Hidden GemGreat ValueLinks ClassicWild Atlantic Way

Enniscrone Golf Club

Enniscrone, Co. Sligo · Designed by Eddie Hackett / Donald Steel · Est. 1974

Donald Steel, the architect who redesigned Enniscrone in 1999, once said: "I challenge anybody to name holes — including those at Ballybunion — where the dunes are more of a feature than at Enniscrone." That is a serious claim. The dunes here are among the tallest in Ireland, some cresting 100 feet above the Atlantic. The course occupies a promontory on Killala Bay on the Mayo-Sligo border, and twelve of the eighteen holes wind through the dune terrain before the closing stretch drops to the bluffs above the beach.

The club was founded in 1918 and played wherever they could find land. Eddie Hackett laid out a proper 18-hole course by 1974 — one of the hundreds of links layouts he shaped across Ireland over a career that defined the country's golf landscape. Steel's redesign transformed it from good to exceptional, carving six new holes from the highest ridges of duneland and creating a finishing four-hole stretch along the coast that players consistently describe as one of the most exhilarating in Irish golf. One of the dune ridges is called Cnoc na gCorp — Hill of the Corpses — after Vikings reportedly slaughtered and buried there by a local chieftain. The course does not feel tame.

Tom Coyne walked the entire Irish coastline playing every course in his path for his book "A Course Called Ireland." He called Enniscrone probably the best off-the-beaten-track course in Ireland. Most visiting golfers never find it. That gap between quality and crowd level is exactly why the people who do find it keep coming back.

Holes worth knowing

117th (par-3): The green is ringed by marram-covered dune ridges with the sea and Atlantic coastline creating the entire backdrop. Described as looking like something from a golf illustration rather than a real hole. When the wind arrives from Killala Bay, it becomes one of the more demanding short holes on the west coast.

Highlights

Killala Bay duneland
Exceptional value west coast links
Specialist media favourite

Good to know

→Kilcullen's Seaweed Baths in the village opened in 1912 — same building, same original glazed porcelain baths, same brass taps. They pump seawater at high tide, heat it with steam, and fill the baths with freshly harvested seaweed. Fifth generation of the same family. Book ahead — it is the best thing to do after a round here.
→County Sligo Golf Club at Rosses Point is 45 minutes away. Pair the two rounds over two days — completely different scale of course but both exceptional.
→Tee times are easy to get by west coast standards. You do not need to plan a year in advance.
→The 9-hole Scurmore course is on site and available separately — a good warm-up or a more relaxed option if the main course is fully booked.
→The town has a 5km beach and two surf schools. If the golf is done and you have an evening left, the beach walk north toward Storm Beach is worth it.

Visitor Information

Getting There

45min drive

1h 30min drive

Common questions

Why is Enniscrone considered so underrated?

Enniscrone sits at 15th in the 2026 Irish Golfer Top 100 — one of the most respected annual rankings of Irish courses — yet most international visitors have never heard of it. The duneland on Killala Bay is of extraordinary scale: the 14th and 16th holes route through towering dunes that are as dramatic as anything on the west coast. Green fees are modest and it never gets the crowds that Kerry or Clare attract. It's genuinely one of the best-value rounds in Ireland.

What are the best holes at Enniscrone?

The 16th is widely regarded as the signature hole: a par five framed by coastal dunes separating the fairway from the ocean, with a wide but very shallow green that makes club selection critical. The 14th plays through the biggest dunes on the course. The 15th — Stroke Index 1 — plays along the beach and is the hardest two-shot hole on the property.

How do I book Enniscrone Golf Club?

Enniscrone books directly through the club website — it does not use GolfNow. Tee time availability is generally good outside the summer peak.

What other courses should I combine with Enniscrone?

Rosses Point (County Sligo) is forty-five minutes north. Carne in Belmullet is ninety minutes north — one of the most remote and dramatic links in Ireland. Together, Enniscrone, Rosses Point, and Carne form the core Wild Atlantic Way links circuit in the west.