The Neville Hotel Group breaks ground on new course designed by Dana Fry and Jason Straka, opens for play in 2026
CURRACLOE, Ireland (January 24, 2024): The world’s next great seaside links is coming to Ireland. Curracloe Links, located adjacent to the white sands of Curracloe Beach, is designed by the renowned team of Dana Fry and Jason Straka and developed by the Neville Hotel Group. Ground breaking for the new golf links takes place in February, with an expected opening in 2026. The golf course is in the same location as Neville Hotels’ newest property, Ravenport Resort.
The announcement of development of the golf course comes as the Ravenport Resort, a luxury hotel with 50 rooms, a spa and leisure club, prepares to commence operation this spring. The €20-million project is the culmination of a 25-year dream to develop a golf destination and resort that introduces travellers from around the world to the untouched beauty of southeast Ireland, one of the country’s undiscovered gems.
Named the “best beach in Ireland” by the readers of the Irish Independent, Curracloe Beach was the filming location for the Steven Spielberg epic film “Saving Private Ryan.” Fry and Straka, whose previous works include Erin Hills Golf Course in Wisconsin, host site of the 2017 U.S. Open, and Calusa Pines in Naples, Florida, named Top 25 Modern Golf Course in the U.S. by Golf Week Magazine, have a bold design for Curracloe Links unlike any other in the country.
“The ancient linksland of Curracloe Links, with its’ rolling hills, long sea views and rugged natural bunkers, will offer a quintessential Irish golf experience and lure people from all over the world to its’ fairways,”says Straka, past president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects.
“With this, their first opportunity to work in Ireland, we’re confident Jason and Dana will create a golf course that’s as special as the site upon which its built,” says Neville. “We looked at many golf design firms all over the world, and are certain Fry/Straka will build something truly unforgettable.”
“Tourism Ireland welcomes the news of the exciting new developments at Curracloe Links and the Ravenport Resort,” says Alison Metcalfe, Executive Vice President, Tourism Ireland NorthAmerica. “The US golf market remains a priority for Tourism Ireland, and we continue to promote the island of Ireland as a leading golf destination. We are working hard to drive home the message that a golfing vacation to Ireland is about much more than a round of 18 holes – the combination of world-class links and our unique brand of hospitality, plays a key role in attracting US golfers to visit.”
Curracloe Links at Ravenport Resort is the second golf-oriented property owned by the Neville Group. In 2019, the company took ownership of the five-star Druids Glen Hotel and Golf Resort. A €10 million restoration of the Pat Ruddy and Tom Craddock designed golf course was completed last year and earned the property “Golf Resort of the Year” by the Irish Golf Tour Operator Association.
