Rosapenna (Sandy Hills)

Overview: Sandy Hills Links is the Pat Ruddy course at Rosapenna on the shore of Sheephaven Bay in County Donegal. The 18-hole, par-72 layout plays to about 7,255 yards and climbs and drops through large dunes, sandy ridges, and open coastal ground. Ruddy used the natural land rather than flattening it, creating bold changes of direction, elevated viewpoints, broad fairways, and heavily contoured green surrounds. The course has a modern championship scale, but its strongest feature is how naturally the holes occupy the existing dune system.

History: Rosapenna's golf story reaches back to 1893, when Old Tom Morris laid out the original links. The resort later expanded with Sandy Hills, a second 18-hole course designed by Pat Ruddy and opened for play in 2003. Ruddy returned to craft a new front nine in the following years, refining how the course moved through the dunes while preserving its character. The development of Sandy Hills created a complementary modern course alongside the historic Old Tom Morris Links.

Did You Know? Sandy Hills was laid through an existing dune landscape rather than built on a blank site. The fairways and greens appear to have been fitted into the natural landforms, which is why the course can offer large-scale views and dramatic elevation without losing a sense of continuity with Rosapenna's older links.