Country Article / Postcards

Only 2 Months Left to Play Irish Golf as it Was 50 Years Ago

Date: 08/23/2006

Want to know what traditional Irish golf was like 50 years ago, before modern clubhouses, triple-digit greens fees, and million-dollar irrigation systems?

Then don’t miss St. Patrick’s Golf Links, an almost completely unknown course just outside the town of Carrigart, in Co. Donegal.

But hurry--the course was recently bought by Dublin’s Relton Development Group, who hired Jack Nicklaus to begin a major redesign this fall. When finished, the course will join Ireland’s high-end resorts, complete with a luxury-hotel, 200 luxury apartments and houses…and prices to match.

Don’t get me wrong--St. Patrick’s will be a much nicer golf course when Nicklaus and company are done. But it’s sad to see the most natural and unpretentious links course in the country become another upscale resort.

Keep in mind, this is a course where, right now, you have to pay the greens fees at the Carrigart Hotel, about two miles away from the first tee.

At the course there’s no parking lot--just a small patch of grass behind a giant dune. There’s no clubhouse…snack bar…restroom…starter’s hut…or even a bench or a trashcan. St. Patrick’s has no hole diagrams to tell you which way to go.

In short, there are literally no facilities on the golf course whatsoever.

But that’s St. Patrick’s appeal--it’s just you and 36 holes of spectacular links land.

The fairways appear to be cut about once a week--it’s a spongy blend of clover, weeds, and grass--but not a single bare spot. This is Western Ireland, after all, where it rains two out of every three days of the year.

St. Patrick’s is a great golf course to play if you want to experience spectacular and unadulterated links--huge sand dunes, high marram grass in the rough, and the whipping wind howling from across the sea.

If, on the other hand, you care more about manicured greens and country club perks, St. Patrick’s is probably not for you.

One thing’s for sure: If you visit, you will most likely have the course almost completely to yourself. When I played it in October, I didn’t see another person all day, except for a maintenance guy. You can play both courses for 30 euro ($38) per round, see http://www.stpatricksgolflinks.com for more details.

Michael Palmer
For International Living

Editor’s note: A contributor to International Living, Michael Palmer recently circumnavigated Ireland, covering 2,200 miles in 30 days to find the perfect Irish golf vacation. He’s put together a website and a colorful book revealing the secrets of what he found--the best courses…the best bargains…the overpriced rip-offs…when to go…what to bring…plus dozens of stories about Irish history and the characters he met along the way. For more details, go to http://www.irishgolfsecrets.com/