Portmarnock, located just a stone’s throw from Dublin is rich on history, hosting more Irish opens than any other course, and is quite the test of golf. The course is everything that you can hope and dream of when it comes to links golf. Located on a small peninsula jutting into the Irish Sea, the course sits completely exposed to all elements that mother nature could throw at a golfer. Expect your round to be a blustery affair with the high potential of precipitation.
The thing I remember most about the course at Portmarnock is how damn hard it is! The course forces golfers to be extremely accurate with most facets of the game to have a chance at even a reasonable score. The tee shots are generally not the troublesome aspect of the day. The greens, bunkering and undulation leading into the greens is what will ultimately be your demise. The conditions are fast and firm due to the amount of wind that blows across and dries out the course. If my memory serves me correctly, I actually hit 12 to 13 greens with my approach shot but only ended up tallying 6 greens-in-regulation. To further explain, many of my shots hit the green and bounded over or spun off to the side as I hit the green in the wrong spot and was unable to hold it (see my previous comment about highly accurate shots needed!).
Founded in 1894, before earth could be moved around to shape and mold courses at an architect’s beck and call, Portmarnock was built into the sandy dunes with minimal sculpting. In my opinion, old courses like this with grand contour and dramatic swales are even that much cooler considering course designers had to take the land for what it was and make the most out of it.
I’ve only played the course once so I won’t profess to be an expert on its layout rather I’ll simply recap my favorite hole and share some pics of this Irish beauty.
Signature Hole: Hole 15 – 204 yard Par 3
Running alongside the coast, the fifteenth hole is a challenging par three with a long and skinny green. The green is framed by beautifully manicured paths that weave throw wispy fescue and are dotted with treacherous bunkers. Beware of the wind and do your best to land your tee ball on the green. Enjoy the hole though as its one of the finest par threes in the UK.
Just a few awesome pics of Portmarnock
Grades (where 1 is significantly below average and 5 is significantly above)
Scenery: 4 stars
Design: 5 stars
Condition: 5 stars
Practice Facilities: 5 stars
Experience: 5 stars
Click here for a more detailed breakdown of how I think about course ratings.
Closing thoughts: If you’re going to Dublin and have time to play a round of golf, please for the love of links golf go to Portmarnock. You will get your ass kicked by the course, you’ll probably get rained on, the wind will definitely affect 100% of your shots, but Portmarnock is a world class links golf experience. The team at Portmarnock was also awesome. They were old school, no nonsense, but welcoming and happy to host me. They also have an awesome clubhouse and bar/grill. If you plan to dine at Portmarnock pack a change of clothes that includes a shirt, tie, and jacket.
Sláinte!
