Narin & Portnoo Links

Restoring the Rhythm of the Links

The golf course at Narin & Portnoo Links has been part of Donegal's golfing landscape since 1905. Later alterations introduced new tees and greens, along with changed contours, but the course gradually became a mixture of styles that did not make full use of its coastal ground.

Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner began a major redesign after being commissioned in 2017. Their work moved several green sites, changed tee alignments, reshaped contours for links play, and exposed rugged bunkers and sand blowouts. The 3rd and 4th were joined to form a par five, while the old 8th became the present 7th, with a blind approach to a green behind the dunes.

The routing now moves between broad rolling ground and dunes rising to around 80 feet. Sharp drops towards sandy beaches sit beside rocky coastal outcrops, giving players changing wind angles and varied ways to use the ground. Two new par threes on the inward nine improved the pace of the round. The closing par five bends twice through sandhills and keeps position important to the end.