Golf Course Review – St Patrick’s Links at Rosapenna

It’s hard not to have a preconception of what a golf course will be like wherever you’re about to play, and Ireland is no different.

Renowned for boasting some of the finest links courses on the planet, the newly acquired St Patrick’s Links at Rosapenna certainly fits that bill.

Tom Doak’s sprawling links is laid out on the best land imaginable for the course and has all the features of a truly great links setup, but it’s still so different.

Destined to become a modern great, you could stick this course in any part of the world, and it wouldn’t look out of place. In some areas, it would have you believe you’re in Barbados.

That is a testament to the incredible views and almost lime-green turf. Construction began in 2018, with all greens finished the following year to give it enough time to mature before it opened.

It wouldn’t be doing the course justice to say that it has matured, but instead, it has fully established itself among golf’s best work.

Not to forget the one-off landforms that shape the fairways, the St Patrick’s Links encapsulates everything that is good about a game of golf, so it was time to give it a shot.

Verdict

With little signage to the golf course, you almost don’t know it exists. That says enough about how prized this land is, and an exclusive little pro shop off the first tee is indicative of that.

Another marker of just how intriguing this course is, the St Patrick’s Links does things differently, and I was soon to find out it’s exactly what I was after.

One inevitability was wind playing its part, as 20mph gusts added another element of excitement.
By the time I had reached the 12th hole, the flagstick was hanging on for dear life.

It only takes one look at the first, though, to realise this is a special place to tee it up. The curtain raiser is a sign of things to come, as gentle-length par-4s dominate the card.

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The par-5 fourth is gettable as the runway spreads open between 200 and 300 yards from the tee as you catch the first sight of Tramore Beach, running alongside it.

The fifth follows that same path and as the course moves back inland on six, I could argue it gets better. Staring down the barrel of the dunes in the distance, they form what looks like a mountain range as the fairway is cut in half by a 30-yard sand belt.

If you’re not in awe of this marvel by now, then nothing will do that. Well, the 14th might. The green is tucked away behind the dunes, invisible to the eye despite being from an elevated tee.

It’s as stunning a hole as you’ll encounter, with an endless ocean playing backdrop to a bumpy fairway. Funnily enough, a couple of bunkers are in places where you might end up.

While not the biggest here, those sand traps get monstrous throughout, particularly on 16 and 18, where a shovel would be handy to have in your bag.

All in all, complaints about the difficult aspects of the St Patrick’s Links are what makes it so good.
Combine that with tropical views and immaculate turf so, to be honest, it really doesn’t get much better.

Unforgettable, is the word.

Standout hole

There’s only one correct answer, and that’s the 14th hole. A stunning dogleg par-4 that turns along the water of Sheephaven Bay, it’s a cracker.

Once you’ve swapped the camera for the driver, take the tiger line over the dunes to leave a wedge to the elevated green or play safe – anywhere left of the fairway bunker.

Did you know?

Founded in 1893, Rosapenna is the oldest golf resort in the world. However, the St Patrick’s Links – one of three courses at the resort – is the newest in Ireland since 2009.

Tradition and modernity in equal measures.

And another thing…

Boulders for tee markers, why not? In every way possible, St Patrick’s Links is different from the norm, and that stretches to the tee boxes.

Sandstone, slate, granite and claret are the four options, and they make for cool indications of where to start playing.

Green fees

It’s becoming slightly trickier to get a tee time at St Patrick’s as a mark of its popularity. Make no mistake, it’s expensive at €240.00, but it’s unbelievably good.

A same-day replay rate is half that price if you can’t get enough, or the ‘Three Links ticket’ at €495.00 could be a good shout to experience the other courses on-site, too.

Find out more

T: 074 915 5000

W: rosapenna.ie/st-patricks-links

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.