Rosapenna Hotel and Golf Links - Sandy Hills Links

Very good layout, conditioning could have better.

Greens looked like they had been punched the week we played, very bumpy.

There should be a disclaimer when booking, we would have played somewhere else.

Saying that, if I was back in the area, would definitely play again.

Great underfoot conditions even for a links course. Great views and it didn't even rain!

Must try the St Pats & Old Tom Morris.

I play off a 1, my wife off an 18. I was worried the course would be too challenging for her. It wasn’t, we had a great day. My only reason for not giving 5 stars were the punched greens. The front nine looked like they were done a week before we played. If they had indicated they were punched, we would have still played, just don’t like showing up and not being told.

The staff was extremely helpful and nice and the course was a beautiful layout and in great shape

Let's get this straight. If you're a mid to high handicapper then this course is going to be a real challenge. Particularly if you are not playing well of the tee. This can be somewhat countered by thinking much more strategically than you would at 9 out of 10 other courses. I learnt after 6 holes (with 3 balls lost off the tee on the 6th) that using your GPS and choosing a club most likely to result in you hitting the narrow fairways was the way to go. Once I had worked that out I played much better. I can't think how difficult it must have been prior to them making many changes in the past 5 years to make it easier.

Aside from the difficulty it's a very interesting course that makes you think from start to finish about where you need to be playing the ball. I love that about Sandy Hills and it's what would bring me back again.

With regards to to the dunes, I think they are fascinating to play through but it all looks the same after a while. There aren't many views of the water so I would say that it's not the most interesting of courses looks wise. If you want spectacular views then Dunfanaghy golf course down the road provides that across nearly half of the holes for half the price.

Loved the course, was in great shape for the time of year, considering the weather that had been thrown at it. Its a playable lynx course with plenty of great scenery.

Superbly designed course with many holes living long in the memory. Great test of golf : pack a few extra balls. Greens were a bit slow and needed a cut but overall, an amazing morning we'll spent. Staff very welcoming, friendly and helpful.

Loved the course! Guys in the Pro Shop were extremely helpful! Great experience!!!

I don't know that this was my favorite course during a terrific week of golf in Northern Ireland and the north coast of Ireland, but it was certainly a great way to end the trip. The course plays through the massive dunes next to Sheephaven Bay, which makes for one fun rollercoaster ride. Best of all, with generous fairways and decent sized greens, the course is very playable, though it's pretty easy to get distracted by the views. This is a course where if you miss a shot by a couple yards, it's possible to recover in most cases. On one hole, I actually missed a fairway by 40 yards, luckily managed to find my ball in a reasonable lie and still made par. That won't always be the case here on wayward shots, but at least it's possible. The 36-hole resort also has a large clubhouse with a really well-stocked golf shop as well as a bar and restaurant upstairs leading out to a large patio that overlooks the other course. All-in-all, if you can make it to the area, this is a can't miss experience.

The more words that are written i feel it wont do justice. Fabulous experience as always. Course magnificient and i hope to play it many many more times. Overall brilliant deal with golf now and i hope to use it again mantmy tines.

Jarlath

Four club players thoroughly enjoyed. It is quite a challenge maybe not for the wild hitters but a great course ingorgeoys scenery.

A full out North American-styled resort with its hotel attached, Rosapenna stood out among all the courses I visited, and not in a good way. Once you make your way to the “Golf Pavillion” – which sounds like part of a Disney resort – you can wander into the golf shop where a disinterested staff member will take your money and send you on your way. Every other course seemed genuinely happy to see me and found me a game. Rosapenna’s golf staff told me “the course is empty, no other players, sorry.” Even the food in the expansive lounge seemed devoid of character. The place had no soul; that made it feel less like I was playing in Ireland and more like a tired resort. Golf pavilion experience aside, the course was good. The Sandy Hills Links is the newer 18 hole course alongside a Tom Morris 1893 design. It weaves its way through the dunes – definitely a resort course with wider, more forgiving fairways and fewer blind shots than most courses. The conditioning was fine, but the sand in the bunkers seemed odd, like it wasn’t native to a damp links course. Rosapenna recently purchased the St Patrick’s links directly adjacent to the resort. It’s been closed a few years now, but will be added to their collection giving them a total of 63 holes on the property.