The Royal Dublin Golf Club, Ireland’s second oldest golf club, was founded in 1885 and is home to one of the finest links courses in the country. Located on North Bull Island, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, it combines nature at its finest with a stunning backdrop of Dublin City.
Designed by the legendary Harry Colt and host to numerous championships, it is a must visit for any golfer looking for a true links experience. Visit Royal Dublin and follow in the footsteps of Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, and Louis Oosthuizen who have all been crowned champions on this classic links.
After your round, we invite you to relax in our bar and restaurant which offers breath-taking views of the links. We look forward to giving all of our visitors a warm Royal Dublin welcome. Ideally located just 15 minutes from Dublin city centre and 20 minutes from Dublin airport.
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ROYAL DUBLIN HISTORY
John Lumsden, a Scottish banker with a great love of golf was the founder and first captain in 1885. The club was initially called Dublin Golf Club when it was based as a 9 – hole golf course in the phoenix park before moving to Sutton in 1886 and then finally moving to the north bull island in 1889.
In 1891 the club was officially given the title of The Royal Dublin Golf Club. There was no golf played on the island between 1914 and 1918 as the British army used the land as a rifle range and there is still a bunker located to the right of the 6th fairway which was used for training purposes by the British army. In 1919 renowned course architect Harry Colt, designed a new 18 hole layout which is not too dissimilar to the to the current layout which was modified by Martin Hawtree In 2006.
North Bull Island
North Bull Island is one of the youngest pieces of land in Ireland as it only began to form in 1819 and is considered a “gift From the Sea”. In order to allow bigger vessels access the Dublin Port, Captain William Bligh (of mutiny on the bounty fame) suggested a wall be built to force the water between Poolbeg and North Bull lighthouses. As a result of the wall being built sand began to deposit and hence North Bull Island was formed. The island currently extends to 700 acres and continues to grow by 18 inches every year.
In 1981 the island was officially made a UNSECO Biosphere site which offers a diverse ecological system including internationally important habitats and species of wildlife.
ROYAL DUBLIN CHAMPIONSHIP & PROFESSIONAL HISTORY
The Irish open was first held here in 1894 and, since then, Royal Dublin has hosted over 50 professional and amateur championships. These championships have attracted some of the best players in the world to Dollymount. Legendary golfers John Ball and Harold Hilton won the Irish amateur here at Dollymount. Ball and Hilton are two of only three men to have won the British open and British amateur, the third golfer to do so was the golfing great Bobby Jones when he won the grand slam of major titles in 1930.
In the 1980’s, Royal Dublin hosted the Irish open on three consecutive years between 1983, 1984, and 1985. At this time the Irish open was the biggest event on the European tour just after the British open and attracted the world’s best players. Seve Ballesteros won the event in 1983 and 1985 with Bernhard Langer taking home the trophy in 1984.
A name that will forever be synonymous with Royal Dublin is the legendary Christy O’Connor Snr.
Christy O’Connor or “himself” as he was affectionately known joined Royal Dublin in 1959 as club professional, and his association with the club continued for 57 years. Christy O’Connor, a sporting hero to the Irish people, blazed a trail through the world of professional golf in the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s. The first golfer ever to win a five-figure sum in Europe, Christy represented Great Britain and Ireland on ten consecutive occasions in the Ryder cup and played for Ireland in a remarkable 15 world cups, famously winning in 1958 with the great Harry Bradshaw (Portmarnock). On November 2nd 2009, Christy received one of the highest honours in golf when he was inducted into the World Golf Hall Of Fame.