Cruit Island
The best 9 hole golf course in the world
I drove over a little bridge that separates the mainland from this tiny island I’d heard is home to possibly the best 9 hole golf course in the world.
This place is a bit mad, I thought to myself, glancing at the nearby shipwreck on the way in.
I’d heard people talk about Cruit Island but didn’t really know what to expect. We’re pretty far from civilisation on the north west tip of Ireland along the Wild Atlantic Way. I was here as part of my summer series with Seed Golf, travelling the whole island looking for the best value golf courses in the country.
Next stop New York.
I jump out of the car and meet Luke. “Well Luke, good to meet you, fair play for coming,” I said. “How far was the spin for you?”
“Ah I drove up six hours from Wexford this morning,” came the reply.
Pretty crazy for a game of golf with strangers from the internet you’ve never met before.
When I look around I can see why Luke and the other two lads, Andrew and Cillian, have made the journey. The place is like nothing I’ve ever seen. When you think of great golf courses you probably think of manicured fairways and famous architects - this course in Donegal is none of those things.
This is pretty cool, I thought to myself.
When I told any of the locals I was heading to Cruit they all gave me the same look - a glint in the eye and a gentle smile, as if to say, you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.
It’s like telling someone about a great film they haven’t seen yet. Lucky them, getting to experience it for the first time. That’s the way I think about Cruit Island.
Why is there a golf course on this little rock in the middle of the Atlantic?
The story of Cruit is a curious one.
Cruit Island is home to a population of 92 people according to the 2022 census. It’s a place you only come to if you want to get away from other people.
On a cold day in January 1982, a group of local men had just done the 50km round trip to play the nearest golf course - Narin and Portnoo - and thought to themselves: could they build something closer?
A 50km drive might sound like nothing if you’re used to American highways. Fifty kilometres along Irish roads with grass growing in the middle is a different story.
The story goes that the island had about 86 acres controlled by the church, so the men approached a bishop and secured a 99-year lease on the land. They got a local pro from Derry to oversee the routing, pitched the council for a youth employment grant, and got the locals involved with whatever tools they could find - a 1950s tractor, old lawnmowers, shovels. Over the course of two summers, they built their golf course.
Cruit Island Golf Club opened in 1986.
Like Carne Golf Links further up the Wild Atlantic Way, Cruit is a community cooperative - neither a municipal course nor an American-style country club. About 12 members put in £100 each, and a local cult figure by the name of Daniel O’Donnell held a concert to raise the rest. He is now a lifetime member and spreads the good word about this magic little course wherever he goes.
The people behind Cruit weren’t the type to just do things the done way. In 1994 they elected Eileen Oglesby as the first female president of a golf club in Ireland.
A late evening in July
Forty years later, four of us rocked up on a July evening to see what all the fuss was about.
I’m a pretty competitive person and I struggle to ignore my score - but as we made our way around this magic little course it became clear the score wasn’t all that important.
Over 50% of your shots are blind and hiring a ball spotter isn’t exactly an option. On that first loop of nine we started losing balls.
As we came off the 9th green and headed back to the 1st/10th tee, the man working there came out to tell us he was heading off for the evening - we’d have the course to ourselves.
“We’re actually glad it’s only 9 holes,” we told him. “At least we’ll know where we’re going this time.”
He smiled. “They all say that. Good luck.”
I proceeded to lose my ball off the 10th tee.
There’s something magic about walking a golf course as the sun starts making its way down toward the horizon. We live in a world of distraction - these days it’s genuinely difficult to just be present. But an evening stroll around a golf course when you have the place to yourself is something else. The only sound is the clubs on your back clinking with every step.
I love that sound.
We played a fourball match - Cillian and me against Luke and Andrew. The lads were hammering us, three up through fifteen holes. Then, with a bit of luck, I found three birdies to finish and we were all square. Someone briefly mentioned a playoff. As the sun came down on a beautiful July evening we decided a gentlemen’s half was about right.
We made our way to a pub down the road for a couple of pints and a trad session. It would have been rude not to.
So Cruit Island is not a country club, it doesn’t have a fancy clubhouse or practice facilities but it is one of the most unforgettable places you could play golf.
If you’re interested in joining us on our next little adventure - consider becoming a member at Roam Golf Club here and if you’re keen on organising a golf trip to Ireland, we can do that for you too - feel free to send me an email to conor@roam-golf.com.
I’ll see you on the course.
The Caddies Line
Cruit Island Golf Club elected the first female president of a golf club in Ireland in 1994 - 20 years before the R&A admitted its first female members.
The Read
A Course Called Ireland by Tom Coyne - an American golfer walks the entire Irish coastline playing links courses. He passes through Donegal and writes about the wild remoteness of courses like Cruit with genuine affection. If your readers haven't read it they should.
Gorgeous! What an experience! My favourite courses are/were all goat tracks, over hill & dale. My fave story from mid north coast, NSW, and it's gone now, a farmer's 9 holes, at Kranbach. The greens had fences & gates to keep the cows off. 😄