Championship VenueLinks Classic

Royal Dublin Golf Club

Dollymount, Dublin · Designed by H.S. Colt · Est. 1885

Bull Island exists because of a sea wall. In the early 19th century, Dublin Bay was silting up and the River Liffey was barely navigable for shipping. Engineers built two long walls to scour the channel. The silt they displaced settled on the North Bull, and over decades a sandbar grew into an island. Royal Dublin Golf Club arrived on the island in 1889, built a links on it, and has been there ever since. The island is now a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve — 8,000 wildfowl, 26,000 wading birds, harbour and grey seals on the northern end, 300 species of plants. It is also 25 minutes from Dublin Airport.

Harry Colt redesigned the course after World War I, during which the military used the island as a rifle and artillery range. His routing — nine holes northeast, nine holes back into the prevailing southwesterly — remains the foundation of what you play today. The back nine is where the course reveals itself. Playing into the wind after a relatively forgiving outward half, it demands patience and trajectory control in a way the front nine does not.

Seve Ballesteros won the Irish Open here in both 1983 and 1985. In 1985 he arrived as defending champion and trailing by three shots with four holes to play. He birdied 15, 16, and 17 to force a playoff with Bernhard Langer, then birdied the 18th again to win. The 18th at Royal Dublin — a 90-degree dogleg right with out-of-bounds down the entire right side — is that kind of hole.

Holes worth knowing

118th — "The Garden" (par-4, 483 yards, index 3): A near-90-degree dogleg right with out-of-bounds — an old coastguard garden — running the full length of the right side. Bunkers left, burn right, the largest green on the course at the end. Seve birdied it in a playoff in 1985 to win the Irish Open. Plays harder than any finishing hole this close to a capital city should.

Highlights

Bull Island UNESCO biosphere
Irish Open host
Dublin city links

Good to know

→No visitors before 10:30am. This is strictly enforced. Plan your arrival time accordingly and book through the club website.
→The back nine plays almost directly into the prevailing southwesterly — after a relatively forgiving front nine, the turn can feel like a different course. Know what the wind is doing before you make decisions at 10.
→On the 18th, play well left of the tempting right line. The out-of-bounds Garden runs the full right side. A longer approach from the left is always better than the alternative.
→Bull Island has harbour and grey seals on its northern end — you may spot them from the later holes, particularly around the 16th and 17th.
→Clontarf village is five minutes from the course. Harry Byrne's is one of Dublin's oldest pubs. The Bay Restaurant on the waterfront is the best dinner option in the area.

Visitor Information

Getting There

25min drive

Common questions

Where is Royal Dublin Golf Club and how do I get there?

Royal Dublin is on Bull Island in Dublin Bay — a UNESCO biosphere reserve connected to the city by a causeway off the Clontarf Road. The DART train to Clontarf Road takes about twenty minutes from the city centre; from Dublin Airport it is a twenty-five minute drive.

What is Royal Dublin like to play?

Royal Dublin is an exposed and testing links where the sea wind off the bay dictates play on most holes. It has hosted multiple Irish Opens and a Walker Cup, and stands up well against better-known Irish links despite its suburban Dublin location. The course rewards low ball flight and ground game.

Do I need a handicap certificate at Royal Dublin?

Yes — a handicap certificate is required. Men should hold 24 or under; women 36 or under. Book directly through the Royal Dublin website. Visitor availability is generally better than at Portmarnock.

What other courses should I combine with Royal Dublin?

St Anne's Golf Club shares Bull Island and offers excellent value links on the same ground. Portmarnock is twenty minutes north. The Island Golf Club is thirty minutes north. These four courses form the core Dublin links circuit and can be played across two or three days.