Ballyliffin Golf Club consists of two outstanding, contrasting links courses and 36 wonderful holes, making up one of the finest golf resorts to be found anywhere in the world. The expansive panoramic views of countryside, coastline and ocean afforded by these magnificent links courses will not easily be forgotten.
Ballyliffin is Ireland’s most northerly golf club, located off Tullagh Point on the Atlantic edge of the Inishowen Peninsula. It’s difficult to pin a date on the earliest origins of the game of golf at Ballyliffin, but it is clear that the Ballyliffin Golf Club was founded in 1947. The Glashedy Links is much younger, having been built and opened in 1995 to relieve pressure on the busy Old course. Pat Ruddy and Tom Craddock were commissioned to design Glashedy Links on the finest links land they had ever seen. The name is derived from Glashedy Rock, Ballyliffin’s equivalent of Turnberry’s Ailsa Craig.
Ballyliffin is often described as “the Ballybunion of the North” or “the Dornoch of Ireland” and the reason is simple; all the aforementioned are set amidst towering natural sand dunes. These two courses are no exception, except that the Glashedy links has actually been flattened somewhat to ensure that the fairways are relatively even and capable of hosting a premier championship… there’s a parallel here to the fairways of Royal Birkdale. Playing these 36 holes will be one of the most enjoyable golfing days you probably will ever experience.
