- AddressNaran, An Fhearthainn, Co. Donegal, F94 F433, Ireland
If you want to play really simple, old-fashioned, unpretentious links golf then you often have to stray a little off the beaten track to island courses like the Machrie on Islay or Shiskine on Arran. Narin and Portnoo is not quite as remote as those two famous Scottish courses but only just. Tucked away in the southwest corner of County Donegal, the Narin and Portnoo links deserves to be bracketed with one or two other natural, unspoilt courses that really should be given greater recognition.
The club was formed in 1930 and they played on a 9-hole layout for thirty-five years until it was extended to its current 18-hole size in 1965. The first green keeper, Jim McCole, held the post for over forty years, from 1934 to 1977 – it’s hearing about people like him that provide a flavour of what clubs like Narin and Portnoo are all about.
At the start of the new millennium, the club rearranged the course – at one point there were consecutive par fives played between the 13th and 15th – and the clubhouse was rebuilt, opening in June 2008. It’s true to say that Narin & Portnoo lost its way around this time but a change in ownership saw a monumental reversal in fortunes for the club.
Ten years later, Gil Hanse and his design partner Jim Wagner were commissioned to redesign the course. “Golfers will be blown away by the natural beauty, interest and quirk that the property offers,” said Wagner. “The new combination of golf holes and greens locations will add challenge and stunning visuals associated with the property.”
Improvements include a new green at the 1st, to the left of the original, a lake which has been taken out of play on the 2nd, with the 3rd and 4th combined to form a new par five. The old 8th is now the new 7th with a blind shot to a new green and two new par threes have also been created on the back nine at the 11th and 15th. The preposterous trio of par fives has also been removed though the round does conclude with a demanding three-shotter that double doglegs around sand hills from the tee to the home green.
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Hanse earned a Master's degree in Landscape Architecture from Cornell University in 1989, achieving the William Frederick Dreer Award, which allowed him to spend a year overseas with Hawtree Ltd.
