Strandhill Golf Club

Between Knocknarea and the Atlantic

The golf course at Strandhill Golf Club began as a nine-hole layout in 1931. John McAlister designed a replacement nine that opened in 1940, and Eddie Hackett extended the course to 18 holes in 1973. Since 2016, Ally McIntosh has led further work on the bunkers, fairway widths, tees, and green surrounds.

The course fits tightly between Strandhill Beach, Culleenamore Strand, the Atlantic, and Knocknarea. Four par threes and a single par five create an unusual par-70 sequence, while steep fairway movement and uneven green sites make its modest length deceptive. Wind can change both the preferred line and the way a ball releases across the ground.

At the sixth, a sharp dogleg opens suddenly towards the Atlantic, with the sea forming the backdrop behind the green. The 13th begins with a blind tee shot into a narrow fairway before an approach between large dunes. Later, the 15th presents a multi-tiered fairway whose landing areas become smaller closer to the green. These shifts in view, width, and elevation give Strandhill a distinctive rhythm.