Hidden GemGreat ValueLinks Classic

Greenore Golf Club

Greenore, Co. Louth · Designed by George L. Baillie (1896)

Greenore Golf Club exists because of a Victorian railway company's ambition. The London and North Western Railway built everything at Greenore from scratch: the harbour, the ferry terminal for Holyhead crossings, the railway line, the hotel (1875), and in 1896 the golf course — designed by George L. Baillie of Musselburgh, who had spotted the LNWR's lough-side land from a train window and identified it as ideal golf terrain. The course opened in October 1896; by 1900 Greenore was one of only ten clubs in Ireland deemed suitable for GUI inter-club competition, alongside Portmarnock, Royal Portrush, Royal County Down, and Lahinch. In May 1902, the LNWR staged a prestigious professional tournament here, inviting Vardon, Taylor, Braid, Herd, and White — between them holders of 18 British Open titles. Braid won, beating Vardon en route. The railway closed in 1951, the Victorian hotel was demolished around 2007, and the golf club is one of the last survivors of that entire enterprise.

The course today plays to par 71 over 6,647 yards at the foot of Slieve Foy mountain on the shores of Carlingford Lough, with the Mountains of Mourne across the water to the north. The greens are consistently rated among the finest in Ireland. The signature hole is the 14th — "Pig's Back," a par-3 of 139 yards from an elevated tee to a hard-to-hold elevated green where only perfect distance control will do.

Carlingford village, 8 kilometres west, is worth building the whole day around. The name comes from Old Norse — the Vikings were here in the 9th century. The Normans built King John's Castle around 1190; King John himself reportedly stayed. Medieval streets and the August Oyster Festival complete a village that has more history per square metre than almost anywhere in Louth.

Holes worth knowing

114th "Pig's Back" (par-3, 139 yards) — elevated tee to an elevated green that is almost impossible to hold from the wrong distance. The most nerve-wracking short hole on the course.

Highlights

Victorian railway origin
Vardon, Taylor & Braid played here 1902
Carlingford Lough & Mournes

Good to know

→Carlingford village is 8km west and worth an hour before or after golf. King John's Castle (c.1190), the medieval Tholsel, and the old streets are genuine — not a theme park.
→The Carlingford Oyster is farmed in the lough itself and served across Ireland. The August Oyster Festival is the village's best-attended event of the year.
→The Cooley Peninsula is the literal landscape of Táin Bó Cúailnge — the central epic of Irish mythology, where Cú Chulainn single-handedly defended Ulster against Queen Medb's armies. The mountains and river crossings in the story are the hills you drive through to get here.
→Kirkistown Castle Golf Club is across the lough and accessible via the Strangford ferry from Carlingford — a route that makes for a good two-day cross-border golf itinerary.

Visitor Information

Getting There

1h 15min drive

1h drive

Common questions

What makes Greenore Golf Club worth visiting?

Greenore is a links on the shores of Carlingford Lough on the Cooley Peninsula — one of the most underrated courses in Leinster. The lough setting, with the Mourne Mountains rising across the water in Co. Down, gives Greenore a visual quality well above its profile. It is genuinely underrated and provides links golf in an area rarely visited by international golfers.

How does Greenore compare to the famous Down links across the lough?

Greenore and the Down coast courses are separated by Carlingford Lough — you can see the Mournes from the fairways. Royal County Down and Kilkeel are an hour north via Newry. Greenore is a different kind of links — less dramatic dune terrain, but a well-routed course in a beautiful water setting, at a fraction of the cost of the famous names across the water.

How do I book Greenore Golf Club?

Greenore books through GolfNow with good availability.

What is the Cooley Peninsula like for a visit?

The Cooley Peninsula is compact and scenic — the full loop from Dundalk via Carlingford, Greenore, and back is about 45 miles and takes two hours without stops. Carlingford itself is one of the most well-preserved medieval villages in Ireland, with a working oyster fishery in the lough. The Táin Trail walking route runs through the Cooley Mountains above the village.