Donegal Trip Sept 18

slave1

Planning a north Donegal trip for September for myself and possibly up to a group size of 6. Definitely three of us anyhow.
In this region I've played the Ballyliffins, Rosapennas, Portsalon and down a bit Narin & Portnoo. Played Rosapennas and Portsalon again last year so they are off the list.

Looking at driving up on a Friday so I think (would like) squeezing in Cruit (just play 9 to tick the box) and Dunfanaghy.
Staying overnight Friday, Saturday both Ballyliffins (€70 a pop).
Staying overnight and looking to play Northwest (€40) on the way home.

Any thoughts on the plan, accommodation options or course suggestions etc?

Thanks folks

backspin.

slave1 wrote: »

Planning a north Donegal trip for September for myself and possibly up to a group size of 6. Definitely three of us anyhow.
In this region I've played the Ballyliffins, Rosapennas, Portsalon and down a bit Narin & Portnoo. Played Rosapennas and Portsalon again last year so they are off the list.

Looking at driving up on a Friday so I think (would like) squeezing in Cruit (just play 9 to tick the box) and Dunfanaghy.
Staying overnight Friday, Saturday both Ballyliffins (€70 a pop).
Staying overnight and looking to play Northwest (€40) on the way home.

Any thoughts on the plan, accommodation options or course suggestions etc?

Thanks folks

I know it's not north Donegal but have you played Murvagh. Greencastle is supposed to be good too.

slave1

Yeah, played Murvagh.

Greencastle another option, never heard of it, thanks

mighty magpie

slave1 wrote: »

Planning a north Donegal trip for September for myself and possibly up to a group size of 6. Definitely three of us anyhow.
In this region I've played the Ballyliffins, Rosapennas, Portsalon and down a bit Narin & Portnoo. Played Rosapennas and Portsalon again last year so they are off the list.

Looking at driving up on a Friday so I think (would like) squeezing in Cruit (just play 9 to tick the box) and Dunfanaghy.
Staying overnight Friday, Saturday both Ballyliffins (€70 a pop).
Staying overnight and looking to play Northwest (€40) on the way home.

Any thoughts on the plan, accommodation options or course suggestions etc?

Thanks folks

Portsalon or Sandy Hills would be better courses than northwest but it may involve more travel.

Check the ballyliffin fixtures, you may be able to play an open on the Saturday for €40. I've just booked a 4ball for 2nd september for €160. It's an anniversary comp on glashedy off the black tees. All Ireland Final day.

On accommodation, Doherty's country accommodation is on the road to the golf course and is only €80/90 per twin room. Stayed there when down for a wedding and it was great, lovely breakfast too.

ridonkulous

Ballyliffin Town House is a great place to stay if you're looking for accommodation in Ballyliffin. North West and Greencastle are fine but there's better available. Where are you coming from? What about the two courses in Ballyliffin and then the ferry over and play Castlerock or Portstewart/Portrush on the way home/up? Castlerock is a quality golf course.

slave1

mighty magpie wrote: »

Portsalon or Sandy Hills would be better courses than northwest but it may involve more travel.

Check the ballyliffin fixtures, you may be able to play an open on the Saturday for €40. I've just booked a 4ball for 2nd september for €160. It's an anniversary comp on glashedy off the black tees. All Ireland Final day.

On accommodation, Doherty's country accommodation is on the road to the golf course and is only €80/90 per twin room. Stayed there when down for a wedding and it was great, lovely breakfast too.

Played Portsalon and Rosapennas last year so too soon to play them again.
No open unfortunately, looking at Sept 7-9.
I'll check the accommodation out, thanks

slave1

ridonkulous wrote: »

Ballyliffin Town House is a great place to stay if you're looking for accommodation in Ballyliffin. North West and Greencastle are fine but there's better available. Where are you coming from? What about the two courses in Ballyliffin and then the ferry over and play Castlerock or Portstewart/Portrush on the way home/up? Castlerock is a quality golf course.

Coming from the midlands so probably traveling by Donegal town.
Played all those courses already, trying to stitch in a few I haven't played and the guys I'm going with want to play the Ballyliffins so that will be core

NIMAN

If you are up to Greencastle, it's a short ferry ride over to NI north coast, and not much of a drive to the likes of Royal Portrush (if you have plenty of cash), Portstewart.

City of Derry too? Meant to be a nice course.

slave1

Played those courses, from memory I think Portrush and Portstewart are holding a big schoolboys comp around the same time as we're heading there in any case.

mighty magpie

NIMAN wrote: »

If you are up to Greencastle, it's a short ferry ride over to NI north coast, and not much of a drive to the likes of Royal Portrush (if you have plenty of cash), Portstewart.

City of Derry too? Meant to be a nice course.

Depends on what route you are taking home, plenty of nice parkland courses around, killymoon/moyola/masereene

slave1

Planning Northwest for the way home...

heinze

Hi Slave 1

We do a similar trip every Sept / Oct each year.

Usual rota is Murvagh or Nairn & Portnoo on first day, Ballyliffin second day and then Rosapenna or Portsalon final day.

Gallaghers hotel in Letterkenny is perfect and very good value for two nights. Very central for pubs and nightlife also and makes the driving to the courses a bit easier.

would like some recommendations for new courses to try also as the value up here is much better than from Clare , Kerry etc . Castlerock is also well worth a visit.

swededmonkey

Personally I would switch out dunfanaghy for somewhere else. Not a patch on the other courses around you. My preference would be to fit in murvagh instead

slave1

Shame there’s no “Donegal Links” pass type deal for those wanting to play a few of the courses up there together...

fullstop

slave1 wrote: »

Shame there’s no “Donegal Links” pass type deal for those wanting to play a few of the courses up there together...

Most Donegal clubs (possibly all) have reciprocal deals where members of another Donegal club get green fees half price. If you have any contacts in the area that would be interested in playing, it could save you a bit.

Ollieboy

I would stay in the gateway in Buncrana. The Northwest is a cracking course and amazing value, if you get it on a good day the views are amazing over the lough.

Ballyliffen does two course in 1 day with buggies and well worth doing both courses. All the hotels in Ballyliffen are good and excellent value but the area is very quiet and Buncrana and Letterkenny have more options.

I wouldn’t waste my time playing Greencastle and a friend of mine played it a few weeks ago and he thought the same.

Buncrana also as a nice 9 hole golf course but it’s a bit like Corballis, very short but fun and it’s links too.

Two great days playing in Ballyliffen and Buncrana and amazing value.

spoke2cun

When you're finished playing cruit and on your way to play Dunfanaghy, why not play a round at the beautiful 9 hole course at cloughaneely GC in Falcarragh. It's only 6 miles from Dunfanaghy. Green fees are around €20.

gripcasey

Just back from playing Cruit and Dunfanaghy. Cruit was a joy to play short course but scenery was was stunning. Dunfanaghy abit bland.

mike12

All the Donegal courses have a Gui rate. Just need to look at the fine print or ring the club.

slave1

mike12 wrote: »

All the Donegal courses have a Gui rate. Just need to look at the fine print or ring the club.

Oh I have, I can't remember the last time paying rack rate, Ballyliffin has gone up considerably to €160 Glashedy €140 Old

slave1

Well it was a mixed weekend, Friday afternoon we played...

Greencastle which was a lovely course and super value at €20, place was empty but greens a bit rough and very slow for me. Some lovely holes along the edges and grand views of Portstewart all the way through to the cliffs past Giants Causeway. Would not agree in calling it a links course though, greens were not IMHO links and soft fairways too. Still it was definitely worth a visit and great value. Weather was class, short sleeves until the 16th when the sun was going down and a chill came in the air. Two birds, 3 pars, two lost balls, 33 points of first time playing it...

Saturday morning we played...
Ballyliffin Old, not much to be said about here, played it before and it's an excellent course and IMHO the greens are superior to putt on compared to the Glashedy course. €70 green fees and whilst there was a gap behind us the place was wedged and they were pumping in the money. Nice new entrance to the road into the course and the Irish Open gaelic goal posts now looks permanent on the driving range. Zero complaints about the course itself.
Weather mixed, a lot of showers on the front 9 then short sleeves for the back 9, wind was gusty enough so not easy to play, 2 pars and 13 bogeys from the farthest back white tees for 31 points, blacks out of play on the day.

Saturday afternoon we played...

Northwest. Lovely flat links course with the most superb short par 3's with very hard to hold upside down saucer greens. Putter was hottest it's ever been on the front 9 in the sun, 10 putts but unfortunately the rain came back for all of the back 9 so ended up with 37 points overall, a bird, 6 pars and two scratches on 17/18 as the clubs were soaked and grips impossible to hang onto, 27putt round on first time playing it. €20, super super value.

Sunday morning we played...

Ballyliffin Glashedy. Think ye know enough about this place, wind was very strong, hard to stand over putts and drive etc, IMHO greens inferior to the Old Course but still super greens, nothing but true roll everywhere. Bunkers much more difficult. All pars into the wind were impossible to reach in regulation. Lots of passing showers and a few downpours but very sunny in between. We played off the Gold tees which were back at the blacks in places so some holes very long e.g. 456yards into 20mph wind. 4 scratches, 7 pars and 2 lost balls (one on the 18th which was annoying) for what may not sound like much but it was 28points. In the clubhouse afterwards was a huge society who played off the whites and 27pts won their comp so I was very happy with the battling 28 (28 putts). €70 green fees and the place was wedged come dinner time.

Overall happy, including accommodation, breakfasts, green fees it came to €220 so good budgeting.

Over the 72 holes just the one 3 putt

slave1

Ollieboy

slave1 wrote: »

Well it was a mixed weekend, Friday afternoon we played...

Greencastle which was a lovely course and super value at €20, place was empty but greens a bit rough and very slow for me. Some lovely holes along the edges and grand views of Portstewart all the way through to the cliffs past Giants Causeway. Would not agree in calling it a links course though, greens were not IMHO links and soft fairways too. Still it was definitely worth a visit and great value. Weather was class, short sleeves until the 16th when the sun was going down and a chill came in the air. Two birds, 3 pars, two lost balls, 33 points of first time playing it...

Saturday morning we played...
Ballyliffin Old, not much to be said about here, played it before and it's an excellent course and IMHO the greens are superior to putt on compared to the Glashedy course. €70 green fees and whilst there was a gap behind us the place was wedged and they were pumping in the money. Nice new entrance to the road into the course and the Irish Open gaelic goal posts now looks permanent on the driving range. Zero complaints about the course itself.
Weather mixed, a lot of showers on the front 9 then short sleeves for the back 9, wind was gusty enough so not easy to play, 2 pars and 13 bogeys from the farthest back white tees for 31 points, blacks out of play on the day.

Saturday afternoon we played...

Northwest. Lovely flat links course with the most superb short par 3's with very hard to hold upside down saucer greens. Putter was hottest it's ever been on the front 9 in the sun, 10 putts but unfortunately the rain came back for all of the back 9 so ended up with 37 points overall, a bird, 6 pars and two scratches on 17/18 as the clubs were soaked and grips impossible to hang onto, 27putt round on first time playing it. €20, super super value.

Sunday morning we played...

Ballyliffin Glashedy. Think ye know enough about this place, wind was very strong, hard to stand over putts and drive etc, IMHO greens inferior to the Old Course but still super greens, nothing but true roll everywhere. Bunkers much more difficult. All pars into the wind were impossible to reach in regulation. Lots of passing showers and a few downpours but very sunny in between. We played off the Gold tees which were back at the blacks in places so some holes very long e.g. 456yards into 20mph wind. 4 scratches, 7 pars and 2 lost balls (one on the 18th which was annoying) for what may not sound like much but it was 28points. In the clubhouse afterwards was a huge society who played off the whites and 27pts won their comp so I was very happy with the battling 28 (28 putts). €70 green fees and the place was wedged come dinner time.

Overall happy, including accommodation, breakfasts, green fees it came to €220 so good budgeting.

Over the 72 holes just the one 3 putt

No photos of North West, I think it’s a gem of a course and I love that par 3 you mentioned. It’s such good value.

I’ve been a member of both Ballyliffen and North West and I love the North West but most of my family are members of Ballyliffen so that kind of tells you everything.

Where did you stay? Donegal is great value and I love that I go home to play it a couple of times every year.

slave1

Just never dawned on me to take a photo in North West, stayed in Carndonagh, Airbnb a full house for 2 nights €150

mighty magpie

Great stuff. Both north west and ballyliffin have scratch cups coming up so will look to get down.