Royal Dublin Golf Club

The club officially relocated to Bull Island in 1889, however the original links was damaged beyond repair when it served as a training base during the Great War. In 1920, Harry S. Colt was commissioned to redesign the course, leading to much of the layout as it is played today. His work at Royal Dublin adding to Colt’s already impressive legacy, which includes the likes of Muirfield, Royal County Down, and Sunningdale New.

As one might expect from a course built on what amounts to a giant sandbar, Royal Dublin is without the towering dunes and sweeping terrain common to other links courses in Ireland. What the course lacks in inspiring topography it more than offsets with a layout which demands a focus on strategic play. The bunkers at Royal Dublin join those at County Down as some of the most penal in Ireland, while the exposed nature of Bull Island delivers a constant battering from the swirling winds. Simply put, Royal Dublin has a tendency to both reward the prudent play and punish the loose swing in equal measure.

In 2006, the club engaged Dr. Martin Hawtree - “The Open Doctor” - to make enhancements to the course with an aim to bring it up to speed with the modern game. The changes have been well received and it would be of little surprise to see the Irish Open return to these venerable links for the 7th time in its history. Until then, the visiting golfer can enjoy a course which flies under the radar as compared to its other Royal colleagues, right in the heart of one of Europe’s great cities.