Portpatrick Dunskey Golf Club offers an undulating links-type layout, which is a challenge to all levels of golfers, especially when the fierce wind blows from across the Irish Sea. It is a mixture of rolling moorland and seaside heath.

The 11th hole, 138 yards from the forward tee, can be especially challenging, depending on wind direction, requiring anything from a 9-iron to a driver.

The 285-yard 13th hole, justly remembered as the signature hole, is known for its breathtaking view across the sea to Ireland. From the tee, which overlooks the North Channel, one can see the Irish coast, Mull of Kintyre and, to the south, the Isle of Man. It is all-downhill, and the backdrop is Sandeel Bay and the rocky coastline.

One of Portpatrick Dunskey Golf Club's well-kept secrets is the excellent nine-hole, Par-3 Dinvin Course, which takes about an hour to play. It is ideal for the golfer looking for a quick round or the beginner who isn't quite ready for 18 holes.

The Club opened in 1903. The par-3 course was added in 1912.

Portpatrick Golf Club sits on the shores of southwest Scotland, where it overlooks the North Channel to Ireland, and gets temperate year-round weather, courtesy of the Gulf Stream. The golf club offers two golf courses, the 18-hole Dunskey and the nine-hole Dinvin, both of which offer a mix of rolling moorland and coastal heath, at a height of 150 feet above sea level.

The par-3 Dinvin Course at Portpatrick Golf Club gets an equally high standard of maintenance as its sibling twice its size. The layout first opened to golf way back in 1914, as a "Ladies Course," a nine hole iron and putt course which has proved enjoyable not only to members of the fair sex but to the golfer who has the sense to test his iron shots." Give yourself about an hour to get a round of golf in on the golf course, perfect for a quick workout for more experienced golfers or a decent test for the novice types, and no advance booking is required.

After a round of golf on the Divin golf course at the Portpatrick Golf Club, send the kids to the TV room and head for the lounge.