Donegal (Murvagh)

Galway Bay Golf & Country Club is laid out on the picturesque Renville Peninsula, one of the most historic sites in the west of Ireland. The golf course is literally peppered with historic remains, including the mystical Rathnapours ring fort, an ancient fairy fort and ruins dating back to the 16th century. Christy O’Connor, Jr. carried out the design of the course wLying in the bosom of beautiful Donegal Bay and backed by the magnificent Blue Stack Mountains, Donegal Golf Links (or Murvagh Golf Club, as it is also known) was designed by the master of Irish golf course architecture, Eddie Hackett. Following his designs at Connemara and Waterville Golf Links, the links at Donegal was his third such project, and it was destined to be on a similarly grand scale as his two previous creations.

It will always be a matter of dispute whether golf originated in Scotland or Holland but in Donegal, similar to Lahinch, it was the Scottish influence that brought it to our shores. While on overseas service in Ireland, the Scottish army regiments saw beautiful links land, similar to the lands upon which the great Scottish links were built, and they encouraged the local gentry to do the same.

Configured in two loops of nine holes, Donegal Golf Links is often described as the Muirfield of Ireland, and the course can provide a fearsome challenge when the wind rises, as is reflected in its standard scratch of 75. Isolated from the rest of the mainland by a thick mass of woodland, the site is spectacular by any standards. And as the designer recalled with a crushing simplicity, “The greens are on natural sites, only the levels of some were adjusted by hand. All I had to do was to develop the course on what nature provided.”

There are so many excellent holes at Donegal Golf Links that it is hard to know where to begin, but the stretch from the 5th to the 8th is generally regarded as being the most exciting. The par 3, 5th measures over 190 yards from the tee to a plateau green, which is receptive for a well-played shot, while the par 5, 6th offers a stunning view of the beach from a high tee box. The 7th plunges downwards to a two-tiered green and requires two excellent shots and so the 8th, an exceptional par 5, measuring 550 yards. Two cracking woods will leave a pitch to a massive green, where slackness is ill-advised if you want to avoid three putts.ith the aim of preserving and highlighting such ancient sites high on his agenda.

The Atlantic Ocean washes the Galway Bay Golf & Country Club on three sides, yet the course is very much parkland terrain. Set on nearly 300 acres, the water hazards and rolling landscape of Galway Bay combine with manicured fairways and acclaimed putting surfaces to ensure a true but fair test of golf. A notable absence of trees, a characteristic of many seaside courses, leaves the course exposed to the elements and places a premium on shot-making skills.

Measuring over 7,000 yards from the championship stakes, it is difficult to select any one hole for special mention, but three holes do leave a lasting impression. The short 7th is an appealing, if not very difficult, par 3, which demands a confident tee shot over a lake onto a two-tiered green. Rated as the most difficult hole on the course, the par 4, 12th hole requires a well-hit drive into the prevailing wind and an accurate approach to the green, while Gary Player has described the 178-yard 13th hole as one of the finest par 3’s he has ever seen or played.

It is a testament to the design work of O’ Connor that only a year after opening for play, the course was chosen as the venue for the Irish Professional Championship. In winds sweeping off the Atlantic, Darren Clarke captured the title with a three under par total of 285. The difference that the conditions can make to this golf course is evident in the fact that when Constantino Rocca won the inaugural West of Ireland Classic in August 1999, he did so in relatively benign conditions and shot a winning score of 276, all of nine shots less than Clarke’s winning total.