The Island Golf Club, Ireland

The Island Golf Club, founded in 1890, is a traditional private members’ golf club with a proud history of upholding the best traditions of amateur golf. Overlooked by the North County Dublin village of Malahide, the links is located in some of the most stunning dunes on the east coast of Ireland. The club is one of the oldest golf clubs in Ireland and the third oldest in Dublin. The Island was ranked 13th in Golf Digest Ireland’s Top 100 Courses in 2016.

The Island is a traditional links in splendid isolation surrounded by the Irish Sea, Donabate beach and the Broadmoor estuary. Undoubtedly one of the most underrated links courses in Ireland, The Island has been selected to host the Irish qualifying section of the British Open from 2005-2010.

Although there are several short par-4s, the Island always presents a challenge to find the fairway from the tee and then to find the target. A variety of shots are required and the wind will add to the difficulty.

The pick of the holes on the outward half are the par-4 third and seventh holes. The fourth is 396 yards and requires an accurate drive to the centre of the fairway before a long iron or fairway wood to the two tiered green that throws any stray shot to the right. The seventh is an excellent dogleg with another accurate approach required to a green protected on the right and back by thick gorse bushes while the left side falls away leaving a difficult up and down.

The inward half opens with a par-5 that can tempt longer hitter to flirt with the OOB on the left. The 14th also has an intimidating drive to a narrow fairway with a water hazard on the right. More trouble threatens the right hand side of the 17th tee-shot and the 18th is a classic finishing hole, 421 yards in length with a drive played through a valley before opening to an elevated green that is the largest on the course.

A testing links challenge, The Island is a golf course that you do not want to miss.