Full steam ahead on revamp at Narin and Portnoo
WORK on revamping the lovely links at Narin and Portnoo in Donegal will begin in October.
Renowned architect Gil Hanse and his design partner Jim Wagner finalised their plans to transform the course this summer and SOL Golf has been contracted to carry out the work.
Hanse, who created the Olympic Course in Rio, is one of the most respected and admired golf architects in the world with a client list that includes such storied venues as Winged Foot, Merion and The Country Club at Brookline.
And he admits he’s fallen in love with the links, which owners Liam McDevitt and Larry Foley hope will become a mecca for visitors set to descend on the northwest coast over the next few decades .
“Jim Wagner and I fell in love with the scale of the site, the variety of the features, the superb views, and the rugged character of the landscape,” Hanse explained in the latest issue of Golf Digest Ireland.
“It has a scale that ranges from large-scale dunes down to the smallest, nuanced rolls in the ground and that variety will provide countless opportunities for our imagination and the play of the course.
“Many links courses do not have stunning views, but Narin and Portnoo has views in every direction. Being located on that peninsula opens up varied and exciting views no matter which direction you turn!
“We hope that we will create a course that will be very playable for the average golfer and where the more accomplished golfer will be faced with compelling questions if they are trying to post a score.
“We are going to emphasise fun, and we are going to be very mindful of the effects of the wind on the course so that it will be playable in all conditions.”