Skip to main content
+44 1334 850 030 Contact us
Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Resort (Sandy Hills Links)

NORTH WEST IRELAND, IRELAND

Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Resort (Sandy Hills Links)

Pat Ruddy's fairways cut directly through Rosapenna's towering Donegal dunes.

  • NORTH WEST IRELAND Location
  • LINKS Course type
  • 18 HOLES Holes
  • PAR 72 Par

Beyond the Scorecard

  • Course established: 2003
  • Course designer/s: Pat Ruddy, Beau Welling.
  • National ranking: #18 in the Republic of Ireland
  • Known for: Pat Ruddy's routing through towering dunes.
  • Defining feature: Elevated greens set into dune plateaux 

Ruddy's Route Through Rosapenna's Dunes

The Sandy Hills Links at Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Resort opened in 2003 as Pat Ruddy's modern counterpart to the property's older course. Rather than follow the lower ground beside the dunes, Ruddy carried the routing directly through them, creating a sequence that feels enclosed by the landscape from the opening hole.

Fairways sit in natural bowls and narrow corridors, with raised tees revealing lines that can disappear once the ball reaches the dune floor. Approaches often climb towards greens cut into slopes or placed on higher shelves. Views across the Old Tom Morris Links towards Sheephaven Bay appear between the dune ridges, adding brief moments of openness to an otherwise tightly framed round.

Beau Welling later contributed changes intended to give golfers more ways to use the firm ground. Selected greenside bunkers were removed, while the first became a par 5. The 13th received a new green, and the home green was reshaped and angled more sharply to the final approach.

Why Add This Course to Your Golf Experience

Sandy Hills gives a Kinfern North West Ireland golf experience three distinct links at one Donegal resort. Golfers can combine it with the historic Old Tom Morris Links and Tom Doak's St. Patrick's Links while keeping the same accommodation base. Rosapenna also offers a three-links ticket, making the venue suited to a focused stay with several rounds. 

Portsalon can extend the plan beyond the resort, adding another Donegal coastline and a different style of links golf.

Begin Your Journey

Speak with our golf travel specialists and start planning your next championship experience.

Explore Experiences
This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. View cookie policy