County Sligo Golf Club
5918-7157 Yd Par 71/75 18 Holes
Architect(s): William Campbell, Harry S. Colt, Charles H. Alison, Pat Ruddy (restoration)
First established as a 9-hole course by George Combe in 1894, Rosses Point was extended to 18 holes (keeping the original 9 intact) by Willie Campbell in 1906. After two decades using Campbell’s course, Harry Colt & C.H. Alison were hired in 1927 to redesign and modernize the links. Taking two years to complete, Colt reversed the routing to it’s current counter-clockwise form and built new tees and greens, using only today’s 12th and 13th from the Campbell design. C.H. Alison bunkered the course to much acclaim at the time, adding his characteristic flash-faced bunkers along with more traditional riveted traps throughout the links. Pat Ruddy has improved the links over the years without changing much of the Colt design by adding championship tees, extending greens for more difficult pin locations, redesigning the 15th green, moving bunkers closer to the putting surface, and by moving the 3rd green 65 yards back to lengthen the downhill three-shotter.
The fifth hole
Beginning with a short, straight opener, the front 9 at Sligo eases the golfer in with 3 easier holes before the fun really begins. The second green sits atop the hill and offers panoramic views of Drumcliffe Bay with Belbulben Mountain looming in the distance. The bunker-less par 3 4th features a tabletop green sloped away and to the left with a massive slope on the front and right sides that make for difficult recoveries. From the edge of a steep precipice, the 5th hole plays down into the valley that holes 5-8,13-17 occupy with one of the most exhilarating tee shots I can think of. A string of top-shelf par 4s over relatively flat make up the middle section of the outward nine, with a winding berm, rumpled fairways, large bunkers, and undulating greens used expertly to create an engaging challenge. Looming high above the valley, the short par 3 9th plays along the opposite table of half-pipe from the first 4 holes with breathtaking views of Sligo’s tabletop mountain in the background and deep pothole bunkers nearly surrounding the surface.
The back nine begins with a stunning pair of parallel par 4’s - the first is tumbles down a rumpled hill overlooking Drumcliffe Bay with a seemingly endless green, while the second plays off the side of the hill over a particularly bumpy fairway to a green benched into the hillside. The par 5 12th bends around the coast of Rosses Point down to a small peninsula occupied by the green with containment mounding on the rear side. The 13th completes the golf on the northern dunes, transitioning the golfer back to the valley via a dropshot par 3 surrounded by bunkers and the reoccurring berm. From here the golfer plays back along the coast for two par 4s and a long par 3 before arriving at the wild and unforgettable 17th. Ending at 250 yards from the tees, the fairway disintegrates into a bumpy rough area before turning left up the hill 180 yards to another benched green tucked under the hilltop. The golfer can decide whether to push their ball to the corner and face a potentially bad lie, or lay back to the fairway for a heroic long iron to the perched green - a truly fascinating hole that would take a lifetime to wrangle. The final tee shot of the day is the only blind drive at Sligo, where three small rocks on the edge of the forced carry signal the fairway’s location and exit of the valley. Once the hill is crested, the fairway gently rolls downhill to a lovely green protected by large mounds overlooking the beautiful point. Perhaps missing a few elite links for a mention amongst the best in the world, Sligo certainly has an argument for one of the strongest and most complete courses on the Emerald Isle.
