ROSAPENNA GOLF CLUB
Founded: 1892
Designer: Old Tom Morris
Type: Links
More Information: www.rosapenna.ie
The ghosts of Old Tom Morris, James Braid and Harry Vardon still whisper at Rosapenna, though the links has been rearranged any number of times, most recently by Pat Ruddy, who in 2005 completed an all-new back nine for the Old Course.
In an odd way, Rosapenna is perhaps more out of the way than it was when construction began on the grand Rosapenna Hotel in 1890. This seclusion is just one reason why it is well worth a visit, particularly in conjunction with a trip to nearby Portsalon.
With the opening of the tremendous Sandy Hills links in June 2003, the Rosapenna Hotel and Golf Club can now justifiably boast that it is the top golf resort in Ireland. Only Ballyliffin and Ballybunion have 36 links holes of similar quality, and neither has a hotel to rival the Rosapenna.
On top of that, an impressive new clubhouse, loosely modeled on the original Rosapenna Hotel that burned to the ground in 1952, opened in 2005.