The Full Irish: St. Patricks/ Narin & Portnoo
Two American architects draw us into our only 36-hole day.
One of the clear draws in the Northwest part of Ireland is Rosapenna. Previously home to two world-class courses, the Old Tom Morris course and Sandy Hills, it was always something on my list. But as I started putting together my wish list, I started to notice Tom Doak posting some things on his Instagram, and slowly realized it was a course he was designing in Ireland.
Doak, you got me. (Also, let’s note the 8th hole is one of his favorites. Spoiler alert - same with me.)
Later research showed that there used to be a 36-hole course adjacent to Rosapenna called St Patricks, and the family that owns Rosapenna acquired it after many years of trying. Legendary Irish golf architect Martin Hawtree had a go at it, and then Jack Nicklaus started a redesign that was halted during the 2008 economic issues. I think history may show that leaving it for Tom Doak may have been a lucky happenstance. Cause check this out:
Founded: 2021
Designer: Tom Doak
Ratings:
Top100GolfCourses: 14 (Britain & Ireland), 3 (Ireland), 41 (World)
The Irish Golfer: 9 (Ireland)
Golf.com: Not Rated
Once again, we have to wonder what Golf.com is thinking, but on the other hand - that is a LOT of praise for a course that’s truly two years old. 3rd in Ireland, 41st in the world? That’s fairly freaking impressive. It’s also acknowledged that this is one of the last few new links courses (because the old course was essentially completely torn up) that will be built in Ireland. There’s less land available and a lot of regulations that suggest a brand new links course is more aspirational than realistic.
So we headed to St Patricks with fairly high expectations.
Suffice it to say it, but I think our expectations were not just met, but exceeded
And the green complexes were … bananas. I can’t even begin to express how little my photo here shows off how many different levels this green has.
The beach that sits below the course is stunning, and my guy Dean was soaking it in.
And David found one of the largest bunkers/waste areas we’ve seen yet.
Oh, and also? This happened.
Yeah, suffice it to say I’m a fan of the course.
At some point during the planning, I realized that I had perhaps bitten off quite a lot in terms of courses we “had” to play. You, dear reader, may have already figured this part out. Coupling that with the reason we are trying to do so much - I’m old, and who knows when I’m coming back here - I tried hard NOT to try and play more than 18 holes a day. But eventually, that was just unavoidable IF we wanted to cross all these courses off our lists.
So today, we played 36 - with the second being Narin & Portnoo. While there have been 18 holes on property since 1965, the course went through several reroutings and improvement attempts before enlisting Gil Hanse to do a true renovation, which opened for play in 2020.
Founded: 1965, 2020
Designer: Eddie Conaughton, Gil Hanse
Ratings:
Top100GolfCourses: 74 (Britain & Ireland), 18 (Ireland)
The Irish Golfer: 27 (Ireland)
Golf.com: Not Rated
Hanse has been on an absolute tear of late, restoring or renovating some of the worlds greatest courses, and while N&P might not QUITE be on that tier, being considered a top-20 course in Ireland is certainly something that drew our attention. Here is how Hanse’s site describes the work at N&P:
The natural landscape has stunning 80-foot sand dunes; heavy and light ‘chop’ rolling links land; sharp drop-offs to pristine sandy beaches; rocky coast outcroppings to ricochet balls off; incredible views of the surrounding countryside; and outer islands along with an everchanging sky which you will get lost in! Numerous golf courses have one or two of these types of natural features but Narin & Portnoo has all of them. Couple that with fun, interesting golf with a bit of quirk you couldn’t ask for better creative inspiration.
Narin & Portnoo is always described as “wild,” and that’s a super appealing description for any golf course to me. Many folks are drawn to hyper manicured fairways and greens, and while those look gorgeous, the idea of playing a golf course that resembles the old game is just something I fell in love with in Scotland as well as American courses like Bandon Dunes. Even Whistling Straits and Erin Hills, where a TON of earth was moved, manage to mostly feel natural and wild and like they’ve always been there.
We got a fair bit of weather in this round so less photos than normal.
But man, what a day of golf - a Doak and a Hanse, and two of the most fun courses we could have doubled up with.
The next day, the plan was for us to drive back up north to squeeze in Cruit Island, but sadly they moved a tournament to earlier to avoid late afternoon weather which cancelled our tee times. We can’t find another way there, but as it was the last thing we added, it’s probably okay. Always nice to save something for the next trip. Instead we will “just” play County Sligo (Rosses Point) in the afternoon.
It sounds like you guys played a lot of golf on this trip