DG IRELAND – TOP150 – 2021
Editor Kevin Markham
Rosslare sits alone on the south-east tip of the island, a low, fast links streaking over sweet and subtle fairways into some deeper dunes.
It is all on show but you can be sure of hidden hollows, unpredictable humps and deceptive approaches to greens.
The course sits on a narrow peninsula so all but two holes head out or back, meaning wind is a very real factor when you turn for home (the 8th). The terrain is used brilliantly, nowhere more so than the long par four 11th. This is the hardest hole on the course, typically playing into the wind.
A good drive will still leave a blind approach over a large ridge sliding across from the right. A red and white pole offers directions to a sunken green but it is always a daunting shot. The stretch of holes from 4 to 7 is magical.
www.rosslaregolf.com
Favourite Hole: The par five 7th is a beauty. It hugs the dunes next to the sea and curves low and right, to a green on an incline. Two (or three) delicious shots are required to reach it.
What’s in the Bag? A head for low links golf and controlling the ball. It often feels open… but that’s one of Rosslare’s traps.