Rosses Point Golf Club

There cannot be another links course in the world surrounded so breathtakingly as County Sligo Golf Club. These include the a back drop of mountains, with the craggy Knocknarea, at the peak of which is a cairn reputedly dedicated to a first-century AD warrior queen. Small wonder, then, that the surroundings of Sligo inspired the work of its most famous son, the poet WB Yeats.  And if not quite in such style as Yeats himself, golfers the world over wax lyrical whenever they speak of the course at Co Sligo, popularly known as Rosses Point. One of the oldest layouts in Ireland, dating back to 1894, it is a joyously natural links, governed completely by the unique topography of the land. It is a course played on three distinct levels. It begins – unremarkably it must be said – on high ground before plummeting down to a valley floor. At the end of the front nine the golfer climbs again, onto a plateau, to play a further four holes before returning to sea level. The unforgettable 17th – is this the greatest uphill par four in the game? – leads back to the original high ground and the 18th, after a dramatic tee shot, leads gently back to the distinctive Tudor-style clubhouse. The West of Ireland championship is played here every Easter and the winner is invariably a man who knows how to cope with the severest of conditions. Though not an especially long course by modern standards, 6,750 yards from the back tees, it can certainly feel like one when the wind blows – as of course it so often does on such an exposed and elevated headland. Rosses Point, the name of the village, a couple of miles north-west of Sligo town, in which the course begins, was founded by a Scot, Lieutenant-Colonel James Campbell. It was originally designed in equal parts by the first-ever secretary of the Golfing Union of Ireland, George Combe, and the colonel’s half-brother, Willie Campbell. But the course in play today is the work of Harry Colt, introduced in 1927 to improve on the rudiments already present. It cost the club £50, which barely covers a green fee these days, and the result of their investment is a legacy that has thrust this tiny village into international renown. Reflecting the unusual piece of land he had to work with, Rosses Point is not reminiscent of any one other course you might care to name. Instead, its moods change as often as the weather tends to on Ireland’s exposed west coast. 

One of the oldest layouts in Ireland, dating back to 1894, it is a joyously natural links, governed completely by the unique topography of the land.

For a links of its calibre, the start is far from promising. Upon reaching the 2nd green and pausing to recover your breath after the arduous climb – ascent is hardly too strong a word to use – you could be forgiven for wondering if you had come to the wrong place. But from that moment onwards, with barely a single exception, the standard of golf is consistently of the highest order. The fun begins with a par five that makes you realise immediately why Colt felt it necessary to route those opening two holes directly uphill. The views are breathtaking, and so too is the prospect of opening your shoulders and smashing a drive towards the distant fairway below. Depending on the wind, the short 4th can be the toughest of propositions. In the best links traditions, its green is raised above the level of the surrounding land and that means a shot which is very nearly good can easily finish being decidedly bad, having trickled off the putting surface to leave an awkward chip. The 5th involves another change in elevation, agan of the downward variety. As a hole, the 3rd is a better golfing challenge but with fairway fully 100 feet below and the tee on the edge of the cliff, the 5th is even more dramatic. Once on the bottom, the character changes. Altogether less whimsical in ni Down here, the fairways are firm and fast and the wind tends to rush across rather than down them, making good control of ball flight a real advantage. The holes are generally hard – especially the 7th and 8th. Both involve a stream that cuts in front of the green and when the wind is strong that often necessitates the second shot being a lay-up to leave an awkward pitch in. Those duly negotiated and another climb brings the short 9th into view. After that, it is over to the other side of the hill and a couple of holes played in complete separation from the rest of the course. Almost downland in character, they are by no means the best on the course but do promote powerful feelings of remoteness and isolation.  By the time the 12th green has been reached on what is the last of the three par fives, all of Rosses Point comes back into view. With barely time to digest the spectacular ocean view, the par-three 13th poses that most awkward seaside conundrum – how to get from an elevated tee to a green little more than wedge away in normal circumstances but complicated by a howling wind. Back on the lower ground, the 14th is another outstanding two-shotter and then it is time to draw breath ahead of the mighty 17th. The drive is the (relatively) easy bit and must ideally reach the very end of a fairway that eventually becomes a hill of rough. The rest of the hole is to the left and very much uphill. It takes the very best of approaches to find the green, some 200 yards away and a remote-looking target indeed. After that, and the demands of a blind drive on the last, the surroundings of the final green are gentle. In truth, Rosses Point does not finish all that much better than its all four sides by such stunning vistas as Rosses Point. To the west, the Atlantic Ocean, the north, Ben Bulben – Ireland’s answer to Table Mountain and to the east is Glencar Valley.