Portmarnock Golf Club Red and Blue Course Review - Set on a peninsula of land to the north of Dublin, the beautiful ground at Portmarnock was always destined for golf
Portmarnock Golf Club Red and Blue Course Review
Green Fee Range: €145-€225
Medal Tee: Par 71 – 5,992 Metres
Visitor Times
Monday (No tee times available before 9:30)
09:40-11:30 Three or more golfers
14:30-16:00 Three or more golfers
Tuesday & Thursday
07:30-08:20 Singles or Two balls
08:30-11:30 Three or more golfers
14:30-16:00 Three or more golfers
Wednesday
07:30-08:20 Singles or Two balls
08:30-09:00 Three or more golfers
Friday
07:30-08:20 Singles or Two balls
08:30-11:00 Three or more golfers
14:30-16:00 Three or more golfers
Sunday
11:30-13:00 Three or more golfers
14:00-16:00 Three or more golfers
Website: www.portmarnockgolfclub.ie
Significant Changes
The 3rd Hole – Tee
The original tee was just above sea level and during high tides it was prone to flooding. We raised the tee by a meter to increase the views around the estuary and to stop the tee from flooding. Marram was planted around the banks of the tee to give it a real feel of a small sand dune.
The 8th Hole
Gorse, which had been planted 20 years ago, was removed from the landing area just right of the fairway. The gorse bushes, which were overly penal, have been replaced by mounding which also gives the hole separation from the 11th tee. Marram grass has been planted on the mounding to give a real links feel while also making it more player friendly. The player can find his ball but still has a very challenging second shot to find this small table top green.
The 13th Hole
This tee box was originally one large teeing area that was shared for the 13th tee and the 4th hole on the Yellow nine. We split the tee box into five teeing areas and mounded around each of the tees to give the two holes a bit of separation and their own identity.
The 15th Hole
This hole has changed a lot over the past five years. The trees and buckthorn were removed first and then the fence line down the right of the hole. This has improved the view of the beach and promoted the sand dunes at the back of the green giving a real links feel to the hole. The final part of the project was to move the path from down the right side of the hole to the left and lowered so it is out of view. These amendments created a sense similar to playing to an Island green. We have enlarged the surround to the front left and at the back of the hole to give a bigger bail out area and help accommodate the average golfer.
Portmarnock Golf Club Red and Blue Course Review
Portmarnock may not be blessed with the towering dune systems of many an Irish links, both old and new, but this highly regarded course, set on a peninsula just ten miles from Dublin city centre, has long been ranked as one of the country’s very finest tests.
It’s been holding professional events from its earliest days, with Harry Vardon claiming the first title contested here in 1899 just five years after the club was established.
It hosted the very first Irish Open back in 1927 and has since staged a further 18, along with the 1966 Canada Cup, the forerunner to the World Cup of Golf.
The links is surrounded by water on three sides with views out to Ireland’s Eye, Lambay Island and the Dublin coastline, and in recent years significant improvements have been carried out, several of which have been engineered to really optimise those views.
For example, mounding to the right of the 1st has been removed and the fairway realigned to open up the views of the estuary, while the buckthorn flanking the glorious par-3 15th has been removed to give this fabulous hole the sea views it so richly deserves.
Elsewhere, blind or semi-blind tee shots on the 6th and 11th have been eliminated, while non-native grasses and shrubs have been removed throughout to improve both playability and the quality of the grasses and playing surfaces.
The links has long been a favourite of many, and the club’s ongoing commitment to improvement will only serve to further enhance its reputation.
Portmarnock Golf Club Red and Blue Course Review – Golf Monthly Verdict
Superb piece of links land which offers great variety within very easy striking distance of Dublin
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