Rosapenna St Patricks Links: 2026 Access and Booking Update
St Patrick's Links is the Tom Doak design that turned Rosapenna into a destination, a soaring dunes course on Sheephaven Bay in County Donegal that has climbed fast up the world rankings. Here is where it stands in 2026, how resort access and booking work, and how to play it on a northwest Ireland trip.
The news: a young links climbing the world list
St Patrick's Links opened in 2021 and has done something rare, climbing into the upper reaches of the world top 100 in just a few seasons, with recent placings around the middle forties. In 2026 it anchors a three course resort at Rosapenna and is the main reason golfers now make the long, beautiful drive into the northwest of Ireland that they once skipped.
The resort reopens its links for the main season in spring and books golf through the hotel and the golf shop. The practical takeaway for 2026 is that demand has risen with the rankings, so the days of a quiet, easy walk up are largely gone in peak season, and a stay at the resort is the most reliable way to lock in tee times across more than one course.
The course itself
St Patrick's Links is a Tom Doak design that plays as a par 71 of around 6,930 yards, laid out on a former thirty six hole site along Sheephaven Bay. Doak and his team routed a single eighteen through enormous natural dunes, with wide, firm fairways, bold greens and the kind of strategic width that invites different routes to the hole depending on the wind.
It is big, muscular links golf in a spectacular setting, and it sits alongside the resort's older courses, the Old Tom Morris Links and Sandy Hills, so a stay gives you genuinely varied golf in one place. The quality of the land and the freedom of the design are what have driven the rapid rise in its reputation.
How to play it in 2026
Access runs through the resort. St Patrick's Links is open to visitors, and the most reliable route in 2026 is to book through Rosapenna directly, ideally as part of a stay that bundles golf across the resort's courses. The links reopens for the main season in spring, around early April, after its winter closure, and peak summer dates fill early.
On cost, treat any figure as indicative and confirm it directly. Recent summer green fees have run in the region of 200 euros, with replay and resort guest rates, and the resort offers a discounted Irish resident rate to qualifying golfers. Rosapenna publishes its current rates on its official rates pages each year, so always confirm the 2026 price and availability directly before booking.
Our take
Our take is that St Patrick's Links is one of the most exciting modern links in the British Isles and reason enough on its own to plan a trip to Donegal. Pair it with the resort's other two courses and you have a genuine multi day links destination in a quieter, wilder corner of Ireland that rewards the extra travel.
If 2026 is your window, the play is to stay at Rosapenna, book St Patrick's early and build the days around the resort and the Donegal coast. Add the great northwest links nearby if you want to extend the trip. Tell us your dates and we will build the routing and cost it.
Plan your Rosapenna and Donegal golf trip
From St Patrick's Links to the Old Tom Morris and Sandy Hills courses and the great links of the northwest, tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge builds and costs the trip, with no obligation.
Questions
Can you play St Patrick's Links at Rosapenna as a visitor?
Yes. St Patrick's Links is open to visitors, and the most reliable route is to book through Rosapenna directly, ideally as part of a resort stay that bundles golf across its courses. The links reopens for the main season around early April, and peak summer dates fill quickly.
Who designed St Patrick's Links and when did it open?
St Patrick's Links was designed by American architect Tom Doak and opened in 2021 on a former thirty six hole site along Sheephaven Bay in County Donegal. It plays as a par 71 of about 6,930 yards and has climbed into the world top 100.
How much does it cost to play St Patrick's Links?
Treat any figure as indicative. Recent summer green fees have run in the region of 200 euros, with replay, resort guest and discounted Irish resident rates. Rosapenna publishes current rates each year, so always confirm the 2026 price directly before booking.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course, ranking, access and green fee details verified June 2026 from resort and golf travel sources; conditions and fees change, so always confirm directly before booking. Last reviewed June 2026.