Old Tom Morris Links at Rosapenna – History and Pure Fun
Updated: 6 days ago
I shot 85 on Sandy Hills on the 17th of September 2024, went over to the Old Tom Morris Links, and shot 77. Eight shots better on the same day, with the same swing. I would like to credit my golf for that. The honest answer is the course.
Old Tom Morris Links at Rosapenna is the kind of course you remember long after the round is over. It doesn't have modern length or dramatic visuals. It relies on history, natural design and the ever-present Atlantic wind. It sits on the shore of Sheephaven Bay in County Donegal and offers pure, unfussy links golf. From the first tee you see nothing but rolling linksland and open sky, and you know you are about to play golf the way it was meant to be played.
A bit of history. Old Tom Morris himself laid out the original course in 1893. Over the years Harry Vardon, James Braid and Harry Colt all visited and suggested changes. The biggest change came much later: Pat Ruddy, who designed Sandy Hills, built a new nine along the coast, the Strand Nine, which opened in 2009 and replaced the original back nine.
It still feels true to Morris's idea. The land does most of the work. The fairways rise and fall, the turf is firm and fast, and on open ground like this the wind is always a factor. Sometimes it is gentle. On the day I played it changed constantly: a strong headwind on one hole, a tailwind on the next, then a crosswind on the approach after that. It keeps you engaged and gives you a different problem on every hole instead of the same one repeated.
OK, the actual golf.
It isn't the longest course, but it is one of the most demanding. It rewards strategic thinking over driving distance, and finding the right part of the fairway matters far more than hitting the longest drive. After Sandy Hills, where everything invites you to swing hard, this was a relief.
The par 4s are the highlight. Even the shorter, more inviting ones get harder the closer you get to the green. When the wind is up, the course rewards keeping the ball low and letting it run on the firm ground rather than flying it high.
The greens are not the most dramatic you will see, but they are well balanced and well designed. A ball landed short and allowed to run is often more effective than one flown high to stop dead. Around the greens you have real choices: a putt from off the surface, a bump-and-run or a lofted pitch. It pays to experiment.
My round from the white tees. The front nine was ordinary: bogeys on the first three holes, a double on the par-4 5th, out in 42 on a par of 35. Then the back nine came together in a way that rarely happens to me. A bogey on the 10th, pars on the 11th and 12th, a birdie on the par-4 13th, then pars on every hole from the 14th to the 17th, including the par-5 16th, and I finished with a birdie 4 on the par-5 18th. No doubles, no drama, which on a links is how a good score is actually made. Back nine 35, one under par, 77 in total on a par of 71. The best nine holes I played on the whole Irish trip, and they came at the end of a 36-hole day.
Playing all three Rosapenna courses is a rare chance to see how links golf has developed. St Patrick's Links, by Tom Doak, is the modern, expressive sibling, with huge width and enormous dunes that funnel play in interesting ways and invite creative shots. Sandy Hills is the powerhouse, muscular and physically demanding, with big elevation changes and constant exposure to the Atlantic. Old Tom sits between them: quieter, more rhythmic and rooted firmly in the traditions of the game. Sandy Hills demands execution and stamina. Old Tom demands judgement and patience. My scores line up with that more neatly than I would like: 89 on St Patrick's, 85 on Sandy Hills, 77 here.
The course is designed to be walked, and nothing distracts you from the golf and the land. There are no housing developments around the holes and nothing man-made to pull your eye away. Sheephaven Bay is visible throughout, but it never takes over. By the closing holes you feel a kind of calm that comes from playing something genuine rather than mass-produced. In my case the calm was helped by the birdie on 18.
Should you play it? Yes. Old Tom Morris Links isn't just another famous name to tick off. It is a connection with the history of the game. If St Patrick's is about freedom and imagination, and Sandy Hills about modern power and theatre, Old Tom captures the essence of Rosapenna: honest, thoughtful and timeless. Play it the same day as Sandy Hills if you can. The contrast is the point.
Final word. For anyone who loves traditional links golf it is a must, a course that earns your respect one considered stroke at a time. Some courses blow you away from the first hole. Others are a slow burn. Old Tom Morris Links does neither. It simply reminds you why you fell in love with golf in the first place.
Read also St Patrick’s Links Rosapenna – Tom Doak’s Modern Masterpiece on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Coast
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