History:

As one can expect, Portmarnock Golf Club has an interesting history. Early on, like The Island, Portmarnock could only be reached by boat. The bell, which signaled the last boat of the day, still hangs at the caddie master’s pavilion near the first tee. Admittedly, it was on one such boat trip that W.C. Pickeman, a Scottish insurance broker, and his friend George Ross scouted the land as a possible golf links. At that time, the seeds of Portmarnock Golf Club had been sown. Then, within two years, the initial 9 hole layout had been turned into 18. The design, surprisingly, was done through collaboration between the club’s golfers and local professional advisers. British architect Fred Hawtree added nine extra holes in 1971, but the original 18 holes remain as the championship stretch.

Those the likes of Tiger Woods, Tom Watson, Arnold Palmer and several others of the same caliber have universally acknowledged Portmarnock GC as one of the world’s greatest links courses. It is located on a small peninsula and extends into the Irish Sea. Also, Portmarnock is laid out in a serpentine fashion with no two successive holes playing in the same direction. However, unlike many courses in this respect, Portmarnock demands a continual discernment of wind direction.

Course Overview:

The quality and location of Portmarnock have made it a superb venue for some great events over the years. The British Amateur in 1949, the Canada Cup in 1960, the 1991 Walker Cup, and some 12 Irish Open Championships have been held on its hallowed turf. The Canada Cup by the way, is notable by giving legend, Arnold Palmer, his first real taste of links golf. The championship course offers a fair but tough challenge. Tom Watson stated in 1981; “There are no tricks or nasty surprises, only an honest, albeit searching test of shot making skills.”

The course has some of the world’s most extraordinary holes:

• the 5th, regarded as the best on the course by the late Harry Bradshaw, runner-up in the 1949 Open Championship
• the 14th, rated by Henry Cotton as the best hole in golf
• the 15th, regarded by Arnold Palmer as the finest par 3 in the world

Undoubtedly, one of Ireland’s top three courses(#48 in the world by GOLF Magazine), Portmarnock offers a strong and potentially hazardous finish. Speaking of the climax, golf writer Bernard Darwin wrote; “I know of no greater finish in the world than that of the last five holes at Portmarnock.”

If considering a trip to Dublin, Portmarnock and these other magnificent courses are worth the visit.