Eight Golfers, Three Links Courses & Three Completely Different Experiences
Based at The Glasshouse Hotel in Sligo, eight golfers set out to experience three of the best great links courses of Ireland’s northwest. Enniscrone Golf Club, County Sligo Golf Club at Rosses Point and Carne Golf Links. Northwest Ireland Golf Tours, Sligo, Carne & Donegal
What surprised them most was just how different three links courses in the same part of Ireland could be.
At Enniscrone, they encountered towering dunes, dramatic elevation changes and golf holes twisting through spectacular natural terrain. It was big, bold links golf, where standing on the tee sometimes left them wondering exactly where the fairway had disappeared to.
County Sligo at Rosses Point offered something completely different. More traditional and strategic, it rewarded positioning, imagination and the ability to control the golf ball in the Atlantic wind. With Sligo Bay and Benbulben providing the backdrop, it felt like classic old-school Irish links golf.
Then came Carne Golf Links. Carne was the wild one. The enormous dunes, remote setting and wonderfully natural golf holes made the Americans feel as though they had discovered somewhere golf hadn’t been manufactured but simply found.
There were blind shots, elevated tees, dramatic greens and several moments when the only reasonable response to their caddie’s instructions was:
“You seriously want me to hit it THERE?” The answer was usually yes.
Then They Met the Caddies
From the first tee, the caddies became part of the group.
Naturally, one or two of the golfers started asking questions.
- Who was the best golfer you ever caddied for?
- Who was the worst?
- Who hit it the furthest?
- And who completely ignored everything you told them?
The stories started flowing.
There were tales about brilliant golfers producing shots the caddies still remembered years later — immediately followed by stories about golfers who arrived announcing very respectable handicaps before spending four hours introducing their caddie to every dune on the property.
Names, of course, were occasionally withheld to protect the guilty. It didn’t take long for the caddies to work out the group type either. They knew who could really play and! They knew who thought they could play. BUT, most importantly, they knew who could be persuaded into attempting something completely ridiculous.
“Ten Euros Says He Can’t Do It…”
It started innocently. One caddie watched a golfer preparing to hit a difficult approach and announced:
“There’s absolutely no chance your man gets that on the green.”
His caddie disagreed.
A small wager was made.
Suddenly the golfer wasn’t just playing against the golf course. He was playing for his caddie’s reputation — and his money.
Within a few holes, the golfers and caddies were betting on practically everything.
Could Mike carry the bunker?
Would Tom three-putt from 40 feet?
Could somebody actually hit the low punch shot his caddie had spent ten minutes explaining? (which might not the best advise to take without time on the range to practice that shot)
Would the group’s “best golfer” find the fairway when everyone had money riding on him?
The stakes were never particularly serious and the bragging rights were enormous. Soon golfers were standing over shots asking:
“Right lads… who’s betting against me?”
There were celebrations when impossible shots came off, merciless laughter when they didn’t and accusations that certain caddies were deliberately backing the wrong golfer.
It turned out to be one of the biggest laughs of their lives.
Night Time, There Was Sligo Town…
The golf finished in the afternoon. The entertainment didn’t.
That was another surprise for the Americans. Sligo isn’t somewhere where you necessarily need a grand plan for the evening. You can have dinner, walk through town, find a traditional pub and see where the night takes you.
The group enjoyed dinner at Coach Lane, but over several nights they discovered there was plenty more to explore.
There was a pint or ten at The Harp Tavern, an old-fashioned Irish pub experience at Thomas Connolly’s, and the unmistakable character of Shoot the Crows.
For dinner, Sligo offered plenty of choice too. Alongside Coach Lane, restaurants such as Eala Bhán and Hooked gave the group options when they wanted something more than another evening of pub food.
But some of the best moments weren’t planned at all. A quiet pint became a conversation with a local. One conversation became five. Before they knew it, the lads who had walked into the pub for “one Guinness” were discussing golf, god dam politics, Irish weather, football and everything else with people they’d never met before.
Nobody seemed to be in much of a hurry, and they loved every minute of it.
The Night They Discovered the GAA
One evening, they happened upon a local GAA match. Initially, none of them had much idea what was happening. They asked a spectator to explain the rules.
That was probably their first mistake.
Five minutes later, several other spectators had joined the conversation; everyone had a slightly different interpretation, and the Americans decided the simplest solution was just to pick a team.
Within twenty minutes they were supporting them.
Within thirty minutes they were questioning the referee.
By the end, they were laughing and talking with the local spectators as though they’d been following Gaelic games for years.
Now… The game wasn’t on their itinerary. But it became one of their favourite memories of Ireland.
“Irish Water, Please…”
By the third evening, another expression had entered the group’s vocabulary.
Irish Water.
It didn’t come from a bottle. It came perfectly poured, black and white, and generally arrived one pint at a time.
Guinness. YES!! Tis a Guinness, please, is the call.
The group’s running joke became that hydration was extremely important after walking 18 holes. Their caddies had apparently recommended plenty of Irish Water and which pubs poured the best pint of goodness.
At least, that’s what the lads claimed. One golfer eventually summed up the entire experience:
“The caddies saved us ten shots, took our money and then helped us spend what was left in the pub. T’was great craic!”
Thinking About a Northwest Ireland Golf Trip in 2027 or 2028?
This is what makes the northwest of Ireland particularly interesting for a group of four or eight golfers.
Enniscrone, County Sligo and Carne can be just the beginning. Continue north into Donegal and an entirely different collection of links awaits.
Play Donegal Golf Club at Murvagh before heading towards Narin & Portnoo, one of Ireland’s wonderfully natural seaside courses.
For something completely different, stop at Cruit Island. It’s only nine holes, but that’s precisely part of the attraction — spectacular coastal golf and tremendous fun rather than another conventional championship round.
Then there is Rosapenna Resort, where you could build several days around its three courses before continuing north to Ballyliffin, home to two outstanding links courses.
And there are still more courses waiting to be discovered. That’s the beauty of a Northwest Ireland golf trip. It doesn’t have to be about rushing from one famous name to another.
Take your time. Play the links. Use local caddies. Stay in the towns. Have dinner somewhere different every evening. Find a local pub. Talk to people. Watch a GAA match if you get the opportunity.
And don’t be surprised if, six months after returning to America, nobody can remember who won the golf.
They’ll remember the caddies.
They’ll remember the bets.
They’ll remember the people they met.
And they’ll definitely remember the Irish Water.
Concierge Golf Ireland
For groups of 4 or 8 golfers considering Ireland in 2027, Concierge Golf Ireland can create a privately designed Northwest golf journey combining Sligo, Mayo and Donegal, with carefully selected accommodation, tee times, caddies and private chauffeured transportation.
Because sometimes the best golf trips aren’t simply about playing the best courses.
They’re about coming home with the best stories. Planning Northwest Ireland Golf Tours, Sligo, Carne & Donegal – CONTACT US to start booking
