St Patrick's Links

kieran.

Serious course

. Say a prayer for Me pls

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kev_s88

i believe he had a thing for snakes. not sure if its a kink though 🤣

spacecoyote

Yeah maybe something for the religion forums alright 😁

Enjoy it Kieran

kieran.

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St. Patrick's Links

Outstanding

FixdePitchmark

Definitely the most stunning looking course in Ireland I have seen - stunning layout that doesn't align with too much you have seen before - yes hints of other holes - but not the breakout bunkers - and extreme changes in ground levels.

The one issue that is real, is the greens - They remain too young, too slow and the undulations on them are impractical. I played it with fairly good golfers - but a bit silly that you are facing a sure 3 putt from good approaches. It wouldn't surprise me if the green are changed in the future.

pauldoo

Played it a few weeks ago, agree on the greens. One of the holes, 3 of landed on the par 3 green (2nd or 3rd hole), walked off with 10 putts between the 3 of us.

Some lovely holes and views 😍

FixdePitchmark

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120567741#Comment_120567741

Yes and there are about 6 greens like that ..play great golf and no shot on green.

Dayor Knight

Looks lovely, lads. Where is it??

slave1

Rosapenna, Donegal

willabur

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120567801#Comment_120567801

is it great golf if you don't leave yourself a putt? or is it just plain unfair? Hole cut on the crest of a sharp hill or something silly like that

thewobbler

It’s an absolutely remarkable golf course and will end up ranked no.1 in Ireland when it matures.

I would think some would need to realign their golf thinking before playing.

normally when 30 yards from the pin, you wouldn’t expect to get up and down - especially if there’s a large swail on your direct line.

On a few holes in St Patrick’s, that 30 yarder with the swail might take place on a green.

Should anyone have clear expectations that such a poor approach shot might leave them an easy two putt for par, then with all due respect, I just don’t think they understand the course.

it’s absolutely wonderful.

CSWS101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120570596#Comment_120570596

Agree on this. Fantastic course, I always think with the greens if you play it a few times you know exactly where you absolutely cannot go. Haven't played a course like it

FixdePitchmark

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120570596#Comment_120570596

We are talking 3 putts from 20 to 30 feet - not yards

The guys I was playing with, are well travelled - very experienced and very good golfers. Greens are slow there at the moment - but when the greens are faster it will be comical.

Have to agree to disagree - fantastic course - and perhaps with more experience you could improve a bit - but the level of experience people are talking about would take years - and you would have to be a member of the place. Even at that, some green have little or no locations with any sensible pin location.

When we asked the group - all of them would prefer to play the other two courses.

thewobbler

Greens weren’t great either on my visit Fixd. But I don’t remember any particular hole where they couldn’t set up an attackable pin position, should they be that way inclined.

i believe the theory behind the layout is that while you can spray it off the tee, and the green sizes make them quite inviting, to score well you will usually have to hit the part of the fairway that makes it possible to hit the right part of the green. So it’s enjoyable golf for high handicappers, and still challenging golf for low men.

As I say, I loved it. It felt like a young Portrush, made better by its isolation.

tayto lover

I'd rather Sandy Hills but St. Patrick's will probably be much better when it matures.

srfc d16

Sandy Hills would be the bottom of my list of the 3 courses. I just found it extremely unforgiving and tight in comparison with the other 2.

1 St Patricks

2 Old Tom

3 Sandy hills

mjsc1970

I wouldn't bother me backside going anywhere else but here for a weekends away golfing. It's marvelous.

drawrj

I'm playing the 3 courses over 3 days during the summer, is a push cart needed? I was planning to carrying.

thewobbler

Old Tom is flat, bar on or two tee box climbs.

Sandy Hills is undulating throughout but never severe.

St Patrick’s is a more spreadeagled walk over a large estate, but again is never severe.

Frisbee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120581800#Comment_120581800

I'm doing the same in August. I always carry, don't have a trolley. But I am thinking of maybe trying to borrow one for the trip as three courses in three days with a 4hour drive either side of it will leave the body sore enough I reckon.

mjsc1970

Ye will be grand first two days carrying provided you're in no need to carry rain gear.

blue note

St pat's is my favourite course of all those I've played. I haven't played the ones that are rated at the very top of the rankings, but I've played a few that you'd find in the top 10 and top 20 and this was the clear favourite of mine. I don't remember the greens being completely crazy. Maybe I was fortunate but I didn't come off the course feeling they were unfair. They were fun though. I do remember an exceptionally difficult putt on the 10th hole I think it was. But it was possible to leave it beside the hole for a tap in 2 putt. Just extremely difficult. Whereas on my home course there are 2 holes where leaving yourself a tap in 2nd putt can be literally impossible. I'm not fond of that sort of thing. The bunker in the middle of a green in the European I'd say the same about.

But I loved the drama and scale of the setting which was matched on the course. The views are spectacular. We had a windy day so the waves were breaking way out. The beach goes on forever. There are no holes packed tightly together so you just feel small out there. And as I say, the course matches the dramatic setting. Huge elevations, rugged sprawling bunkers, big slopes and undulations everywhere. There are things to think about on every shot, some that require attention and some just to freak you out. Those are things not to think about in a way, but for me you're missing fun if you do that. It's like going on a rollercoaster and closing your eyes. It's much more scary if you can see what's coming and that's what you're paying for.

I was trying to recall stand out holes and I just remember them all fondly. A fairly gentle start with a bit of a blind drive over a hump and then hitting down to a green that feels very at home at the bottom of the hill. It's a bit of an understated start to the round. 2nd is wonderful - a big elevation, a choice on how short a line to take (I went conservative and lost one right). 3rd hole was a tough partially blind par 3 if I remember correctly and then the 4th and incredible par 5 along the beach. That's some opening stretch of holes.

I loved the drive on (I think) 10 where you have a bunker cutting in to meet the fairway from the left. The further you go the closer it gets and the fairway slopes into it. I was driving well so hit the brave one and did exactly what I hoped for - nailed it with a baby fade into the slope for extra safety. But the shot was about 2m beyond me, it just snuck in at the end to leave me that horrible 50m bunker shot. A lovely example of a course tempting you and punishing you fairly.

I loved the closing hole as well - a driveable par 4. I hit a three wood and landed it on the green. It was a helping but left to right wind so didn't hit it straight on and it just trickled back off the front. I'd a lovely pitch back up and then with my sense of slope so far out from undulations I was dealing with underhit the putt by about 10 feet.

But I just loved the course. I found it fair, breathtaking and fun. I actually want to hop in the car and scoot up there for a round right now since I've started thinking about it.

FixdePitchmark

A 3 wood onto the last ..blue note ..some player....hopefully you know the stuff you post isn't normal..

fungie

I found that it plays like one of those American resort courses but links. Fairways are 100 yards wide and silly waste areas. It's setup for the yanks, I believe you can't even join it. I don't remember any particular holes but a few have nice views. Better courses in Rosapenna let alone in Donegal.

FixdePitchmark

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120625086#Comment_120625086

I think it is a course that will not be universally liked - it will be liked by tourists and maybe higher handicap players. But for players who like the more tritonal and tricky links. they might even prefer 2 course at Rosapenna versus St Patrick's.

RoadRunner

A links course that's fun? 🤔 That'll never work

FixdePitchmark

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120627956#Comment_120627956

No you are right , in that ..if you leave your driving brain at home ..you will have a great day .

You'll love the course..

Designed for Americans.

RoadRunner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120628222#Comment_120628222

Do they have hotdogs and clean my clubs for me after the round 🤔

Kevinmarkham

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120625086#Comment_120625086

Can't say I ever expected to read this about St Patrick's, fungie. So many questions:

Why does it play like a resort course? Because the fairways are so wide?

How is it set up for the yanks? Is it the fairways again?

The waste areas are natural. If you think that's 'silly' so be it.

I have no issue with you saying there are better courses in Donegal - one of my playing partners said after we played there last week that he preferred Sandy Hills - but calling it a resort course got me worked up. (I'm calmer now!)

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120625189#Comment_120625189

I have heard/read a few negative comments but overall it is liked very much. I know what you mean about 'tricky links' but consider that Sandy Hills has been greatly softened in the past 5 years because it was considered too tough and visitors were staying away. Look at the praise heaped on it last week by our group.

St Patrick's is accessible, especially off the tee. The wide fairways give you room to get away with a poor drive but you will benefit from being on the correct side of the fairway because of the challenges around (and on) the greens. Consider the 2nd, the 7th, 10th, 13th, 14th, and even the 1st. Put the flag on the right side of the 11th (top tier) and you have to be on the left side of the fairway if you want to go for it.

Overall, the course suits everybody but the better player will realise there is work to be done if they are going to attack pins from the optimum position.

slave1

We are lucky, if there wasn't already a links course there then St Patricks would not exist, it will be the last new Links course in Ireland due to Planning restrictions

FixdePitchmark

@Kevinmarkham - it will be interesting to see the feedback in a few years - I admit is is a small vox pop (about 10 golfers) - but of the guys I play golf with - they prefer Sandy Hills - so it will be interesting where the two lie in say 10 years time.