Bundoran
Golf Club is one of those golf courses with a fantastic domestic
reputation that is relatively little known on the international
stage. It is a classic links course that has been in existence for
over one hundred years and deserves to be rated among the great
Irish links courses. Overlooking the Atlantic, Bundoran Links was
designed by one Harry Vardon, one of golf's most legendary figures
and a member of the famed Great Triumvirate that also comprised
John Henry Taylor and James Braid.
One cannot but be impressed by the rugged beauty
and impressive setting of this course on the edge of Ireland's
northwestern coast. Bundoran, which provides a stern test to golfers
of all abilities, winds along the coastline and returns inland
to give a mixture of holes. Laid out in two returning nine hole
loops, the course is largely undulating and offers fine views
over Donegal Bay. Exposed to the elements of nature, man has succeeded
in sculpting a course of great beauty and one that is truly a
pleasure to play.
The origins of Bundoran are linked with the
decision by the Highland Hotel Company to build a hotel at Bundoran
in 1894. The strategy of the company was to focus on resorts,
which were served by the Great Northern Railway. Plans were drawn
up to build a 60 bedroom hotel and Golf Links and by July 16th
1894, a provisional committee was in the process of negotiating
golfing rights with the Highland Hotel Company. Bundoran Golf
Club was born.
It was not until 1927, that Harry Vardon was
invited to Bundoran to plan and design changes to the course,
which would bring it up to championship standard. Vardon's philosophy
on course design was "to give pleasure to golfers of all
degrees". His design featured the relocation of tees, re
sitting of greens and the addition of a number of new bunkers.
Today, the course requires the player to possess the full range
of shots a must on any championship links.
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