Portsalon Golf Club

Portsalon,

Fanad, Co. Donegal

  • Office

    +353 (0)74 915 9459
  • Pro shop

    +353 (0)74 915 9459
  • Fax

    +353 (0)74 915 9459
  • Golf pro

    Daragh Lyons (Club Manager).

About the course

  • The Course:

    18 holes. Seaside links. Undulating terrain - a few slopes to climb (more so on the back-nine)

  • Surroundings:

    Coastal duneland.

  • Designer:

    Original design by Charles Thompson (golf professional at Portrush GC); substantial improvements designed by Pat Ruddy (2000).

Back
tees
Club
tees
Front
tees
Metres
6191
5489
5210
Par
72
72
75
SSS or slope
72
69
73

Location

Latitude:

55.201994

Longitude:

-7.626914

How to get there:

47 miles NW of Derry (Londonderry)

From the town of Letterkenny, take the R245 direction Rathmelton / Milford. After 20 km (go through Milford) turn right direction Kerrykeel / Fanad. After 1.5 km turn onto the R246 direction Kerrykeel / Fanad and follow the R246. After approx 14 km turn right direction Portsalon Golf Hotel. After 1.1 km turn right direction Portsalon GC. After 1 km turn right into golf club.

Portsalon Golf Club

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.

Est. 1891

Portsalon Golf Club: The Fanad Peninsula in County Donegal is one of Ireland's quieter corners, where a memorable links golf course combines with spectacular mountain scenery and breathtaking sea views. Relatively recent improvements to the layout at Portsalon have catapulted it into the upper echelons of Ireland's coastal courses - both in terms of scenery (which has been here since time immemorial) and the playing quality of the holes (a more recent phenomenon).

Several idiosyncratic and criss-crossing holes have now been straightened out and a more uniform and stronger layout has resulted. The renovation has not however altered the timeless charms of this seaside course, and its inherent golfing challenges.

With the majority of the layout played through an impressive area of sand dunes alongside the North Atlantic Ocean, you are assured of great scenery, not least the views onto Ballymacstocker Bay and Lough Swilly. The layout itself provides a thorough examination of your overall game; there are times when long and straight is an essential requirement from the tee.

The tranquillity of the environment here at Portsalon is only interrupted by the wind (and occasional gales) that blow through, and on sunny summer days the sounds of playful youngsters on the beach.

List of courses: Ireland - North

Visitors

Who can play and when?

Visitors welcome on weekdays and weekends.

Must book in advance. Handicap required.

Green fees

Visitor fee, 18-holes in high season (April thru' Oct): weekdays €125; weekends €150.

Contact club for full details, discounts, packages, etc. [Last updated: 2023].

Other information

Players generally walk this course. Golf carts available for hire

Practice facilities

Good

Did you know?

Running alongside the golf course at Portsalon are 3 km of pristine golden sand that form spectacular Ballymastocker Beach. County Donegal's Fanad Peninsula is home to several other fabulous beaches, as well as the impressive Fanad Head lighthouse (located 12 km north of Portsalon).

Published ranking

Ireland's 23rd best course (Golf World, 2023).
Britain & Ireland's 116th best course (Golf World, 2024).

Where2Stay

  • Rathmullan House4-star

    Rathmullen, Co. Donegal

    +353 (0)74 915 8188

    Visit website
    • Golf at this hotel:

      No

    • Golf within 10 km:

      No

    • Golf within 30 km:

      Portsalon; Rosapenna (Old Tom Morris and Sandy Hills courses).

  • Portsalon Golf Hotel

    Drum, Portsalon, Co. Donegal

    +353 (0)74 915 9806

    Visit website
    • Golf at this hotel:

      No

    • Golf within 10 km:

      Portsalon (o.5 km)

    • Golf within 30 km:

      Rosapenna (Old Tom Morris and Sandy Hills courses)

Find a course

Or

Tournaments

The Sentry: known for many years as the Tournament of Champions, the PGA Tour’s 2025 season-opener gets underway on Kapalua’s Plantation course (Jan 2-5). Chris Kirk defends.

Tournament of Champions: the LPGA Tour’s 2025 season is launched at Lake Nona with the their Tournament of Champions (Jan 30-Feb 2). The 2024 edition gave Lydia Ko her 20th LPGA Tour title.

Who's Who

Attahya Thitikul: also known as “Jeeno”, the Thai golfer won the LPGA Tour’s 2024 CME Group Tour Championship … and an eye-watering $4 million, the richest first-prize in women’s golf.

Rory McIlroy: scooped the 2024 European (DP World) Tour season-long Order of Merit title, joining Seve Ballesteros as a six-time winner of this prestigious award.

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club: With a clubhouse that might befit a Roman Emperor, and a golf course to match, you can be sure of a memorable outing at Rome's most talked about golf facility.

Jim Fazio's original layout was much changed to create a modern Ryder Cup course ... now one of the Eternal City's (and Italy's) most revered.

Prince's Golf Club, Kent (UK)

Here at Prince’s Golf Club you'll find 27 excellent holes of links golf. Just over the fence and sharing similar terrain is Royal St George’s; but Prince’s is far from overshadowed by its venerable neighbour. The three nine-hole loops at Prince's, laid out over gently undulating terrain, are sure to bring a smile of satisfaction to all lovers of links golf.

Stay&Play at Prince's: excellent onsite Lodge accommodation available

Popular videos

You can subscribe to the Where2Golf channel on YT if you like to see more video content. You'll find a "Subscribe" button on any of our YouTube videos. Or if you want a quick and direct access subscribe here. Once done, any new published videos will show up in your Subscriptions feed.

Whistling Straits (Wisconsin, US)

Hamburger GC - Falkenstein, Germany

Littlestone Golf Club (Kent, UK)