The Royal Dublin Golf Club

Founded in 1885, Royal Dublin Golf Club is a perfect starting location for any Dublin Golf Tour, situated only three miles from the city center and just 20 minutes from the airport. It sits on the beautiful nature reserve of Bull Island and is synonymous with the beloved Irish golfer Christy O’Connor, Sr. who served Royal Dublin for more than 57 years.

Ireland’s Royal Dublin Golf Course is a traditional ‘out and back’ routing over fairly flat linksland. It owes its masterful layout to a redesign by Harry Colt in 1920. Then, in the 2000s, Martin Hawtree recently did a superb job of bringing the course up to modern standards whilst maintaining the values and legacy of Colt’s brilliance. The course now stretches a very respectable 7,269 yards, with the narrow fairways and devilishly placed bunkers making accuracy rather than length the key to scoring well.

The Dublin Golf Club was formed in 1885 and moved to its current site on Bull Island, a UNESCO nature reserve, in 1889. It was granted its “Royal” charter by Queen Victoria just three years later in 1891. The course and the clubhouse both suffered during WWI, when it was taken over as a military and musketry training facility. While the course was almost destroyed, members still managed to play throughout 1914-1919, as there was no firing on Bank Holidays.

Considered to be the spiritual home of The Irish Amateur Open, having hosted it from 2007-2016 consecutively. It was a favorite spot of famous avid and amateur golfers Bob Hope and Bing Crosby in the 1960s.

The Club has also played host to the world’s best professional golfers. In the three years 1983-85 that it hosted the Carroll’s Irish Open, it was won twice by Seve Ballesteros and the middle year by Bernard Langer.

A private member’s club it has the reputation of being one of the friendliest “Royal” clubs. It extends a warm Irish welcome to visiting golfers on the course and in the clubhouse for storied Irish craic and hospitality after the round. Royal Dublin is a “must play” on any Dublin golf itinerary.