North West Golf Club

Overview: The North West Golf Club offers a complete eighteen-hole links at Lisfannon on the shore of Lough Swilly in County Donegal. The club describes a Wild Atlantic Way setting and a course often compared with St Andrews because of its long links tradition and natural coastal ground. Current course information lists par 70 and a length of about 6,314 metres, approximately 6,901 yards. The surrounding lough, Atlantic weather and open fairways are integral to the course, giving it a clear Donegal links identity.

History: The club was established as an 18-hole course in 1891 and is one of the nine founding members of the Golfing Union of Ireland. GoGolfing material credits Thompson with the design and records the par 70 course at 6,314 metres. The club has retained its community and visitor role for more than a century, while continuing to present the course as a serious test rather than a short local layout.

Did You Know? The club calls itself “The St Andrews of Ireland,” but the useful factual point is older and more specific: North West has been an 18-hole links since 1891 and was part of the foundation of organised Irish golf. Its position beside Lough Swilly means the course’s history is tied both to the early national game and to the distinctive geography of Donegal.