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“The Island Golf Club is as honest an experience you will get of links golf in this country, without any of the complications that can apply to some of our other famed courses. Expect a warm and friendly reception by the Irish Sea in North Dublin and a truly memorable experience of links land” – Colin Byrne
And what a warm welcome – the Swedish flag was up next to the Irish and very friendly staff with a genuine smile.
The club was established and open for golf in 1890 and was among the first dozen golf clubs in Ireland. Nestling between the highest sand dunes of any links course in Ireland, its rugged beauty cannot fail to impress. In those early days the Club was reached by boat from Malahide across the estuary and the original clubhouse was situated at the far end of the course where the 14th tee is today.
The boat service was finally discontinued in 1973 when a new clubhouse was built in its present location.
On this day great I was joined by my good friends, Tony & Colette Stewart-Lord. The fourth player in our group was Andrew Carter, Professional at The Island Golf Club. Truly an international group with one Swede (Jan), a South African (Tony), an Irish women (Colette) and an Englishman (Andrew). Decent weather with a light breeze, good company and all set up for an enjoyable round of golf.
It’s a very tough opening hole – 397 meters par 4. Andrew showed the way with a spoon right up the middle of the fairway – impressive. The rest of us finished the hole without totally embarrassing ourselves – no great score but OK. It’s certainly some extra pressure when playing with a pro and in particular the first hole.
The varieties of golf holes are great at The Island, challenging, fair and enjoyable.
My favorite holes are:
7th – 412 meters par 4
Very challenging hole that requires two excellent shots. A drive down the right side of the fairway, followed by a very precise long iron. Sea buckhorn surrounds the right side and back of the green. Shots coming up short will run away to the right, while missing on the left leaves you well below the green.
13th – 192 meters par 3
A classic par 3! If you clear the large grass bunker that guards the front of the green, you may well be rewarded with a birdie, but be happy with a par.There is Out of Bounds all the way down the right, so the alternative is to play safe towards the left and chip on.
18th – 421 meters par 4
One of the finest finishing holes on any links! Played almost to the limit of par 4’s, it demands a straight drive into or through the valley, depending on conditions.From the valley the hole opens up to a vista, with the green on rising ground. Pin position is a major factor as the green is the deepest on the course. GREAT HOLE.
I think myself, Colette and Tony were taken by the moment of playing with a Pro and we didn’t reach up to our normal standards. Andrew is a very nice guy and he really made the day special. It’s impressive to watch a very good player live and next to you.
Colette was on fire knocking down a few pars, mixed with a few double bogeys and then on fire again with pars.
Inconsistency is the name of the game for Tony, caused by a number of unlucky “visitors bounce”. Tony though got a special prize as the funniest guy on the course!
I shot an 85 and struggled with most kind of shots. Managed to do one birdie and five pars.
In the team match play game, Tony & myself lost against Colette & Andrew. The stable ford game (excl. Andrew) was tied at 29 points between Colette and myself.
We had a great fun day on the course and I very much appreciate that Colette, Tony and Andrew took the time to play with me.
Special Thanks to Mary Quinn (Honorary Secretary at The Island Golf Club), who took the time to invite us for lunch, share stories and insight of the club – very interesting and appreciated.
Many Thanks to all at The Island Golf Club that made the visit very welcome and special.
GREAT THINGS ABOUT GOLF
A POWER SHOWER IN THE CLUBHOUSE AFTER A LONG, HARD ROUND
Your moisture-wicking shirt has been wicking overtime and you’ve racked up an impressive 23 points. How good it is to just wash it all away?
The Island Golf Club
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