Bucket Lists
In many ways, Portmarnock Golf Club is the spiritual home of golf in Ireland. It is where the first Irish Open was held in 1927, where legendary Americans Arnold Palmer and Sam Snead won the Canada Cup (which morphed into the World Cup) and where Pádraig Harrington and Phil Mickelson were on opposing sides in the 1991 Walker Cup. Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer and Jose Maria Olazabal were crowned Irish Open champions here.
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Portmarnock is truly one of the finest links courses in the world and is probably one of the fairest too. It is part of an emerald necklace of seaside courses in north Dublin that form a bucket list of courses, starting with The Royal Dublin on Bull Island and also featuring the adjoining Jameson Links and on up to The Island in Donabate.
Ben Crenshaw described the par-three 15th hole as “one of the greatest short holes on Earth” and he wasn’t wrong. That hole overlooking the Velvet Strand on Portmarnock strand plays parallel to the seas with out-of-bounds down the right and with a tee-shot to an upturned elevated green.
To many, however, it is the preceding par-four 14th hole which would feature in many a links aficionado’s view as being among the most challenging anywhere. This one plays directly towards the strand and invariably into the wind coming off the Irish Sea.
RM Block
From start to finish, the championship course at Portmarnock – which will likely see some modifications in the coming years as the R&A contemplate the possibility of hosting The Open – is steeped in history and deserving of its status as one of the finest links on the planet.
While Portmarnock’s championship course features two loops of nine returning to the clubhouse, The Royal Dublin is an out-and-back layout. The front nine there runs parallel to Dollymount Strand and the homeward run is along the bird reserve, with Bull Island a designated Unesco biosphere reserve (the club even produces its own honey).
Invariably kept in tip-top condition, Royal Dublin – which hosted a number of Irish Opens – is a test which includes contrasting par-fours. The 10th, over 440 yards, features a burn in front of the green. The 16th is a driveable (for some) hole to an elevated green heavily protected by strategic bunkering.
Probably the most famous hole at Royal Dublin, given its links with the legendary Christy O’Connor snr, is the 18th. Known as ‘The Garden’, it features a severe dogleg with bunkering down the left and out-of-bounds down the right, where the approach to the green is diagonally across the OB area.
Jameson Links – located at the Portmarnock Hotel – is a Bernhard Langer design which, in recent years, was upgraded by Jeff Lynch to make it an integral part of the North County Dublin bucket list destination for golfers.
One of the more striking changes to the original design was in creating a new par-four eighth hole. The old severe dogleg is gone and has been replaced by a wonderfully straightforward hole that would appear to have always been there. It utilises the sandhills to the maximum, while the par-fives on the homeward run, at the 12th and 14th, have been designed to utilise the views of Howth Head, Lambay Island and Ireland’s Eye.
Across the estuary from Malahide village, The Island Golf Club in Donabate has also benefited from modernising work in recent years. In this case it was by Mackenzie & Ebert with Martin Ebert – so often the go-to architect for the R&A.
The redesign of the front nine has enhanced the links, with the par-three fourth hole played from an elevated tee. The par-four fifth is set among the sand hills complementing the back nine, which has stood the test of time. The 18th, with the tee shot played through a valley of sand hills, remains one of the strongest finishing holes around.
Portmarnock Golf Club, Golf Links Road, Portmarnock, Co Dublin; 01-8462968; email: info@portmarnockgolfclub.ie
Royal Dublin Golf Club, The Royal Dublin Golf Club, North Bull Island, Dollymount, Dublin 3; 01-8336346; email: info@theroyaldublingolfclub.com
Jameson Golf Links, Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links, Strand Road, Portmarnock, Co Dublin; 01-8666592; email: links.handicapsecretary@gmail.com
The Island Golf Club, Corballis, Donabate, Co Dublin; 01-8436205; email: info@theislandgolfclub.com
Hidden Gem
Corballis in Donabate is something of a rarity, in that it is a public links course – kudos to Fingal County Council – but it goes above and beyond in terms of what it offers. Set amid some fabulous dunes adjacent to The Island, the short seaside course packs a punch with some spectacular holes. Some are blind, which adds to the difficulty and, indeed, the intrigue.
The par-four fifth hole, for example, encapsulates much of what is good about seaside golf. It is a short hole of 293 yards, but so much is going on from tee to green that it manages to ask questions on every shot, running as it does along the coast with a small landing zone and an approach to an undulating green protected by classic links bunkering.
Another hole on the front nine which places an emphasis on strategy is the blind par-four seventh hole, which is played to a tight fairway akin to a valley amid the dunes. Well worth a visit.
Corballis Links Golf Club, Corballis Road, Donabate, Co Dublin; 01-8436583; corballis.links.golfclub@gmail.com
Honourable mentions
Balbriggan is a lovely parkland course that has matured into a fine and enjoyable challenge with a series of good holes. The terrain is undulating with some wonderful trees and its share of water hazards to make for great variety. The greens are to USGA spec and the course is immaculately maintained. Among the feature holes is the par-five ninth hole, which requires an approach played across the pond to the green. Real heart-in-mouth stuff. Balbriggan Golf Club, Blackhall, Balbriggan, Co Dublin, K32 HH00; 01-8412229; email: info@balbriggangolfclub.com
Roganstown is a Christy O’Connor jnr-designed parkland course that provides a stern examination. It has some testing par-threes – among them the sixth, which has water running from tee to green – and a number of stunning par-fours on the back nine, the 11th and 16th especially. The 16th requires a carry over a stream to reach the fairway and is then played uphill to a large, sloping green. Roganstown Golf Club, Swords, Co Dublin; 01-8433118; email: golf@roganstown.com
Beaverstown is unique in that the course, for the main part, is laid out through an old orchard with the apple trees very much part of its character and even in play for any wayward shots. There is tremendous variety and it is cleverly designed, incorporating not only the old orchard but the Rogerstown estuary and the many streams which run through the course. The par-four 14th is a dogleg that combines all that is good about the challenge with strategic bunkering, water and of course the orchard trees all featuring. Beaverstown Golf Club, Beaverstown, Donabate, Co Dublin; 01-8436439; email: office@beaverstown.com
Luttrellstown Castle is a fine parkland course with mature trees on the expansive estate (of over 500 acres). The lovely wooden clubhouse sets the standard for what awaits on the course itself, which was redesigned by the Mackenzie/Steel architectural team. Luttrellstown Castle G&CC, Porterstown Road, Castleknock, Dublin 15; 01-8609600; email: luttrellstownmensgc@luttrellstowngc.com
Castleknock is a parkland course that offers so much for its modest yardage, with creative mounding and bunkering. There are five par-fives and five par-threes and two of those short holes provide superb finishes to the respective nines. Indeed, the ninth and 18th holes share one huge double green which is quite innovative and well positioned in front of the clubhouse. Castleknock Golf Club, Porterstown Road, Dublin 15; 01-6408736; honsec@castleknockgc.ie
