Portmarnock Championship Course

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.”