Widely regarded as the late Eddie Hackett's finest work alongside Waterville Golf Links, Carne Golf Links made a big splash in 2006 as the Highest New Entry in Golf World's Top 100, and it still feels like a proper find.
Carne sits right up in the far North West of Ireland, on an unspoilt stretch of County Mayo coastline where the dunes do most of the talking. If you're looking for polished resort golf, look elsewhere. If you want big-sky links, raw scenery and that "how on earth did they route holes through this?" feeling, you're in the right place.
The Wild Atlantic Dunes course blends the back nine of Hackett's original layout with the Kilmore nine to create 18 holes of rugged, Atlantic-side links. Much of the routing runs right alongside the Atlantic, with sea views featuring throughout and long looks across Blacksod Bay. There's constant wind interest and sand hills that make every tee shot feel like an adventure. It's the sort of place where you'll happily forgive a few odd bounces because the setting is so authentically links.
Carne is also a brilliant building block for a North West trip. If you're putting together a tour, you can pair it with other standout links in the area and make a real golf journey out of it.
Who is this for? Golfers who love true links golf, don't mind being off the beaten track and want dunes, wind and Atlantic scenery in bucket-list quantities.
Who is it best for? Links purists and keen golfers building a North West Ireland tour who want a Hackett design that feels rugged, natural and properly memorable.
