It’s a dirty morning in Dublin — heavy rain and a chill wind — which made last weekend’s sunshine in Sligo feel even more special. This was our very first Heritage Golf Getaways tour to Sligo, and what a way to kick things off: three sun-drenched days of links golf, laughter, and unforgettable moments with a group of friends from my local club.
Links golf is challenging, but having the sun on your back certainly enhances the golf experience. We bathed in sunshine for three wonderful days, with only light breezes throughout.
Our trip started in Enniscrone Golf Club with a warm welcome form Keith O’Neill PGA and his team. There are a couple of breather holes scattered amongst the challenging dune framed holes on this par 72 layout. My favourite is the par 5 16th with accuracy off the tee and a risk reward 2nd shot into a shallow green. A quick pint in Hopkins pub in the village with the locals enjoying their Friday Fives, and off we set for Sligo town.
The Glasshouse Hotel is our base camp for the three nights and is located in the very heart of the town. Rooms are spacious and there are bar bites or three course menus available. There is a wonderful cocktail bar on the first floor overlooking the river Garvoge.
We planned this trip to coincide with the Masters tournament from Augusta, and this year we settled into our favourite pub, Connolly’s — a wood-panelled gem awarded Pub of the Year in 2023. It’s cosy, full of character, and the perfect setting for sparking up conversations as we took in the drama of the Masters.
And what drama! Rory putting us through the ringer at every turn only this time he finally made it and completed the Grand Slam of Majors.
Saturday saw us travel to Strandhill Golf Club with stunning coastal views and elevation changes that add to the challenge. The par three 14th is a 165 yard challenge played into the prevailing wind surrounding by bunkers and steep dunes on either side. You need your Sunday best here. The course was popular and bustling with players, though a ranger presence might have helped with pace of play.
Dinner on Saturday night was in @Hooked a place that prides itself on sourcing ingredients from locally producers. This is a lively contemporary restaurant with great dishes in a relaxing informal setting.
Sunday sees us setting off for Co. Sligo Golf Club (Rosses Point) and one of the most highly regarded and challenging courses in the region. As such, we decided to play off the Gold tees which still presented a test of our abilities to navigate this recently extended layout. Our host David O’Donovan and starter Des made us feel at home and provided us with a memorable photo of the group at the first tee.
Our three round excursion was managed by Golf Genius Tournament software. With a plethora of tournament formats available, we settled on a singles stableford competition over three days and a Daily skins game managed between both of our fourball flights. Live scoring and leaderboards on the app added a competitive buzz to each round, and made it easy to track standings without losing focus on the fun. A big thanks to Alastair Kerr and Ryan Bell Bell from Golf Genius for setting up the platform for us.
Sligo is only a three hour journey from Dublin and the selection of courses makes it an ideal location for a golfing trip. Whether you’re chasing coastal fairways or creating unforgettable memories with friends, we’ll handle every detail. Get in touch today to start planning your own unforgettable golf tour with the experts in bespoke golf travel.
