Ballyliffin Golf Course 

Ballyliffin is a picturesque village set against the twin Inishowen hills of Crockaughrim and Coolcross looking towards Malin Head and the Atlantic Ocean.  The origin of the name Ballyliffin in Gealic translates as either ‘Baile Lia Finn- Finn’s Pillar town’ or ‘Baile Leith Bheann- Town beside the hill’. 

In 1948 a 9 hole golf links was created in Ballyliffin which has evolved to become one of the best-kept secrets in Irish golfing circles.  The original Old Links course overlooking Pollan Strand one of the more testing old fashioned 18 hole links courses and sits adjoining the new 18 hole Glashedy Links (named after Glashedy Island beyond Pollan Strand) which comprises over 7,000 yards with championship tees. 

Ballyliffin has been described as ‘the Durnoch of Ireland’ and recently as ‘the Ballybunion of the North’.  The course at Ballyliffin stretched for 365 acres of rolling duneland and architects Tom Craddock and Pat Ruddy designed the new Glashedy Links. 

In 1993 the world famous golfer Nick Faldo played at Ballyliffin and was amazed at the unique almost lunar landscape of the hillocks and dunes, Faldo was reported to have asked “do you play bump and run here, or do you just run and bump?”. 

Some of Ballyliffin holes are spectacular and have a history of their own such as the 5^th hole on the Old Links known locally as ‘The Tank’. 

Today the golf course boasts a brand new club house that was officially opened in September 2000 adding another dimension to a club that has the distinction of being Ireland’s most northerly course.