A Gil Hanse restoration of an old Donegal links, running out to the beach at Narin.
Narin & Portnoo Links sits on a strip of Atlantic dune land on the west coast of Donegal, beside the long sandy strand at Narin. Its modern story starts in 2017, when the owner brought in Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner, the American design team behind the Olympic course in Rio and the restoration of Winged Foot West, to rebuild greens and holes and pull the links back to its natural lines. The first phase was finished in March 2019. The course now sits 19th in Top 100 Golf Courses’ Island of Ireland ranking, and its €300 international summer fee sits just above Murvagh’s €280.
Visitors book through the guest section of the club’s online booking system, run on ClubNet, or by phoning +353 74 954 5107 or emailing info@nandplinks.com. Players from overseas pay the international guest rate, which includes a golfer’s meal in summer. Members of Golf Ireland clubs pay much less but must show a Golf Ireland affiliation ID. Societies and groups are welcome all year and can enquire about packages with food, prizes and local accommodation. The rates page lists no handicap limit, deposit or cancellation terms, so ask about those when you book. Book buggies, clubs and electric trolleys in advance, because the club advises it.
International guest rate, summer 2026 (1 April to 31 October), including a golfer’s meal. The 2025–26 winter rate (November to March) was €80. Golf Ireland affiliates from €70 in summer with ID.
| International guest, summer 2026 | €300 |
|---|---|
| International guest, winter 2025–26 | €80 |
| Golf Ireland affiliate, summer 2026 | from €70 |
| Golf Ireland affiliate, winter 2025–26 | from €60 |
The club gives its founding date as 1905, while Top 100 Golf Courses records a nine-hole layout that was extended to 18 holes in 1965. Later alterations, in the club’s words, left a patchwork of styles that never matched the setting. Hanse and Wagner, with the shaper Neil Cameron, reworked it around dunes up to 80 feet tall. The 1st got a new green to the left of the old one. The lake on the 2nd was taken out of play. The old 3rd and 4th became a single par five, and the old 8th became the 7th, with a blind approach to a green hidden behind a dune. Two new par threes were added on the back nine. The owner has recalled the course as a par 69 before years of changes took it to par 73, and the club says the redesign has also quickened the pace of play.
The club’s published seasons are sharply split: winter rates ran from November to the end of March, summer rates from April to October. Winter 2026–27 prices had not been posted when this guide was checked, so ask the club. The Links Restaurant in the clubhouse opens from noon to 8pm on Friday and Saturday and noon to 6pm on Sunday, and is closed Monday to Thursday, so plan a midweek lunch elsewhere. If you are travelling from abroad, note that the stay-and-play prices are based on Golf Ireland member rates (see below).
Donegal Airport at Carrickfinn is the closest, roughly an hour’s drive north. City of Derry Airport is around two hours east. From Dublin allow about four hours. Narin is reached on minor roads from Ardara, the nearest town with shops and pubs.
Nearby: 1. Donegal Golf Club (Murvagh) (33 km) · 2. Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Links (Sandy Hills) (55 km) · 3. County Sligo Golf Club (Rosses Point) (60 km) · 4. Enniscrone Golf Club (83 km) · 5. Ballyliffin Golf Club (Glashedy Links) (85 km) · Compare all Sligo & Donegal tee times
The club’s stay-and-play packages use two hotels. The Nesbitt Arms Hotel in Ardara is the nearer, a short drive away, with packages from €138 per person sharing midweek. The Waterfront Hotel in Dungloe, further north in the Rosses, starts from €160. Both include 18 holes and breakfast, but those prices assume Golf Ireland member green fees; the club says international rates apply to overseas golfers, so ask for a quote. Narin and Portnoo themselves are small seaside villages with holiday lets, which suit a group that wants to be near the first tee.
Donegal Golf Club at Murvagh is about an hour south-east, and Rosapenna’s three links on Sheephaven Bay are around an hour and a half north. Off the course, Narin strand runs out towards Inishkeel, a small island with old church ruins that can be reached across the sand at low tide; check the tide times locally first. Ardara is known for its tweed weavers, and the Glengesh Pass and Glencolmcille are a short drive west.
These packages have a confirmed round at Narin & Portnoo 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.
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
Summer rates run from 1 April to 31 October, and this is when the meal is included with the international rate. The clubhouse restaurant keeps weekend hours only. Package prices are published for May to December only, so a spring trip needs a direct quote from the club.
Explore golf by monthYes. Visitors book online through the guest booking page or contact the clubhouse by phone or email. Golf Ireland members pay the affiliate rate with an ID, and groups are welcome all year with package options that include dining and prizes.
In summer 2026 the international guest rate was €300, including a golfer’s meal. The 2025–26 winter rate was €80. Golfers with a Golf Ireland affiliation paid from €70 in summer and from €60 in winter.
Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner of Hanse Golf Course Design, with shaper Neil Cameron. The owner first contacted Hanse in 2017, the first phase was finished in March 2019, and members previewed the new holes that Easter.
Ardara is the nearest town. The club’s stay-and-play packages use the Nesbitt Arms Hotel in Ardara and the Waterfront Hotel in Dungloe, from €138 and €160 per person sharing with breakfast and 18 holes at Golf Ireland member rates. Overseas golfers pay the international green fee, so the package price is higher.
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.
How we research our guidesPhoto credits and licencesA lighthouse, an Atlantic headland, and a round that stays with you.
Dune-ridge links on the Kerry shore, from the graveyard first to the cliff-edge 11th.
Blind shots over Klondyke and the Dell, a surfing village and goats that read the weather.
