Dooks Golf Links

Glenbeigh, Co. Kerry · Designed by Royal Horse Artillery (1889) / Martin Hawtree (2006) · Est. 1889

8.0/10Edge Score

€€€€Green fee

71Par

6,500Yards

18Holes

Why this Edge Score: One of Ireland's ten oldest clubs, Dooks is a natural links at the head of Dingle Bay with the MacGillycuddy's Reeks rising behind. Sensitively renovated by Martin Hawtree and home to the rare Natterjack toad, it earns a place in our Irish rankings.

Dooks is one of the ten oldest golf clubs in Ireland, founded in 1889 by officers of the Royal Horse Artillery billeted at Glenbeigh, who laid out nine holes on the links at the head of Dingle Bay. It sits in a corner of the Ring of Kerry with the Atlantic visible from almost every hole and the MacGillycuddy's Reeks — Ireland's highest mountains — overlooking every shot.

The members built the second nine themselves in 1970, and between 2003 and 2006 Martin Hawtree's firm renovated all eighteen holes over five winters, turning a charming old course into a genuinely modern links test. It plays to par 71 over 6,500 yards — not long, but exposed and exacting in the Kerry wind. Dooks is famous, too, for the Natterjack toad, a rare protected species that lives on the links and gives the club its emblem.

With Killorglin a few minutes away and Killarney half an hour, Dooks is an easy, affordable round to fold into a Ring of Kerry itinerary alongside Waterville and Tralee — and one of the friendliest welcomes in Irish golf.

Holes worth knowing

113th (par-3, ~170 yards) — Dooks's most celebrated hole: a natural, old-fashioned green that lies where it fell, played uphill so the sheltered tee makes the wind easy to misjudge. A throwback to the way golf began.

Highlights

One of the ten oldest golf clubs in Ireland (1889)
Ring of Kerry links beneath the MacGillycuddy's Reeks
Martin Hawtree renovation; home of the rare Natterjack toad

Good to know

→Dooks is excellent value and one of the friendliest clubs in Kerry — an easy, enjoyable round to slot between the bigger Kerry links.
→It is on the Ring of Kerry near Killorglin (a few minutes) and half an hour from Killarney; pair it with Waterville and Tralee for a southwest links week.
→The Natterjack toad — Ireland's rarest amphibian — lives on the links and is the club crest; the dunes are a protected habitat, so keep to the paths.
→The MacGillycuddy's Reeks fill the horizon inland; a clear morning here offers as good a view as Irish golf gives you.

Visitor Information

Getting There

30min drive

1h 45min drive

Common questions

How old is Dooks Golf Links?

Who renovated the course at Dooks?

Martin Hawtree's design firm renovated all eighteen holes over five winters between 2003 and 2006, turning a charming old course into a genuinely modern links test. It plays to par 71 over about 6,500 yards — not long, but exposed and exacting in the Kerry wind.

What is the Natterjack toad connection at Dooks?

The Natterjack toad — Ireland's rarest amphibian — lives on the links at Dooks, which is a protected habitat, and the toad is the club's emblem. Keep to the paths through the dunes.

Where is Dooks and what should I combine it with?

Dooks is on the Ring of Kerry near Glenbeigh, a few minutes from Killorglin and half an hour from Killarney, with the MacGillycuddy's Reeks overlooking every shot. It is excellent value and one of the friendliest clubs in Kerry — an easy round to fold in alongside Waterville and Tralee.