Ireland Golf Course Reviews
Rosapenna Old Tom Morris Links ReviewDownings, Ireland
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Rosapenna Old Tom Morris Links Overview: This is the oldest of the three golf courses at Rosapenna, as is given away by the name. However, there are two misleading items about this golf course. First, the slope rating is way too low. There are not many official hazards along the way, but the fairways are as narrow as any on planet earth on the front nine, and the thick rough will eat up errant shots throughout, especially with the complex green and bunkering combinations. Second, only the back nine was designed by Old Tom Morris. It is definitely the more memorable and quirky nine, whereas the front nine is designed by Pat Ruddy, who made it a strong test of accuracy, even if less memorable. The very best golf holes on each nine are reviewed below:
Rosapenna Old Tom Morris Links Hole 2: This short par three is a classic links design. It has a very narrow green with a deep bunker short left and another back right. The prevailing wind forces the shot to be hit very low, or start out over the left bunker. There is also mounding to the right that will make up and down very difficult.
Rosapenna Old Tom Morris Links Hole 2: This short par three is a classic links design. It has a very narrow green with a deep bunker short left and another back right. The prevailing wind forces the shot to be hit very low, or start out over the left bunker. There is also mounding to the right that will make up and down very difficult.
Rosapenna Old Tom Morris Links Hole 4: One of only three par fours to head in this direction on the golf course, it plays a little shorter than its yardage but, typical of this nine, has a bumpy and narrow fairway between the dunes with a well placed sand trap left of the fairway. The green is fairly accessible but for a bunker to the right side.
Rosapenna Old Tom Morris Links Hole 5: This par four is a slight dogleg left around two bunkers; the player can see the first one, which is easier to carry but can also roll out into the second one if line is too aggressive. Of course, the green complex favors a shot coming from the left and has to deep pot bunkers and a slope front-right that will reject or punish shots not getting left of them and finding the green.
Rosapenna Old Tom Morris Links Hole 6: With several difficult par fours on the front, this one is likely the hardest. The fairway pinches in to almost ridiculous narrowness at 275 yards from the longer tees and the layup approach will leave a mid or long iron in and still must avoid a deep bunker. The green complex plays uphill from the player between two dunes but then runs away and features a hidden bunker very close to the front-left of the surface.
Rosapenna Old Tom Morris Links Hole 7: This par three is rugged looking and, again, makes use of the prevailing wind as a defense. There is a sand dune on the left around which the green is nestled. Thus, shots must either be drawn against the wind or content with the contours of the dune. Front and middle pins are less susceptible to this feature but a back pin is extremely difficult to access.
Rosapenna Old Tom Morris Links Hole 10: The opening to the back immediately introduces you to Old Tom Morris' line of sight tricks with humps and hollows making distance and correct lines visually tricky. The golf hole plays long and the best drive will challenge, but not necessarily carry the bunkers at the dogleg left, a the approach is best from center cut, or right of center, even if a little longer. A huge bunker left and front of the green is the biggest obstacle on the approach to the large and relatively flat surface.
Rosapenna Old Tom Morris Links Hole 12: This par four is really about missing the central bunker towards which at least one third of the fairway slopes. Clearing it is an option for a big drive (depending on wind) but missing it is essential for making par or better. The green has another very deep bunker and depression left and slopes quite a bit as well from right to left, with pins in the back half of the green being much more difficult to access.
Rosapenna Old Tom Morris Links Hole 14: This par three is at the end of the links and is nestled beautifully against the large sand dunes behind it. Although it plays about level, the green is over the "valley" and shots must carry all the way to the putting surface or risk coming back down the slope or finding one of the two pot bunkers lurking in front of the green. There is more room behind the green than it appears from the tee.
Rosapenna Old Tom Morris Links Hole 15: This par four hugs the massive dunes to its right and plays as a very minor dogleg as the fairway is angled left to right with two bunkers on it's left side. The prevailing wind is down and from the left so the ideal drive just hugs the bunkers and runs out along the fairway's contours. The green is fairly accessible with only really one bunker to the left in play for most shots. Going right on either shot is bad.
Rosapenna Old Tom Morris Links Hole 17: Without a doubt, this par three is one of the most picturesque and classically designed links holes on the planet. The green is nearly hidden between the thick fescue and deep fronting bunkers set in the dunes, all the while set against the backdrop of more beautiful massive sand dunes behind. The shot, however, is long and difficult, with a very narrow green and a massive hump left of the green that will keep shots that go too far left from running on the surface and bounding others down or across the green..
