Ballyliffin Golf Club – Old Course

County Donegal, Ireland

About

Course Architect: Eddie Hackett, Charles Lawrie, Frank Pennink, Pat Ruddy, Tom Craddock, Nick Faldo
Number of Holes: 18
Par: 71
Distances: 6,450 Yards / 5,897 Metres
Course Type: Links
Club Type: Golf Club
Address: Ballyliffin, Co. Donegal, Ireland
Contact Us: [email protected]

Location

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Situated on Ireland’s Northern coast in County Donegal, Ballyliffin Golf Club offers two 18-hole golf courses of championship quality. The Glashedy Links and Old Courses provide 36-holes of golf in what is Ireland’s northernmost golf club. The Old Course at Ballyliffin was created in 1973 by Eddie Hackett, Charles Lawrie and Frank Pennink, while Pat Ruddy and Tom Craddock improved upon the course when they were building Glashedy Links in 2000, and Sir Nick Faldo recently made on some tees and bunkers in 2004. The Old Course has hosted the European Seniors Open in 2008, and is a favourite among many PGA Tour players including Nick Faldo and Rory McIlroy.

Nearby golf courses include Castlerock, Portsalon and Rosapenna Hotel & Resort with its Sandy Hills Links and Old Tom Morris Links. Ballyliffin marks one end of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way; we recommend renting a vehicle and driving the country’s west coast, playing some of the best links golf courses in Europe.

Golf Course Information

Ballyliffin Golf Club’s Old Course features undulating terrain from the first tee to the eighteenth green. It is a considerable challenge to play and presents an immensely enjoyable round to every golfer. One major element to note on The Old Course is that you will rarely get a flat lie; the course presents links golf at its finest. The golf course is shorter than the newer Glashedy Links, but you will be thanking its designers that they didn’t extend the course during its refurbishments over the years. The fierce northerly winds off The Atlantic Ocean can be the difference between three lost golf balls and ten.

The golf course has the same fantastic surrounds as Glashedy Links; its holes are interwoven with the new course so that Ballyliffin has become a sprawling complex of golfing heaven. Deep pot bunkers rolling dunes, and fescue-grass waste areas comprise the various challenges on Ballyliffin’s Old Course, but the greens are equally tricky with multiple tiers, runoff areas and subtle undulations creating extra fun. The surrounds are magnificent with the coast on one side and distant mountains rising on the horizon. The Old Course presents pure links golf and must be experienced on your Irish golf vacation.

Venue Information

Practice Facilities

The golf practice facilities at Ballyliffin Golf Club are fantastic, with a full-length driving range, short-game area for pitching and chipping, accompanied by a practice bunker and putting green. Use of the driving range costs €4 for a basket of golf balls. Other facilities include an excellent nine-hole course named ‘The Pollan Links’ which provides visiting golfers a fun post-round challenge or pre-round warm-up.

Clubhouse

The Ballyliffin Golf Clubhouse features a 25,000 square foot building that serves as the bastion of the Golf Club, overlooking the magnificent golf complex. On the top floor, the Links Restaurants and Bar serves a wide array of beverages and world-class cuisine year-round. On the ground floor, golfers will find the Pro Shop with a well-stocked range of golf apparel and equipment, including Ballyliffin-branded merchandise. Lockers and changing facilities with showers are also available in the clubhouse for visiting golfers.