Old Tom Morris is credited with designing Rosapenna‘s Old Course while visiting Lord Leitrim in 1891. The course initially featured 18 holes, starting between the clubhouse and the hotel, with nine holes running along Tramore beach and the remaining holes traversing a nearby hill.
By 1896, Rosapenna had become a popular golfing destination, evidenced by a photo of George Duncan, Sandy Herd, Tom Ball, and Harry Vardon relaxing outside the hotel. Vardon later upgraded the course, and while James Braid is rumoured to have suggested improvements, no documentation supports this.
Pat Ruddy’s book “Ballyliffin: Golf’s Great Twin Miracles” mentions that Harry Colt made significant design changes around 1911-1916, including creating holes twelve to sixteen, using a narrow railway to transport materials.
In June 2005, Pat Ruddy designed nine new holes, known as the “Strand Nine,” adjacent to the Sandy Hills course. These were closed in late 2006 for extensive restoration by shaper Eric Iverson from Tom Doak’s Renaissance Golf Design Company and reopened in September 2009.
The course layout was reconfigured, with the opening hole and the last eight holes of the original Old Tom Morris course forming the “Coastguard Nine.” The restored “Strand Nine” became the front nine, while the original Old Tom “Valley Nine” (holes 2 to 10) were re-sequenced as the back nine, finishing in front of the Rosapenna Pavilion.
Today, Rosapenna’s Old Course blends old-fashioned charm with contemporary design, combining the late 19th-century Valley holes with modern Strand holes for a unique golfing experience.
