Was it Eddie Hackett or Mother Nature who gave this links course its magnificent shape? If you believe the designer, the rugged Connemara landscape is a large part of the appeal. However, Hackett has emphasized these advantages in an inimitable way. His course, opened in 1973, runs between the rolling Atlantic Ocean and the Twelve Bens mountain range. At the first hole, a challenging dogleg immediately makes it clear that you need to keep your concentration high. This remains the case until the spectacular last nine holes. However, wide fairways and thin rough ensure fair conditions. Nine more holes were added in 2000, bringing even more variety to the game on the Atlantic coast.