So let's put the cards on the table. The reality is that there will be few, if any, new contenders for a Top 20 place. There are perhaps thirty courses that vie for a Top 20 spot and the last course to break into that group was Kingsbarns, which opened for play in 2000. Castle Stuart is our highest new entry - straight in at position 41. We've featured this Scottish Highland course as a Gem since 2008, a full nine months before it officially opened its tees for play. Mark Parsinen - the man who developed Kingsbarns - also developed Castle Stuart and his ambitious dream is to host a future Open Championship at Castle Stuart. As usual, England has more Top 100 ranked courses than any other home country, but what England enjoys in quantity, Scotland has in sheer quality. There are six Scottish courses in the Top 10 alone and we welcome four Scottish new entries, Castle Stuart (41), Panmure (76), Machrihanish Dunes (93) and Montrose Medal (100). There is some significant up and down movement for Irish courses, three of which we believe were positioned too far down in our last ranking table. County Louth moves up 23 places, County Sligo rockets 34 places and Mount Juliet jumps 27 spots. We also welcome a new entry, Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links, straight in at 89th. Northern Ireland now has five courses in the Top 100 with Lough Erne making its first appearance at 87th. But no course can shake Royal County Down from the head of our table. Since 2005, and for the fourth consecutive time, the famous Newcastle links is our No.1 course in Britain & Ireland. To explore our new 2011-2012 Britain & Ireland Top 100 in detail, click here: This is the second of numerous Top 100 re-rankings which we will be implementing this year. If you'd like to receive further updates from us and you are not already on our mailing list, click here to join.

Ireland holds roughly a quarter of all natural links courses in the world, and the quality runs astonishingly deep. From the towering dunes of Donegal to the Atlantic-battered coastline of County Kerry, the island offers a concentration of world-class golf that rivals anywhere on the planet. Six Irish courses currently sit in the World Top 100, and more than twenty contend for places in the GB&I Top 100 — a depth bettered only by England and Scotland. See the Island of Ireland Ranking See the Republic of Ireland Ranking See the Northern Ireland Ranking Top 100 Golf Courses has ranked Ireland's golf courses biennially since 2006, tracking two decades of evolution across the Republic's twenty-six counties and, separately, Northern Ireland's six. That ongoing process has charted the rise of new architectural masterpieces, multi-million euro renovations, and the enduring dominance of courses that have occupied the summit since rankings began. 2026 Republic of Ireland Update Ballybunion Old, Lahinch Old, Rosapenna St Patrick's Links and Portmarnock all hold their positions, reinforcing two decades of consistency at the summit. Four Republic of Ireland courses sit in the World Top 100, and sixteen feature in the GB&I Top 100 — a depth that underlines the country's status as one of the premier golf destinations on the planet. Brittas Bay Club (formerly The European Club) has been removed while its comprehensive Kyle Phillips redesign takes shape ahead of a planned 2027 reopening. Curracloe Links, a potential future game-changer for the Republic, is also flagged as one to watch but remains outside the current rankings. ⬆️ The Rising Stars Portsalon is the headline climber. Situated on a remote stretch of County Donegal coastline, Portsalon's rise further strengthens the county's extraordinary concentration of quality, with five Donegal courses now in the Republic's top twenty-five. Ballyliffin Old continues to gain recognition and climbs to seventeenth. The K Club Palmer North also rises. Carne, Tralee, Enniscrone, Narin & Portnoo, Rosapenna Old Tom Morris and Galway Bay all rise - in part due to The European Club being removed. ⬇️ Notable Adjustments Adare Manor slips three places to fourteen — a reflection of the updated criteria's emphasis on the golf itself rather than resort polish, though the Tom Fazio redesign remains Ireland's premier parkland course and 2027 Ryder Cup venue. Old Head drops four to 21, while Cork eases two places to twenty-four. 🏆 Irish Rankings - A Historical Glance The Unchanging Summit Ballybunion Old has held the number one position in the Republic of Ireland rankings since the inaugural 2006 edition — an unbroken twenty-year reign. Largely anonymous until Tom Simpson and Molly Gourlay's 1930s intervention, the course gained worldwide prominence after Tom Watson's famous visit in 1981. A major greens replacement project by Atlantic Golf Construction, overseen by architect Graeme Webster, has only strengthened its standing. Lahinch Old, Waterville, The European Club and Portmarnock have been near-permanent fixtures in the upper reaches. For fourteen consecutive years, gaining entry to the top five was, as our 2020 article noted, "a very tough nut to crack." ⬆️ The Course That Broke Through That changed dramatically in 2022 when Rosapenna St Patrick's Links crashed into the rankings at number three — the highest new entry in the history of our Ireland listings. Designed by Tom Doak of Renaissance Golf Design with lead associate Eric Everson, Clyde Johnson and Angela Moser, the course was built on 300 acres of spectacular Donegal dunescape previously occupied by two mediocre layouts. Opened in 2021, it immediately rewrote the top-five hierarchy. 🌍 Ireland's World-Class Depth The island's representation at the highest levels of world golf is remarkable. Six courses — Royal County Down, Royal Portrush Dunluce, Ballybunion Old, Lahinch, Rosapenna St Patrick's and Portmarnock — all feature in the World Top 100. The overwhelming character is links golf. Ireland's Atlantic-facing coastlines provide the ideal combination of sandy soil, undulating terrain and prevailing wind that defines the links game at its purest. Adare Manor breaks the mould as the top-ranked parkland entry, demonstrating that world-class inland golf also has its place on the island. County Kerry and County Donegal dominate the upper reaches of the rankings, but quality is genuinely distributed. Dublin's links courses — Portmarnock, The Island, Royal Dublin, and County Louth — provide accessible world-class golf close to the capital. The west coast, from County Sligo to Enniscrone to Carne, offers some of the most naturally dramatic links terrain anywhere. And the hidden gems — Cruit Island, Dunfanaghy, Strandhill — continue to climb as more golfers discover their charms. What the Rankings Tell Us Consistency at the Summit Ballybunion Old's twenty-year hold on the top position is extraordinary by any measure. The same small group of courses — Ballybunion, Lahinch, Waterville, Portmarnock, The European Club — have anchored the top tier since 2006, with only Rosapenna St Patrick's managing to break the stranglehold. This stability reflects the enduring quality of Ireland's classic links designs, many of which trace their architectural lineage through Tom Simpson, Alister MacKenzie, Old Tom Morris and Harry Colt. The Donegal Renaissance County Donegal has emerged as perhaps the most exciting golfing region in Ireland. The arrival of Rosapenna St Patrick's transformed the county's reputation, but the story is broader. Narin & Portnoo's Hanse-Wagner reimagination, the steady rise of Rosapenna's Old Tom Morris course, the cult appeal of Cruit Island, and the rediscovery of Dunfanaghy have collectively established Donegal as a destination to rival Kerry and Clare. Architecture Driving Change The biggest ranking movements have consistently been driven by architectural intervention. Tom Fazio's work at Adare Manor, Tom Doak's creation at St Patrick's Links, Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner's remodelling at Narin & Portnoo, and Mackenzie & Ebert's master plan at The Island all demonstrate that thoughtful design investment — whether building new or reimagining existing layouts — is the most reliable path to ranking advancement. The Authentic Links Resurgence Shorter, quirkier courses with genuine strategic interest have gained ground, while lavish resort courses, though still excellent places to visit, have seen their rankings adjust. As the new criteria emphasises, budget size has not been the deciding factor, but rather memorable, engaging golf is what matters. 📅 A Decade of Growth: 2010–2025 2010: Your Top 100 — The People's Rankings The 2010 "Your Top 100 Golf Courses in Ireland" was a distinctive edition — a crowd-sourced ranking based entirely on player review ratings rather than the dedicated panellist approach used in other years. Published alongside companion lists for Scotland, England and Wales, it was part of a wider "Your Britain & Ireland Top 100" exercise that number-crunched thousands of golf ball ratings submitted by the Top100 community. The European Club, Tralee, Ballybunion Old and Rosapenna Sandy Hills all featured prominently in the combined GB&I list. 2012: The Republic's Own Top 100 The dedicated Republic of Ireland Top 100 was updated with Ballybunion Old maintaining its familiar position at the summit, continuing the dominance established in 2006. The established order remained largely intact, with the same core group of links courses holding the upper tier. 2014: Stability and Steady Progress The 2014 update continued the biennial cycle with Ballybunion Old once again unchallenged at number one. The top five remained the same handful of courses that had occupied those positions since the rankings began, reinforcing the extraordinary consistency at the summit of Irish golf. 2018: The Seventh Biennial Revision The 2018 edition brought seven new entries into the Top 100. Notably, Adare Manor was absent from the table, its course closed and under complete reconstruction as the Tom Fazio redesign took shape. 2020: Adare Manor Returns and Seven Newcomers The headline story was unmistakable: Adare Manor's re-emergence at number fourteen following its multi-million euro Tom Fazio transformation. The old Robert Trent Jones Sr. course had been entirely replaced, with Atlantic Golf Construction installing new drainage, new greens and sand-capped fairways to create what is now one of the best-maintained courses in all of Ireland. The Ryder Cup 2027 announcement added further lustre. Seven new entries in total, with Hogs Head the highest newcomer at thirty-four Luttrellstown Castle climbed eight places to forty-eight, entering the national top fifty for the first time Cruit Island surged fifteen places to sixty-five, gaining cult status among visiting golfers Royal Dublin rose four places to twenty-three, with Clayton, DeVries & Pont appointed for a bunker renovation 2022: Rosapenna St Patrick's Crashes the Top Five The ninth biennial revision produced the most dramatic shake-up in the rankings' history. Tom Doak's Rosapenna St Patrick's Links entered at number three — the first course to crack the established top-five fortress since rankings began. Narin & Portnoo climbed ten places to eighteen after its Hanse-Wagner reimagination. Further down, Cruit Island continued its rise (up twelve to fifty-three), Dunfanaghy surged twenty-six places to seventy-four, and Woodenbridge climbed twelve to seventy-one. 2025: New Criteria, New Philosophy The most recent update applied revised evaluation criteria that emphasised authentic golfing experiences over resort polish. Fifteen courses moved up five or more places. Traditional links courses rose sharply; parkland resort courses adjusted downward. Rosapenna Old Tom Morris broke into the top thirty, Royal Dublin into the top twenty, and the rankings signalled a clear direction: exciting, strategic golf — regardless of budget or amenities — is what defines Ireland's best. 🔭 Looking Ahead The comprehensive 2026 GB&I ranking overhaul, currently underway, will reassess every course across Britain and Ireland under updated criteria. The Ireland results are expected later this spring and will provide the most thorough evaluation yet of the island's golfing credentials. Several developments are worth watching. Brittas Bay Club — the Kyle Phillips redesign of Pat Ruddy's European Club — is set to reopen in 2027 with improved playability, expanded sea views and restored native ecosystems. The continued maturation of Rosapenna St Patrick's Links is widely regarded as still having significant upside. And with the Ryder Cup arriving at Adare Manor in 2027, the spotlight on Irish golf has never been brighter. Ballybunion Cashen continues enhancement work, and Rosapenna's Old Tom Morris course is gaining traction with every season. The depth of talent across Ireland's 400+ golf courses means the competition for ranking places will only intensify.