The Island Golf Club

The Island in Ireland was once on an island. It’s now attached to the mainland but it’s still an isolated peninsula-like spur of links land, sandwiched between the Irish Sea, the beach of Donabate and the Broadmeadow estuary.

Few people know about The Island Golf Club, despite the fact that the course is over 100 years old and has featured in numerous ranking tables over the years. One leading UK golf magazine once commented: “The best course in Ireland you have never heard of. Play it and tell no-one.”

Bernard Darwin was certainly aware at the turn of the 20th century because in his book, The Golf Courses of the British Isles, he wrote extensively about Royal Dublin and Portmarnock and said: “It would be unfair to omit some mention of Malahide – ‘the Island’ – where there is golf to be had, which may legitimately be called sporting in the best sense of the word.”

Ten Irishmen, known as the “Syndicate”, founded the club in 1890 and they needed a ferryman to take them from Malahide across the estuary to play golf. When they were set to return to the mainland, they would hang a large red and white disc from the clubhouse wall to signal that they were ready for pickup by the water taxi. A “Syndicate” of ten ran the Island Golf Club until the late 1950s and since then, the club has opened up its membership.

This is a no-frills golf course. There is nothing artificial, it’s simply harmonious and in tune with its surroundings. Some of the most shaggy, rugged and looming sand dunes imaginable provide natural and distinct amphitheatres for many of the holes. In the summer, if you are unfortunate and wayward enough to find the dunes, be careful to avoid trampling on the wild dune flowers. The club is quite rightly proud of its flora. Expect to hear the hypnotic song of the lark – there are plenty to be heard and the skylark is the Island’s club emblem.

It is unclear who originally laid out the course, but the Island has been revised by Fred W. Hawtree, Eddie Hackett and more recently by Martin Hawtree. The challenge invariably comes from the wind and the ability to find the greens; these putting surfaces are some of the very best around. There are some great holes to choose from, but the signature hole and our favourite is the long par three 13th, measuring over 220 yards. There is a bail-out option short of the green to the left, but the brave will take on the beach, hoping that they strike the ball cleanly and that they have the right club in their hand.

Dublin is certainly awash with outstanding links golf courses and the Island is right up there with the very best. No trip to Dublin would be complete without a pint or two of the black stuff and a round at the Island.

Here’s a list of important tournaments recently hosted by The Island Golf Club: Irish Qualifying Competition for The Open Championship 2005, European Youths Amateur Team Championship 2004, Irish Ladies Close Championship 2004, Irish PGA Championship 1999, Irish Close Championship 1998. Darren Clarke holds the professional course record with a 63.

Mackenzie & Ebert were engaged to produce a master plan for the club in 2016 which resulted in the club reworking the bunkers on five holes (5th, 6th, 10th, 15th and 17th) over a couple of winters, changing the revetted style to a larger, rougher-edged shape. An old additional par three hole (completed during a Martin Hawtree renovation a few years ago) was then introduced as the new 4th hole with a raised tee in 2019. New tees for the new 5th (old 4th) were then bought into play and the green for that hole moved closer to the clubhouse.

The green for the old 7th was then pushed to the right and this hole became the new 8th, before the old 8th and 9th were combined to make a strong par four that plays 436 yards into the prevailing wind to a new green located in the carry of the original par three 9th hole. Like the 8th, a few new dunes were created around the green and along the fairway to blend the holes into the rest of the course. The old 9th is now a new short game area, next to the clubhouse.