The ultimate Ireland golf trip
Glashedy Links
One dash into and out of the clubhouse later and we were striding down the opening fairway on Pat Ruddy and Tom Craddock’s Glashedy Links with some suitably bulging foil packages.
Considering the two courses weave in and out of the same piece of land for the most part, it is surprising how different they feel.
he Glashedy is approach- ing its 25th birthday but is every inch a modern course.
As is Ruddy’s wont, pars, let alone birdies, must be hard-earned. And if the Old is without pretension, the Glashedy has a number of flourishes.
Most, if not all, hit the spot. The 2nd is an outstanding par 4, hugging the course boundary, while the 3rd has
a real sense of grandeur. The Glashedy gleefully ploughs into and through the larger dunes at the far end of the property, making for some dramatic elevation changes.
For my taste, the short 7th, where the pond-side green sits miles below the dune-top tee, has no place on a top-class seaside course but others would doubtless disagree.
There is a rarely a dull moment here, and there are multiple occasions where it really hits the (metaphorical) heights. For example, the middle of the second nine takes you back into the dunes before a closing stretch that runs parallel to the sea with Ballyliffin’s answer to Ailsa
Craig in close attendance. And like the Old, it finishes with a real flourish.
It was clear from our day here that Ballyliffin is thriving, and the conditioning across both courses was impressive. All power to its elbow.
Dan Murphy
Dan loves links golf, which doesn't mean he is very good at it. He is a four-handicapper at Alwoodley. A qualified journalist and senior editor with 25 years’ experience, he was the long-time editor of NCG. His passion is golf courses and he is the founding editor of NCG Top 100s course rankings. He loves nothing more than discovering and highlighting courses that are worthy of greater recognition.
