Strandhill Golf Club

Strandhill Golf Club: from the elevated clubhouse and first tee that sits alongside, you look out onto glorious views. Cullenamore Beach stretches out to the south, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and a huge towering dune is also in the picture. Looming large to the east, the striking limestone hill of Knocknarea ... excellent links golf, stunning sea and mountain views, and a thoroughly natural setting are the hallmarks of Strandhill.

This delightfully natural and well-maintained course serves up many "pure links" treats as you journey round. With rippling fairways, dark sand bunkers, and several shots to elevated greens, the layout weaves its way this way and that, returning close to the clubhouse for your tee shots at 1, 6, 11, 13 and 16. The par-3 2nd, and par-4 3rd and 4th holes, play alongside the beach before the par-5 5th brings you alongside Strandhill's truly impressive sand hill. The 360-degree panoramic view from the par-5 5th tee is stunning.

The stretch from the par-4 8th to the par-4 12th may feel a little less dramatic than the rest of the course, but there's a blind drive (one of very few) to be made at 8, and potential birdie opportunities for big hitters at 10, 11 and 12.

Although living in the shadow of the more renowned County Sligo GC at Rosses Point (located across Sligo Harbour estuary), Strandhill is itself home to a wonderfully scenic and rolling duneland golf course. Here you'll find a thoroughly enjoyable links layout, and another of Ireland's truly authentic, scenic and natural seaside layouts. If you're spending a day or two in and around Sligo, don't miss the opportunity to play Strandhill's wonderful links.

Pick of the holes: amongst many candidates, the straightaway par-4 7th plays from part-way up the mega-dune; a riotously bubbling fairway and well-protected green await. At the challenging par-4 13th, a blind downhill tee shot has to hit a narrow left-to-right doglegging fairway. Equally testing, your approach must wriggle between a tight neck in the dunes beyond which lies a tiny green ... a shotmaker's hole with local knowledge needed in abundance!