Ballyliffin Glashedy Links
Ballyliffin is Ireland's most northerly great links, a wild and beautiful pair of courses on the Inishowen peninsula in County Donegal. The Glashedy Links, named for the great rock that rises from the sea off the coast, is the championship eighteen, routed by Pat Ruddy and Tom Craddock through some of the biggest dunes in the country. Remote, dramatic and seriously good, it rewards the golfer willing to make the journey north.
Photo: Ballyliffin Golf Club via Google.
The verdict
The Glashedy Links is one of the finest modern links in Ireland, a 1995 design by Pat Ruddy and Tom Craddock that makes full use of an extraordinary dunescape on the Inishowen peninsula. It is big, muscular golf, with elevated tees, plunging fairways and greens set among the sandhills, all framed by the Atlantic and by Glashedy Rock standing offshore. The course gave Ballyliffin the championship pedigree to host the 2018 Irish Open, won by Russell Knox.
It suits the travelling golfer who is happy to go off the beaten track for a links of real scale and drama, and it pairs with the gentler Old Links alongside for a complete Ballyliffin stay. This is the far north of Irish golf, well beyond the busy southwest tours, and the reward for the drive is a course and a setting that feel genuinely wild. For many who make the trip, Glashedy is the highlight of the whole of Donegal.
Ballyliffin Glashedy Links at a glance
- Opened
- 1995
- Designers
- Pat Ruddy, Tom Craddock
- Type
- Links
- Par
- 72
- Yardage
- 7,200 yds
- Green fee
- Around €330
Opening year, designers, par and yardage verified June 2026 from the club and course databases; the Glashedy Links is a Pat Ruddy and Tom Craddock design opened in 1995, a par 72 of around 7,200 yards that stretches beyond 7,400 from the championship tees. It hosted the 2018 Irish Open. The green fee is indicative, around 330 euros for visitors in 2026. Always confirm directly before booking.
The holes worth the trip
Glashedy is a course of scale, and it announces it early. The routing climbs to elevated tees that open up huge views of the dunes, the Atlantic and Glashedy Rock, then drops you down into fairways that wind between the sandhills. It is exhilarating golf, the kind that makes you stop and take in the view before nearly every shot.
The par 3s are a particular strength, played across and into the dunes to greens that demand a precise, committed strike, while the longer holes ask you to thread tee shots through the contours of the linksland. There is genuine championship length here, but the dunes and the wind, not the yardage card, are what make it a test worthy of an Irish Open.
Throughout, the setting does much of the work, with the great rock offshore giving the course both its name and its sense of place. From the opening climb to the closing holes back toward the clubhouse, Glashedy delivers a stretch of links golf, in a setting most courses can only dream of, that you will be retelling for years.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | A members club that welcomes visitors through the season; Glashedy is the championship links, with the gentler Old Links alongside |
| Green fee | Around 330 euros for visitors to the Glashedy Links in 2026 (indicative); the Old Links is lower |
| Booking | Quieter than the southwest names, but book ahead for summer; the remote location rewards planning |
| On the day | Walking course with buggies available; a welcoming clubhouse and two eighteens to play |
| Getting there | On the Inishowen peninsula in north Donegal, about 45 minutes from the City of Derry Airport and within reach of Belfast and Donegal town |
| Best months | May to September for the firmest turf and longest days, with the Atlantic wind a constant this far north |
Access and indicative green fees verified June 2026 from the club; they change without notice, so always confirm directly before booking with Ballyliffin Golf Club or your trip planner. Check tee time availability.
Where to stay nearby
Ballyliffin village sits right by the links and makes a quiet, characterful base, with a hotel and guest houses a short drive from the first tee and two championship eighteens to fill the days. The Inishowen peninsula and Malin Head, the most northerly point in Ireland, are on the doorstep for the off hours.
For a wider northern tour, Ballyliffin pairs with the links of County Donegal and with Royal Portrush across the border in Northern Ireland, while the City of Derry Airport keeps the arrival manageable from Britain.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near Ballyliffin.
Stay and play in County Donegal
We arrange Ballyliffin's two links alongside the courses of Donegal and Royal Portrush across the border, secure the tee times and sort a northern base with transfers. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Ballyliffin Glashedy Links questions
Who designed the Glashedy Links at Ballyliffin?
The Glashedy Links was designed by Pat Ruddy and Tom Craddock and opened in 1995. The pair routed the championship course through the large dunes of the Inishowen peninsula, giving Ballyliffin the layout that would later host the 2018 Irish Open.
Why is it called the Glashedy Links?
The course is named after Glashedy Rock, a striking sea stack that rises from the Atlantic off the Donegal coast and is in view from much of the links. The rock gives the course both its name and a powerful sense of place.
What is the par and length of the Glashedy Links?
The Glashedy Links is a par 72 of around 7,200 yards that can stretch beyond 7,400 from the championship tees. Its defence is the scale of the dunes and the Atlantic wind as much as its length, and it has genuine championship pedigree.
How much does it cost to play Ballyliffin Glashedy Links?
Indicative 2026 visitor green fees are around 330 euros for the Glashedy Links, with the gentler Old Links priced lower. Fees change by season and year, so always confirm current rates directly before booking.
Can visitors play the Glashedy Links?
Yes. Ballyliffin welcomes visitors through the season and, being well north of the busy southwest tours, is often quieter than the famous names. Book ahead for summer, as the remote location and two championship courses reward planning.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Opening year, designers, par and yardage verified June 2026; indicative green fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.