In the heart of country made famous by the verse of Yeats, a feeling of remote splendor permeates a landscape vast and varied. Some holes, like the short second, ascend from tee to green, providing a panorama at the end of the journey. Still other holes descend, like the commanding par-3 13th, a seaside gem that requires a precise approach to avoid an unscheduled trip to the beach. A heart-thumping climb is necessary to reach the green, but from there, most of the course is visible again. Golfers are dots on the rugged canvas below.
Puffins gather on the lower fairways after a rain, searching for worms.
32.7 pts both Ireland and Scotland. He adds that he believes Irish links courses, especially those in the west, are among the most scenic in the world. They are also wetter and windier. The road to the Connemara Championship Golf Links goes either through Clifden, the unofficial capital of the Connemara region, or Roundstone, another postcard-perfect village. The road turns toward the ocean at Ballyconeely, the nearest community to the links.