“Golf with Friends”

I've visited and played all 3 courses several times, and as always, the golf was exceptional, however again the staff at the golf reception are rude , maybe they could learn something from the starter who as always is a gentleman. It costs nothing to say "thank you" or, indeed, " welcome to Rossa… more

I've visited and played all 3 courses several times, and as always, the golf was exceptional, however again the staff at the golf reception are rude , maybe they could learn something from the starter who as always is a gentleman. It costs nothing to say "thank you" or, indeed, " welcome to Rossapena." Maybe a course in customer service would help

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“3 course special”

Superb 3 course golf club. All different but excellent in their own right. A must play and stay. Wonderful clubhouse and staff. Little expensive for T shirts. Old Tom Morris is a must play course. St Patrick's Link is new but you'd never know.

“The new kid on the block is a winner. Now can it lift the whole resort?”

Rosapenna Golf Resort and Hotel is a relative modern upstart entrant to the Irish golf scene on the rugged Donegal coast, and the product of Frank and John Casey. The courses aren’t at all new, the Old Tom Morris links actually having partly been designed by the old GOAT, Tom Morris, himself! The… more

Rosapenna Golf Resort and Hotel is a relative modern upstart entrant to the Irish golf scene on the rugged Donegal coast, and the product of Frank and John Casey. The courses aren’t at all new, the Old Tom Morris links actually having partly been designed by the old GOAT, Tom Morris, himself! The roots of golf on this land go back to 1893, and have been the topic of detailed articles about the history and evolution of the land and the facilities so I will spare you from reading that here, and invite you to go read that interesting story separately. What has caught the attention of the international golf scene is the opening a couple of years ago of the St. Patricks Links course, designed by modern day uber course designer Tom Doak, who has 6 designs in the top 100 in the world. Doak was given a plot of land that Jack Nicklaus had intended 36 holes for in the pristine seaside dunes in Donegal, and turned loose to create the very best 18 holes he could conceive. The Casey brothers master stroke was that ‘less is more’, and that one 18 hole course on land big enough for 36 holes would result in something great. They were right. The grand bet has resulted in the opening of St. Patrick’s Links, as part of a 3 course complex. Make no mistake though, the reason you are seeing a steady flow of golfers to Rosapenna is all about St. Patrick’s Links, which in it’s third year is a standard sight on the Top 100 courses in the world lists……in it’s THIRD year! My group of three friends and myself rolled into Rosapenna in late April to find out what all the noise is about, as we went on a golf swing from Old Head in Kinsale to Rosapenna, and onto Royal County Down. Here is what we found in Rosapenna, and it is a mixed bag.. St. Patrick’s Links lives up to its billing. The course is a spectacular and pure golf experience. No carts, no clubhouse other than a small temporary building as big as a tiny cottage. The dunes are big and sweeping. The views of the sea are breathtaking. The design of the course is fair, yet challenging any level of golfer. Each hole is its own theatre. Doak used all that space to create a different experience on each hole. You rarely bump up against another fairway or green. Those that love a bit of adventure in a far away place, and like to be ahead of the crowd, should get to St. Patrick’s Links quickly. As the word gets out, the crowds are coming. We were there in mid-April and the season had yet to see many American golfers, but that was predicted to change as the weather turned warmer. St. Patrick’s Links in our view takes it’s place right behind legendary sites of Royal County Down and Royal Portrush, which will host it’s 2nd British Open in a handful of years in 2025. It is that good. The challenges aren’t’ small though for Rosapenna, which is the umbrella resort the Casey’s run. Here is what we experienced. -Old Tom Morris Links has history and some dunes, but is an average course on the Irish golf scene. It may sound harsh, but it is what it is. It’s a fun track, but you can find many courses in Ireland that would provide a more interesting challenge. Carts are allowed on it, so it can be convenient, and it is a pleasant experience. -We did not play Sandy Hill links, which is next to Old Tom Morris. It consists of very big dunes and a challenging track woven into and on top of the dunes. It reminded us a bit of Lahinch, and Prestwrick. Quirky and fun looking. -The hotel and golf facilities need work, and leadership. Rosapenna Hotel was a mirthless place where we had a hard time finding anyone on the staff who had a great service orientation. The front desk was lethargic and solemn. The bar and restaurant management were quite flat. When we compared the service level at Rosapenna vs. Harvey’s Point and the Slieve Donard, it wasn’t even close. We had one great server in the bar who really stood out, but other than that it was a struggle. There was no one to help with bags when we arrived. There is no shuttle to get you from the hotel to the courses, and St. Patrick’s Links is 3 miles away. We were told bluntly to arrange our own transport to golf. For people looking for a warm Irish welcome and good service, this isn’t the place for that, yet. -You check in for golf at the Golf Pavilion, about a half mile from the hotel. This is an industrial strength building with a tiny pro shop and basic locker rooms and a bar. Bare essentials here. Again, not a lot of service. We asked several staff and people there if they had a golf pro, and the answer was no. It would seem to be an opportunity to get someone focused full time on bringing up the golf operation there to a better service level. There are a few golf carts available but it is first come/first served and when they run out that is it. We actually had a few beers stolen from the golf cart when it was parked outside the golf pavilion. Make no mistake, the Casey’s have placed a huge bet in building St. Patrick’s Links, and good for them for putting it all on the line. That bet is going to pay off. Whether they can convert that to success for the overall Rosapenna resort hangs in the balance over the next few years. Donegal is a long way to go off the beaten path, which our group enjoys, but may not be for everyone’s adventure taste. We would all go back to play St. Patrick’s Links, but the rest of the experience honestly, we could do without. To our view there is some brand confusion between Rosapenna and its history of it being the original golf resort hotel, and the links, specifically St. Patrick’s Links. A lot of their merchandise sold is labeled Rosapenna. I couldn’t even find a pencil with St. Patrick’s Links on it. The surrounding area of Downing is an enjoyable village with some incredibly scenic drives, and the area is friendly and rugged. There is much to root for. St. Patrick’s Links is an unquestioned winner. The question remains can they convert that into a win for the overall resort. In my view, that is a ten foot putt, but I’m rooting for them.

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