The 2018 Irish Open links and the 1973 Old Links, side by side on Inishowen.
Ballyliffin is a village on the Inishowen peninsula in north Donegal, close to Malin Head, and its golf club has two full links side by side. The Glashedy Links, opened in 1995, hosted the 2018 Irish Open and the match-play stage of the 2024 Amateur Championship. The Old Links, the club’s earlier course, was used for stroke-play qualifying that same week. A nine-hole par-three course, Pollan Links, completes the set. Rates are published, every round is paid in advance, and the 36-hole ticket makes the most of a single day.
All golf must be booked and paid in advance, through the club’s BRS visitor booking for each course. Standard visitor rates for 2026 are €330 on the Glashedy, €300 on the Old Links and €550 for both on the same day. Residents of the island of Ireland with Golf Ireland membership use a separate domestic rate, given on request. The office is on +353 74 937 6119 and info@ballyliffingolfclub.com. The club has 15 buggies at €50 each, so reserve early, and carts must stay on the fairways. Buggies and caddies cancelled on the day are charged in full. The club’s own pages do not publish a handicap limit; ask when booking if you need one confirmed.
Standard 2026 visitor rate on the Old Links; Glashedy Links €330; both courses on the same day €550.
| Glashedy Links, 18 holes | €330 |
|---|---|
| The Old Links, 18 holes | €300 |
| Two-round special, 36 holes same day | €550 |
The championship course and the reason most visitors come. A modern links shaped around the biggest dunes on the property, while the Old Links follows the natural ground more closely. The 2026 visitor rate is €330. Toilets sit after the 11th, and both nines return to the clubhouse.
The club’s 1973 links, reworked by Faldo, plays over rumpled, natural ground with views across Pollan Strand. It is the more traditional of the two and costs €300. Combine it with the Glashedy on the same day for €550.
A nine-hole par-three course by Pat Ruddy on 14 acres at the quieter end of the dunes. Holes run from 90 to 146 yards, and the greens are built to full-size links scale. Visitor rates are given on enquiry.
Pat Ruddy and Tom Craddock built the Glashedy around the largest dunes on the property, and Ruddy has returned many times to refine it. It is named after Glashedy Island, the rock that sits offshore in Pollan Bay. The club’s hole guide adds up to 7,486 yards, par 72, from the back tees. The 2018 Irish Open was the first played in Donegal, The R&A notes, and Russell Knox won it in a play-off against Ryan Fox. The Glashedy had already staged the tour’s North West of Ireland Open in 2002. The Old Links began as nine holes in 1947 and opened as an 18 in 1973, after the club moved from rented land. Eddie Hackett had a hand in it, and Nick Faldo upgraded it in 2005–06. It hosted the 2008 Irish Seniors Open.
If you only have one day, the €550 two-round ticket covers both links and saves €80 on paying separately. Play the Old Links in the morning and the Glashedy after lunch. With more time, spread them over two days and add Pollan for a short-game hour. The club’s map lists Portsalon and Rosapenna as the obvious next stops, and Royal Portrush and Portstewart over the border.
City of Derry Airport is the closest, roughly an hour by road. Belfast International is around two hours, and Dublin about three and a half. The club lists a local coach firm, McLaughlin Coaches in Clonmany, for transfers on +353 86 169 6732. There is no railway on Inishowen; Derry station is the nearest.
Nearby: 1. Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Links (Sandy Hills) (31 km) · 2. Castlerock Golf Club (Mussenden Links) (40 km) · 3. Portstewart Golf Club (Strand Course) (43 km) · 4. Royal Portrush Golf Club (48 km) · 5. Ballycastle Golf Club (73 km) · 6. The Machrie Golf Links (82 km) · Compare all Sligo & Donegal tee times
Ballyliffin has three hotels on the club’s accommodation list: Ballyliffin Lodge & Spa, the Ballyliffin Hotel and Ballyliffin House, all within a short drive of the clubhouse. Buncrana, about half an hour south, adds the Inishowen Gateway Hotel and others. McGrory’s of Culdaff, on the other side of the peninsula, is a long-standing inn known for its live music.
Portsalon, on the Fanad peninsula, and Rosapenna on Sheephaven Bay are the usual Donegal pairings. The North Antrim links of Royal Portrush, Portstewart and Castlerock are all within reach for a cross-border trip. Off the course, Malin Head, the most northerly point of the island of Ireland, is a short drive away. The Doagh Famine Village near Ballyliffin tells the story of rural life on Inishowen.
These packages have a confirmed round at Ballyliffin Golf Club (Glashedy Links) in the itinerary, with the other courses, nights and hotels listed so you can compare like with like.
7 nights B&B, 5 rounds
Rounds: Donegal Golf Club · Rosapenna Old Tom Morris Links · Rosapenna St Patrick’s Links · Ballyliffin Old Links · Ballyliffin Glashedy Links
Stay: Lough Eske Castle, Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Resort and Ballyliffin Lodge
Five Donegal links in a week, three nights on site at Rosapenna, and both Ballyliffin courses back to back to finish.
10 nights B&B, 7 rounds
Rounds: Carne Golf Links · Enniscrone Golf Club · County Sligo (Rosses Point) · Rosapenna Old Tom Morris · Rosapenna Sandy Hills · Ballyliffin Old Links · Ballyliffin Glashedy Links
Stay: Knockranny House (Westport), Strandhill Lodge, Rosapenna and Ballyliffin Lodge
The whole Wild Atlantic Way links run from Westport to Ballyliffin, with both courses at Rosapenna and at Ballyliffin.
Prices are Golfbreaks’ published per-person guide prices in US dollars, checked November 2026; your quote depends on dates and group size. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. How we work
The main visitor season runs from spring to autumn. Inishowen sits far enough north that June sunsets come after 10pm, which makes a 36-hole day realistic. Winter sunsets fall before 4.45pm, so play is short and limited to the morning and early afternoon.
Explore golf by monthThe standard 2026 visitor rate is €330 on the Glashedy Links and €300 on the Old Links. Playing both on the same day costs €550. Residents of the island of Ireland with Golf Ireland membership can ask for the domestic rate.
The Glashedy Links hosted the 2018 Irish Open, which Russell Knox won in a play-off. It also hosted the 1998 Ladies Irish Open and the match-play stage of the 2024 Amateur Championship. The Old Links hosted the 2008 Irish Seniors Open.
Yes. The club requires all golf to be booked and paid before the day of play. Buggies and caddies should also be booked ahead, and both are charged in full if cancelled on the day.
City of Derry Airport, about an hour’s drive. Belfast International is around two hours away. The club can point you to a local coach company in Clonmany for transfers.
Last checked 10 November 2026. This is an independent planning guide, not a first-hand review or a booking service. Check live availability, access, fees and travel details with the operator before booking. Airport suggestions are starting points for route planning.
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