Eddie Hackett’s last links, routed through huge sandhills on the Mullet peninsula.
Carne sits on the Mullet peninsula in north-west Mayo, a few kilometres outside Belmullet, and it was the last course Eddie Hackett designed. A local non-profit company bought about 220 acres of farmland and began building in 1989 with tourism in mind. The 27 holes now make two 18-hole routings, the original Hackett course and the Wild Atlantic Dunes, and they alternate day by day. That is why most visitors stay two nights. Golf Digest ranks the Wild Atlantic Dunes at No. 63 in its World’s 100 Greatest Courses for 2026–27.
Book online through Carne’s BRS page, where you choose the Hackett or the Wild Atlantic Dunes course for 18 holes. You can also book 27 holes (the Hackett plus the Kilmore nine) or 36 holes (both routings). The full green fee is charged when you book. Cancel more than 60 days before play for a full refund; inside 60 days nothing is returned, unless the course is closed. The online terms say handicap certificates are not needed for general play, only for open competitions. Normal Golf Ireland dress applies, with tailored shorts allowed. Green fees appear in the booking engine rather than on a published rate sheet. Golf Ireland members should call +353 97 82292 or email info@carnegolflinks.com for their rate.
The combination of Hackett’s back nine and the newer Kilmore nine, launched in 2020. The club calls it the stronger test of the two, with the most dramatic holes. It opens with a par five that climbs and dips between dunes, then a downhill tee shot from a high second tee to a green you cannot see.
The original Eddie Hackett 18. Its front nine runs over softer, lower ground before the inward half joins the big dunes it shares with the Wild Atlantic Dunes routing. Because the two courses alternate days, a two-night stay gets you both, or you can book 27 holes in a day.
Hackett worked with the ground rather than against it. The club says tees and greens were found rather than built, very little earthmoving was done, and the course took over eight years to complete. The first nine of the Hackett routing sits on gentler land, while the second climbs into the big sandhills. In 2013 a third nine, the Kilmore nine, was routed through the most dramatic part of the dunes by Ally McIntosh and Jim Engh, based on Hackett’s own sketches. In 2020 those holes were joined to Hackett’s back nine to form the Wild Atlantic Dunes routing. Both scorecards show par 72; the Hackett measures 6,702 yards from the blue tees and the Wild Atlantic Dunes 6,685.
Build the trip around the alternating routings. Ask the club which course is running on your dates, and stay two nights so you get one round on each. The 60-day refund cut-off is strict, so book once flights are fixed. Belmullet is a long way from anywhere, and that is part of the appeal. Pair Carne with Enniscrone on the way in or out to break up the drive.
Ireland West Airport Knock is roughly two hours away by road, and Shannon and Dublin are both well over three. The last stretch runs through Bangor Erris to Belmullet. There is no rail service on the peninsula, so a hire car is the practical choice.
Nearby: 1. Enniscrone Golf Club (60 km) · Compare all Sligo & Donegal tee times
Belmullet is the base, a small market town with B&Bs, self-catering houses and a few hotels, among them the Broadhaven Bay Hotel on the edge of town. It is a few minutes’ drive from the course. The Ballina road into town passes McDonnell’s, a bar and undertaker’s under one roof. Ballina is the nearest large town for a wider choice of hotels, about an hour east.
Enniscrone is the nearest championship links, about an hour and a half east, and the north-west run continues to Rosses Point. On the peninsula, Blacksod Lighthouse sent the weather report that set the date for D-Day in 1944, and the Erris coast has long, quiet beaches. On the way back east, the Céide Fields visitor centre shows a Neolithic farming landscape preserved under the bog.
These packages have a confirmed round at Carne Golf 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: Carne Golf Links · Enniscrone Golf Club · County Sligo (Rosses Point) · Donegal Golf Club · Narin & Portnoo Links
Stay: 3 nights at Mount Falcon Estate, Ballina; 4 at The Glasshouse, Sligo
Carne, Enniscrone and Rosses Point from just two hotels: a quieter week of links than Ireland’s south-west.
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
Carne’s booking terms promise a full refund if the course is closed on the day, which matters on an exposed peninsula. Summer evenings on the far west coast stay light late, which makes 27 holes in a day realistic from June to August. Spring and autumn are quieter on the peninsula.
Explore golf by monthNo. Carne’s booking terms say handicap certificates are not required for general play. They are needed only for open competitions, where Golf Ireland card holders show their cards and other players bring a certificate from their home club.
The club says the Wild Atlantic Dunes routing has the most dramatic holes and the strongest challenge. The two routings run on alternate days, so most visitors stay two days and play both. A 27-hole day pairs the Hackett 18 with the Kilmore nine.
Carne does not publish a rate sheet; prices for each routing and for 27 or 36 holes appear in its online booking system when you choose a date. Golf Ireland members should phone or email the club for their rate.
The full fee is taken at booking. You get a full refund if you cancel more than 60 days before play, and nothing after that. If the course is closed on the day, for example by weather, the fee is refunded.
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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