On Saturday 19th October, Donegal Golf Club hosted a media day to launch their newly designed holes by Paul McGinley and his team, McGinley Golf Course Architecture and Design.
In February 2024, the club appointed Paul McGinley to develop a masterplan to further redevelop the course. “Our masterplan calls for an evolution, not a revolution,” said McGinley. “The core principle is that the course needs to be more playable for the membership and all standards of player. At the same time, it should be seamlessly prepared for major events by creating optionality on tees and challenge on greens that allow pins to be tucked when needed.”
“Donegal Golf Club is one of the very best canvasses of any club in the country. That is what both excites and motivates me to best utilise the terrain while also honouring the history, routing and flow of the course.”
Paul redesigned the 16th, 17th and 18th at Donegal Golf Club in the first phase of the course redesign and he will now be entering the second phase over the coming months. National and local media along with content creators got the opportunity to play the newly designed back 9 before getting the opportunity to attend a Q&A with Paul to discuss his upcoming plans in Donegal. Paul see’s the newly designed course as “The gateway into Donegal.”
Since starting the redesign, this year Paul said that this is the “Best Canvas I have ever had the chance to work on.” Donegal Golf Club is part of the Wild Atlantic Way which provides golfers with some of the world’s best links courses.
“The Wild Atlantic Way is one of the greatest marketing concepts that I have ever come across” With so many great assets in the county of Donegal it is a great tourist destination with so many activities to do along with playing top links golf courses.
Eimear McManus of ForeFront Group said; ‘It’s an exciting time for Donegal and the surrounding North Atlantic as so much of it is yet to be discovered by tourists from near and far. Paul’s incredible work at Donegal is solidifying the course as a Championship links and its great steppingstone towards the growth of tourism in the region. I’m excited to see what’s next.’
Donegal Golf Club opened in 1960 and quickly grew in popularity which led to an 18-hole course needing to be designed. The course was originally designed by Eddie Hackett in 1973 and was remodeled by Pat Ruddy in 1992. The golf course sits on The Murvagh peninsula which juts out into the Atlantic, accessed only by an avenue through forestry
lands. It has holes playing along sand dunes with views of Donegal Bay, the Atlantic Ocean and the Bluestack Mountains.
Donegal is a gateway for golf within the North Atlantic way. With many other great courses situated in the county of Donegal such as Ballyliffin and Rossapenna, Donegal town is at the heart of the county and provides a great base for visitors who are looking to play some of Ireland’s best courses. Paul said “We’re all in this together – we’re all raising Donegal together. Donegal is the next frontier.”
As the developments continue at Donegal Golf Club over the next few months, Paul hopes to see the course shoot up the rankings and become one of Ireland’s top links along with Donegal town becoming a home for golf tourism in
Ireland.