Narin & Portnoo

If you enjoy the written review of Narin & Portnoo, please listen to our complementary podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-golf-pilgrim-top-100/id1743914901?i=1000726846780

"You shouldn’t get lost, but one day I went looking for a couple of Germans who hadn’t returned to the clubhouse after six hours.

"I found them playing on the 14th and asked if everything was all right. 'Sure,' they said. 'We had a lovely picnic on the beach.'"

The caddie master summed up Narin & Portnoo's spirit. The team wants its members and visitors to relax and have a great time. 

Seeing scores of families enjoying the beautiful sand and sea, I could picture Mrs W and me lying out a beach towel and tucking into sausage rolls—but probably not during a round!

Narin & Portnoo reminded me of Silloth, where we are members. 

Other highly-ranked courses are at least a 75-minute drive away, and the road leading up to the clubhouse is rather unpromising. 

However, after negotiating tight bends and weaving through static holiday homes, the reveal is more than worth it.

The modern clubhouse and pro shop were built in 2008, when the course and facilities were due to be revamped. 

Unfortunately, the money ran out due to the financial crash, and Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner didn’t complete the renovation of the links until 2019. 

Narin & Portnoo co-owner Larry Foley saw Hanse's work at Winged Foot and persuaded him to take on the project. 

The result of their collaboration is a breathtaking course on the Atlantic coast. For those who enjoy quirky links, this is heaven.

Hanse and Wagner have changed all but one hole, reducing Narin & Portnoo from a very challenging par-73 to a par-70 that will appeal to golfers of all standards.

The first hole is a superb start. It is a reachable par-four with an out-of-bounds area on the right and a diagonal stream across the fairway. 

The approach is key because the perched green is set above a large rustic bunker cut into a steep incline. The best play is to use the bank at the back of the green.

Narin & Portnoo’s quirky character emerges on the par-four fifth—a sharp dogleg around an out-of-bounds area on the left and deep rough on the right. 

The approach is uphill into a green cut into the dunes with deep rough. Off-target shots could easily result in lost balls on these links.

Then come some of the most unforgettable holes in Irish golf. The sixth is a spellbinding par-three with the target looking down onto a grassy chasm in front. 

Behind the green is a steep run-off. The views from this green across the bay are fantastic. It’s the only hole that Hanse and Wagner felt they couldn’t improve.

My favourite hole is the seventh—a mind-boggling short par-four requiring a downhill drive towards the sea before a sharp turn around a dune to a green cut against the ocean. 

The only sound is birdsong and children playing in the water.

“Keep the ball left of the post on the eighth” was the advice from the jovial caddie master. 

We soon saw why. Balls that slip right will likely follow the land’s undulations and kick toward the rocky shoreline that runs from tee to green. 

Players must also be cautious when attacking the pin because the ocean isn't far away.

The tenth is a cracking par-five with an undulating fairway that snakes between dunes before turning sharply right to the green. Woe betide anyone who is too aggressive, as deep rough frames the target.

The five par-threes at Narin & Portnoo are all short and require careful club selection.

Mrs W was spot on with hers on the 11th, a hole with a dune on its left side. 

Her ball landed five feet from the hole, but sadly missed her birdie putt.

My putt of the day came on the 12th—a long par-four requiring a drive over a waste area on the right and then a fade around a rough mound to a blind pin. 

My approach was disappointing, drifting into thick rough on the left, but I hit a pleasing chip and sank the ball from 30 feet for par.

The most talked-about hole is the 15th—a par-three of around 110 yards.

Only the top of the flag is visible from the tee between grassy, sandy rough. 

When we reached the green, I realised that the ball would have slipped onto the beach if I had hit my wedge any harder. It was so far from the cup that I three-putted.

The beach on the right of the 16th may look beautiful, but it's a significant threat to players on this scintillating par-four. 

Twice, I feared fairway undulations had propelled my ball towards the water, but luckily, it was in play both times.

The 17th resembles Troon’s Postage Stamp—a downward shot to a green surrounded by run-offs and trouble. It was the closest I came to a birdie.

Comedy came on the final hole when Mrs W exclaimed in horror, believing she had sliced her ball from the tee.

In fact, she had been aiming at the wrong hole, and her ball was now in a perfect position for the 18th, perfectly guided between mounds of rough. Consequently, she put herself in a position for a par finish but just missed out.

Nevertheless, we quaffed a pint of Guinness on Narin & Portnoo’s lovely terrace and celebrated a wonderful day on stellar links.