Portmarnock Golf Club

Across Portmarnock's Serpentine Links

The Championship Course at Portmarnock Golf Club began with nine holes formally opened on 26 December 1894. William Pickeman and George Ross had identified the peninsula the previous year, while Mungo Park supervised the early design. George Coburn extended the links to 18 holes in 1896, and Martin Hawtree later refined parts of the championship layout.

The course occupies shallow duneland on a narrow peninsula north of Dublin. Its broad routing sends golfers in changing directions, so the wind rarely behaves the same way for long. Fairways reward a chosen angle rather than simple distance, and the fast, true greens place equal value on approach position and touch.

Portmarnock's character comes from restraint. Low dunes, natural contours, and carefully placed bunkers create decisions without relying on dramatic elevation. The par-three 15th, added in 1927, runs beside the shore and remains one of the clearest examples of how the sea influences both the shot and the golfer's view.