Donegal Golf Club

Donegal is a traditional links test that rewards a bit of thought. The routing runs out along the peninsula and back again, so conditions can change quickly between nines. If you pick the right tees for your group, it's tough but fair, and massively enjoyable.

Off the tee, it's less about smashing driver and more about positioning. The fairways can run, so the sensible play is often a shaped tee shot that uses the ground and avoids the bunkers that pinch the best landing areas. Miss your line and you can be playing from heavy rough or awkward lies, which makes controlling spin and flight into the greens a different challenge altogether.

The greens are where Donegal really bites. They're true, but they can be hard to judge in a crosswind, and the safest miss is not always the obvious one. Get on the wrong tier and two-putting is not guaranteed. It's exactly the sort of links that improves with local knowledge or a second round, which is why it works so well on an Ireland tour.

You'll almost always have a breeze to factor in, and that changes club selection and shot shape more than pure distance. The course sits right on the coast, so the wind can swirl and gust, particularly on the more exposed holes along the bay. When it's up, you need to think your way around rather than just hit and hope.

Ruddy's refinements over the years have added layers to Hackett's original routing, particularly around green complexes and the angles into them. Certain pins are only accessible from specific sides of the fairway, and the bunkering is placed to catch anything that drifts or runs too far. It's strategic rather than penal, but you do need to play with your head.

If your group wants authentic northwest links golf without the crowds of the headline names, Donegal should be high on the shortlist.