October 14, 2020

Royal Dublin Golf Club – Review and Rating

Bo Sjosten

Royal Dublin is located on Bull Island in Dublin Bay, only a few minutes from downtown.

Royal Dublin is located on Bull Island in Dublin Bay, only a few minutes from downtown. The island is more or less and environmental accident. It all started with a silting problem in Dublin Bay in the 1700s. Dredging didn’t work, so a seawall was constructed to the south. When this seawall was taken by a storm, a northern seawall was suggested by none other than Captain William Bligh of Bounty fame. Named the North Bull, this seawall proved more successful. The tides funneled the silt away from the Bay, and some of it deposited around the seawall and started the formation of what now is Bull Island. The area became a popular weekend destination, and in 1889 the Royal Dublin Golf Club got permission to move from Sutton to the new island.

Royal Dublin is steeped in tradition and golfing legends, including Christy O’Connor Sr., who played in every Ryder Cup from 1955 to 1973 and once finished Now approaching 90, he's still in good form, and full of stories that he shared with us over a Guinness. Other members joined in, and once finished eagle-birdie-eagle to win the Carrolls International. You'll find a monument celebrating this achievement out on the course.

Royal Dublin Golf Club Information
Address	North Bull Island Nature Reserve, Dollymount, Dublin, , Ireland (View map)
Phone	+353 1 833 6346
Email	[email protected]
Website	www.theroyaldublingolfclub.com
Total # of holes	18

The course is a classic links course, originally designed by Harry Colt and later updated by Martin Hawtree.

Bull Island is basically a flat sand bank, but that doesn’t mean the course is easy. Plenty of pot bunkers complicate your play, and good course management is more important than long drives. With a flat coastal landscape come strong winds, another complication. Target golf is not a good strategy; you need to master the bump-and-run to score. The course finishes with an excellent dogleg par four, ending just in front of the clubhouse. To reach the green in two you need to cut across a wetland area, something that provides endless entertainment for those sitting in the second story clubhouse bar.

Royal Dublin Golf Club Information
Number of holes	18
Greenfee, 1 (low) - 5 (high)	4
Course Availability	Limited tee times available to Public
Course Type	Links
Course Designer	Harry Colt, Martin Hawtree
Year Opened	1920
Website	www.theroyaldublingolfclub.com