Photo: Wikimedia CommonsRosapenna Hotel & Golf Resort
Downings, Co. Donegal · Designed by Old Tom Morris / Pat Ruddy / Tom Doak · Est. 1893
When Old Tom Morris laid out a links along Sheephaven Bay in 1893 and the resort opened its hotel the same year, Rosapenna became — by most reckonings — the world's first purpose-built golf resort. More than a century later it offers three championship links on the same Donegal duneland, which makes it one of the most complete golf destinations in Ireland.
The Old Tom Morris Links (par 71, 6,915 yards) is the original, running classically out and back along the bay. Pat Ruddy's Sandy Hills Links (par 72, 7,183 yards) climbs into the big dunes for a wilder, more modern test. And in 2021 Tom Doak's St Patrick's Links opened next door and went straight into GOLF Magazine's world top 100 at number 55 — built across a vast dunescape Doak rated among the best links ground he had ever worked. Few resorts anywhere can offer three links of this calibre side by side.
Rosapenna sits on the remote Rosguill Peninsula at Downings, well into north Donegal — about an hour from City of Derry Airport. The journey is part of it; so is the hotel, which has welcomed golfers continuously for over 130 years.
Holes worth knowing
- 1St Patrick's Links (Tom Doak, 2021) — built across an enormous natural dunescape and ranked inside the world's top 100 within a year of opening. The newest reason Rosapenna has become a genuine bucket-list destination.
Highlights
- World's first purpose-built golf resort (1893)
- Three championship links: Old Tom Morris, Sandy Hills, St Patrick's
- St Patrick's Links (Tom Doak, 2021) — world top 100
Good to know
- →Three links on one site means a two- or three-day stay is the right way to do Rosapenna — play Old Tom Morris and Sandy Hills, and book St Patrick's well ahead.
- →It is remote — about an hour north of City of Derry Airport on the Rosguill Peninsula. Stay at the resort hotel rather than commuting; that is the whole idea.
- →The Atlantic Drive loop around Rosguill is one of the great short coastal drives in Donegal — do it on a clear evening.
- →Combine with Ballyliffin on Inishowen and Donegal (Murvagh) to the south for a serious north-Donegal links tour.
Visitor Information
Getting There
Common questions
Is Rosapenna really the world's first golf resort?
By most reckonings, yes. Old Tom Morris laid out a links along Sheephaven Bay in 1893 and the hotel opened the same year, making Rosapenna the world's first purpose-built golf resort. It has welcomed golfers continuously for over 130 years.
How many courses are there at Rosapenna?
Three championship links on the same Donegal duneland: the original Old Tom Morris Links (par 71, 6,915 yards), Pat Ruddy's Sandy Hills Links (par 72, 7,183 yards), and Tom Doak's St Patrick's Links, which opened in 2021. Few resorts anywhere offer three links of this calibre side by side.
Is St Patrick's Links worth playing?
Very much so. Tom Doak's St Patrick's Links opened in 2021 and went straight into GOLF Magazine's world top 100 at number 55, built across a vast natural dunescape Doak rated among the best links ground he had ever worked. It is the main reason Rosapenna has become a bucket-list destination.
Where is Rosapenna and how do I play it?
It sits on the remote Rosguill Peninsula at Downings, in north Donegal — about an hour from City of Derry Airport. With three links on one site, a two- or three-day stay at the resort hotel is the right way to do it; book St Patrick's well in advance.
Where to Stay
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