DONEGAL

Lying in the bosom of Donegal Bay, this superb links occupies an elegant peninsula which is backed by the magnificent Blue Stack Mountains. "Hauntingly beautiful and an excellent test of golf," is how it has been described. The course is presented in two loops of nine where the fairways wind their way by the Atlantic dunes and the sage green grasses of the bay. The course suits big hitters of the ball as the ever- present ocean breezes ensure that it plays long and challenging most of the time. The par 3 fifth is called "The Valley of Tears", and has proved just that for the golfer short on skill and nerve.  .