Perched 450 feet above sea level on the remote Mullet Peninsula, Carne Golf Links sits at the edge of the known golfing world. This is golf stripped bare—no manicured perfection, just 27 holes routed naturally through towering, moon-like sand dunes that tower 150 meters above Blacksod Bay. The original 18-hole Hackett Course, completed in 1995, was the final design of legendary Irish architect Eddie Hackett, who locals now believe saved his best work for last. The dramatic newer Wild Atlantic Dunes routing—combining nine holes of the Kilmore Course with the back nine of the original—is already being hailed as one of the finest natural links experiences on Earth. There's no such thing as a flat lie here. Tees and greens occurred naturally in the landscape; very little earth was moved during construction. What you get is a sensory overload of color, wind, ocean spray, and impossibly difficult shots from greens hidden behind towering dunes. Most golfers stay two days to experience both routings, and the local golf community—which built this course from nothing in the 1980s—welcomes visitors with a warmth you won't find elsewhere. The food is legendary, especially the seafood chowder.
Original Eddie Hackett design from 1995; front nine more gentle through inland dunes, back nine dramatic Atlantic-facing challenge
Combines front nine of Hackett with the newer Kilmore Nine (2013); arguably the most spectacular routing through the largest dunes in the world
Newer Jim Engh/Ally McIntosh design opened in 2013, traversing some of the highest and most dramatic sand dunes anywhere