Carne Golf Links (Wild Atlantic Dunes Course)

Two Eras Across One Dunescape

The Wild Atlantic Dunes Course at Carne Golf Links officially opened on 1 May 2020, bringing together the back nine of Eddie Hackett's original course and the newer Kilmore nine. Hackett's original 18 was completed in 1993 after the first nine opened a year earlier, and it became the final course of his career. The local non-profit behind Carne had acquired 220 acres in 1989 to create a golf destination for the remote Mullet Peninsula.

Ally McIntosh and Jim Engh shaped the additional nine, drawing on Hackett's sketches for the site's most dramatic ground. These holes opened in 2013 before joining the older back nine in the present routing. Very little earth was moved, allowing natural ridges and hilltops to determine the fairways and green sites.

The scale is central to the round. Dunes rise nearly 500 feet above sea level, with elevated tees revealing Blacksod Bay and offshore islands. Steep climbs lead to concealed landing areas. Many greens sit within deep dune valleys, keeping the course visually dramatic and tactically demanding from beginning to end.