Sandy Hills at Rosapenna – A Bold, Modern Links Test on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Coast

Gunnar Kobin

Dec 12, 2025

4 min read

Updated: Oct 22

On the 17th of September 2024 I played two of Rosapenna's courses in one day. Sandy Hills first, 85. Then the Old Tom Morris Links next door, 77. Eight shots apart, same golfer, same day. That gap tells you most of what you need to know about Sandy Hills.

It is a completely different experience from Old Tom. Old Tom feels understated. Sandy Hills feels expansive, muscular and unapologetically modern. Playing it is like stepping into a wilder, more demanding version of links golf, defined by scale, elevation and constant exposure to the Atlantic. I came to Rosapenna straight from Royal Portrush the day before, so a links that pushes back was nothing new that week.

A bit of history. Pat Ruddy designed Sandy Hills, and it opened in July 2003. It runs through a remarkable stretch of giant dunes at the edge of Sheephaven Bay. Ruddy was not finished with Rosapenna after that: a few years later he also built the new Strand Nine on the Old Tom Morris Links, which opened in 2009.

From the first tee there is an enormous sense of space. Fairways tumble through huge dunes, the sight lines go on forever, and the wind is never just a factor. It is always there.

OK, the actual golf.

What defines Sandy Hills is vertical movement. Tee shots often have to carry dune ridges down into the fairways below, and the approaches that follow are steep and demanding, into greens that are well protected and intimidating. The ground is almost always rising, falling or twisting, which makes distance control particularly hard, and judging trajectory when the wind catches the ball mid-flight becomes critical. A yardage on this course is a starting point, not an answer.

Unlike Old Tom, Sandy Hills keeps tempting you to be aggressive. The lines from the tee can look inviting, but swinging as hard as you can brings crosswinds and difficult lies into play. Get it right, though, and confidence is rewarded.

Sandy Hills is the more physically demanding of Rosapenna's two older courses. The par 4s all have their own character, and some are long enough that into the wind the approach needs total commitment. The par 5s are honest three-shotters whatever the conditions, and placement matters on every shot. The par 3s may be the best holes on the course. Most play through deep sand valleys, where club selection is everything and a good strike can still be undone by the wind.

The bunkers are large and expressive, set on the peaks and troughs of the sand hills. They are more sculpted than those on Old Tom and just as hard to escape, and from the wrong side of them the recovery can be unpredictable. The greens are fast and smooth, but the surrounding slopes and small ridges make them hard to read. Where you leave your approach in relation to the hole matters more than usual. Get on the wrong side of it and the putt quickly turns defensive.

My round from the blue tees. A par on the opening par 5 and a par on the 2nd, and then the course started collecting. Bogey on the par-3 3rd, bogey on the 4th, then back-to-back doubles on the par-4 5th and 6th. That pair cost me most of the front nine, which came in at 44 on a par of 36. The back nine was better, 41, with no doubles at all and a par on the par-3 11th. Over the whole round the par 5s went par, bogey, par, bogey, which is about what an honest three-shotter should cost a player like me. Total 85 on a par of 72.

Then I went over to Old Tom and shot 77. I would love to claim I had found something between rounds. I think it is simpler than that. Old Tom lets you play your way round with judgement. Sandy Hills wants execution on every shot, and every shot I didn't execute showed up on the card.

When the wind comes off the Atlantic it becomes a seriously difficult test that demands low, penetrating shots, and even then success isn't guaranteed. If Old Tom Morris Links is about strategy, Sandy Hills is about execution under pressure. The closing holes can be mentally exhausting, and your concentration is tested again and again.

It is a great walk, but a hard one. Big elevation changes, long walks from green to tee and a wind in your face all test your stamina. The reward is a real sense of isolation, golf in its purest outdoor form.

Should you play it? Yes, and play Old Tom the same day if you can. Part of the beauty of Sandy Hills is how it balances Old Tom Morris Links. Old Tom offers charm, subtlety and history. Sandy Hills offers a stern test of skill. Add St Patrick's, the newest of the three, and Rosapenna becomes a must for anyone who loves links golf. Compared with Royal Portrush the day before, where I shot 93, Sandy Hills is the more open and physical course, and Portrush the more punishing one.

Final word. For links purists who enjoy a testing layout, wild terrain and extreme conditions, Sandy Hills is unforgettable. It asks everything of you and rewards you with memories that last. This is uncompromising links golf. Some will find it irritating. I appreciated every punishing second, including the 5th and the 6th.