Rosapenna is a golf hotel near Downings on the Rosguill peninsula in north Donegal, on the shore of Sheephaven Bay. It has three full links: Pat Ruddy’s Sandy Hills in the big dunes at the centre of the property, the Old Tom Morris Links on the flatter ground by the bay, and Tom Doak’s St Patrick’s Links, which GOLF Magazine ranks No. 44 in the world. Hotel guests pay less for golf, and the Three Links Ticket covers one round on each. With three courses and a hotel on one site, it is a natural base for Donegal, as long as you plan around the seasons.
Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Links (Sandy Hills) green fees and tee times.
Book golf-only tee times online through the resort, or book a stay-and-play package for the guest rates. The reservations office works Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5pm. Irish residents with an Irish or Northern Irish driving licence and a Golf Ireland or iGolf index pay lower rates, and must show both cards at check-in. The Three Links Ticket costs €710 for one round on each course within seven days. It needs 45 days’ notice, is paid in full at that point and cannot be refunded. It runs on off-peak tee times only, with St Patrick’s in the afternoon. Blackout dates in 2027 include all of 1 to 24 September.
INDICATIVE GREEN FEE · CHECKED NOVEMBER 2026From €210
2027 day-visitor rate on the Old Tom Morris Links (season 22 March to 31 October). Sandy Hills €270 and St Patrick’s €380; hotel guests pay €50 less on each course.
Sandy Hills, day visitor
€270
Sandy Hills, resort guest
€220
St Patrick’s, day visitor
€380
Old Tom Morris, day visitor
€210
Three Links Ticket, day visitor
€710
Winter, December to February (Old Tom Morris)
€50
Prices change by season and booking route, so confirm the current rate with the operator. Official rates ↗
The courses at Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Links (Sandy Hills).
Sandy Hills Links
Pat Ruddy’s modern links through the tallest dunes at the heart of the resort. It costs €270 for day visitors and €220 for hotel guests in 2027. Elevated tees look over the Old Tom Morris Links and Sheephaven Bay, and Golf Monthly ranks it No. 50 in the UK and Ireland.
St Patrick’s Links
Tom Doak’s course, three miles from the hotel by car. It is walking only, with no buggies even with a medical certificate, and there is no shuttle. Day visitors pay €380, or €330 as hotel guests. In 2027 it opens on 9 April and closes on 17 October.
Old Tom Morris Links
The original course and the easiest walk, with Hackett and Ruddy’s front nine leading out to Morris’s holes along the bay. It costs €210, or €160 for hotel guests, and it is the only course that stays open all winter.
The round, in perspective.
Old Tom Morris laid out the original links here, and Harry Colt and James Braid also had a hand in it. Today the back nine of the Old Tom Morris Links, running between big dunes and the bay, is largely Morris’s. The front nine is the work of Eddie Hackett and Pat Ruddy, renovated by Eric Iverson of Renaissance Golf. Sandy Hills was the second course to open; third-party sources date it to 2003. Ruddy routed it boldly over high dunes with views of the bay, and the 10th turns towards the water through a valley of sandhills. Golf Digest ranks Sandy Hills No. 17 in Ireland. St Patrick’s, three miles from the hotel, is Doak’s single 18 on ground big enough for two courses.
Know before you go.
St Patrick’s
Walking only; no buggies, even with a medical certificate
Buggies
€60 per round with GPS (not on St Patrick’s)
Trolleys
Electric €25 per round, push €6 per day
Club hire
€60 per day; reserve by phone or golf@rosapenna.ie
Make the trip work.
Work out your dates first. The hotel is closed for its winter break and reopens to overnight guests on 24 March 2027. St Patrick’s is open only from 9 April to 17 October. Sandy Hills closes at the end of November and reopens on 19 March. For the Three Links Ticket, avoid the blackout weeks and apply 45 days ahead. Bring or hire a car for St Patrick’s, because the resort keeps only two rental cars on site.
Donegal Airport is about 55 minutes away and City of Derry Airport about 1 hour 10 minutes, according to the resort. Belfast International is about 2 hours 15 minutes, Knock about three hours and Dublin about three and a half. Hire cars are available at the main airports, and the resort lists a helicopter transfer company.
The hotel has 70 rooms, many looking over the fairways or Sheephaven Bay, with a restaurant and bar on site. Staying there cuts €50 off each round in 2027. Downings village, just up the road, has pubs and self-catering. Dunfanaghy, across Sheephaven Bay, is another village base with a wider choice of restaurants.
Make a trip of it.
Portsalon, on the Fanad peninsula across Mulroy Bay, is the closest championship links. Ballyliffin is a longer drive east on Inishowen, and Narin & Portnoo lies further south-west. Off the course, the Atlantic Drive loops around the Rosguill peninsula from Downings. Glenveagh National Park and its castle gardens are under an hour inland.
Golf trips that include Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Links (Sandy Hills).
These packages have a confirmed round at Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Links (Sandy Hills) in the itinerary, with the other courses, nights and hotels listed so you can compare like with like.
GOLF TOUR · GOLFBREAKS
The Complete North West Ireland Golf Tour
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
Find your season.
The 2027 main season runs from 22 March to 31 October. Winter green fees are €60 in November and from 1 to 21 March, and €50 from December to February. They apply on the Old Tom Morris Links all winter and on Sandy Hills during November, with mats instead of fairway lies, winter tees and temporary greens in heavy frost.
How much does it cost to play Sandy Hills at Rosapenna?
In 2027 Sandy Hills costs €270 for a day visitor and €220 for a hotel guest. Irish residents with a Golf Ireland or iGolf index and an Irish or Northern Irish driving licence pay €110, or €90 if they stay at the hotel.
What is the Rosapenna Three Links Ticket?
One round each on St Patrick’s, Sandy Hills and the Old Tom Morris Links, played within seven days, for €710 in 2027. It needs 45 days’ notice, uses off-peak tee times and is not valid during blackout periods, including most of September.
Can I take a buggy on St Patrick’s Links?
No. St Patrick’s is walking only, and the resort does not allow buggies even with a medical certificate. Buggies are available on Sandy Hills and the Old Tom Morris Links for €60 a round.
Is Rosapenna open in winter?
Golf continues on the Old Tom Morris Links through the winter at reduced rates. Sandy Hills closes on 30 November and reopens on 19 March 2027. St Patrick’s closes from 18 October to 9 April. The hotel reopens to guests on 24 March 2027.
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.
