Looking to join a Dublin golf club

Mister Sifter

Hey folks,

Not sure if you can help me out. I recently moved from Scotland to Dublin. I'm a keen golfer but currently i am not a member of a club in Dublin. I've been playing a few of the public ones but ideally i want to join a club. The public ones around me (northside, airport / blanchardstown area) all offer memberships but i would still have to pay everytime i go (albeit at a reduced rate).

Are there any clubs you could recommend either looking for members or with waiting lists that arent overly expensive?

Any help would be much appreciated. I'm getting a bit fed up of playing public courses on my own!

Trampas

Whats your budget

sofireland

Is Hollystown open for membership?

FlutterinBantam

www.balbriggangolfclub.com

Plusfours

www.turveygolfclub.com in donabate - share membership

slumped

sofireland wrote:

Is Hollystown open for membership?

Yes. www.hollystown.com


S

03mcgs0

Does anyone have any thoughts on Hollystown golf club?

Is it really busy? Or just a nice quite out of the city golf club?

stringy

Donabate GC
27 holes
Great club house

€1000 a year for ten years = full membership

Men singles saturday
Fourball on Sunday
Fourball/team on Wednesday
Open Singles on Monday

Lots of Interclub teams

Great club, nice well maintained course, excellent greens. Large practice field with two greens, dedicated chipping green

Having 27 holes is fantastic, you can get out and practice nearly any time.

f22

Forrest Little have a reduced rate of e8995 at the moment

www.forrestlittle.ie

copacetic

03mcgs0 wrote: »

Does anyone have any thoughts on Hollystown golf club?

Is it really busy? Or just a nice quite out of the city golf club?

it's really busy, but with the 3 nines they do their best to keep it moving.

03mcgs0

Don’t tell me it’s that busy, that is one of the things that would put me off joining.

Say at around 4.30 or 5 would I always be guaranteed to be a game??

copacetic

03mcgs0 wrote: »

Don’t tell me it’s that busy, that is one of the things that would put me off joining.

Say at around 4.30 or 5 would I always be guaranteed to be a game??

it is easily one of the busiest clubs in Ireland as they are very popular and good value green fees. Wouldn't say you would be sure of a game, you would have to book it.

Mister Sifter

stringy wrote: »

€1000 a year for ten years = full membership

Is there a joining fee on top of that?

stringy

that is the joining fee, there is an annual sub (1100) after that. But they do have a few alternative membership offers at the moment i think. Best to contact the office.

Mister Sifter

So does that mean you pay 2,100 a year for the first ten years?

Bit dear still, but good to see clubs introducing incentive offers. Only going to get better as the months go on to hopefully.

03mcgs0

copacetic wrote: »

it is easily one of the busiest clubs in Ireland as they are very popular and good value green fees. Wouldn't say you would be sure of a game, you would have to book it.

So you it be worth my while joining?? or are they letting every tom, dick and harry join to help finance the 27 holes, meaning that’s its really busy all the time. I suppose it goes without saying the weekends are jammed packed busy??

Thanks for the comments, its really helpful.

copacetic

03mcgs0 wrote: »

So you it be worth my while joining?? or are they letting every tom, dick and harry join to help finance the 27 holes, meaning that’s its really busy all the time. I suppose it goes without saying the weekends are jammed packed busy??

Thanks for the comments, its really helpful.

possibly if you really want a handicap it is worth joining. If not it isn't. I calcluated it previously and would have had to play once a week to make any saving on just turning up and paying the green fees, which are good value.

Weekends are very busy and they people paying green fees can play at almost any time except when there is a comp on.

stooge

lads (and laides),

Anybody have any info on Grange Castle memberships/ opinions on the course etc etc?

Question was asked on this thread:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055311119

stringy

Graeme1982 wrote: »

So does that mean you pay 2,100 a year for the first ten years?

Bit dear still, but good to see clubs introducing incentive offers. Only going to get better as the months go on to hopefully.

Correct or else pay 9800 straight off. You can pay your yearly subs over 9 months, that's what I do.

03mcgs0

copacetic wrote: »

possibly if you really want a handicap it is worth joining. If not it isn't. I calcluated it previously and would have had to play once a week to make any saving on just turning up and paying the green fees, which are good value.

Weekends are very busy and they people paying green fees can play at almost any time except when there is a comp on.

I was thinking than of the 5 day membership, Mon-Fri and discarding the weekends as I say there far too busy. So you wouldn’t recommend me to join?? That’s interesting, got it’s so hard to get good value or any type of value from courses in the Dublin area. It is important that I get out after work, but if it's too busy thats no good to me.... thanks again

Mister Sifter

From the sounds of it, you wouldn't get much value out of a membership at all at the moment. If you didn't take out a membership and played two nights per week between now and when it gets too dark to get out after work, you'd be looking at 15 odd weeks.

At Elmgreen, 17 quid per night after half 6 or even at the likes of Silloge Park, which is around the same all day, that's around 500 quid.

That's as cheap a golf as you're going to get. If you're not interested in a handicap, which it seems like you're not, then i'd just play casually and pay when you can rather than join somewhere.

Jeffm587

I recently joined Hollystown (option A membership) in order to get 3 cards in and get a handicap. I have only managed to get out 3 times in the last month or so and they were all Sat or Sunday mornings. Was no hold ups as the starter / rangers seem to have it nicely under control over the 3 nines.

Was thinking about Elmgreen as its about 500m from where I work and would be cheaper but some of the posts here kinda put me off a little in relation to established members getting preferential times on Sundays etc. Still use the range and the putting green there after work and at lunchtime which are fine and on a really nice summer eve the view over to Wicklow from the first is quite nice.

03mcgs0

Jeffm587 wrote: »

I recently joined Hollystown (option A membership) in order to get 3 cards in and get a handicap. I have only managed to get out 3 times in the last month or so and they were all Sat or Sunday mornings. Was no hold ups as the starter / rangers seem to have it nicely under control over the 3 nines.

Was thinking about Elmgreen as its about 500m from where I work and would be cheaper but some of the posts here kinda put me off a little in relation to established members getting preferential times on Sundays etc. Still use the range and the putting green there after work and at lunchtime which are fine and on a really nice summer eve the view over to Wicklow from the first is quite nice.

Have you heard what its like to get a tee time during the week? Hope its easy enough. Yeah I use elm greens driving range and putting green quite a bit recently, the driving range is real good

Jeffm587

Not sure what its like in the eveinng at the moment, there is a mens competition every tues between 4 and 5.30 so might be best to avoid round then. Was out with a member on Sunday and asked about in the evenings and he said its usually fine, he plays nine holes on his own round 7 in the eve and no hassles. Going to try and get up after work more often in the next few weeks

Mister Sifter

Slumped is a member there... maybe he can shed some light?

Jeffm587

Heading up after work tomorrow will let you know how I get on , might fly up for a bit of P&P in Elmgreen now,

Dublin Spur

Graeme1982 wrote: »

From the sounds of it, you wouldn't get much value out of a membership at all at the moment. If you didn't take out a membership and played two nights per week between now and when it gets too dark to get out after work, you'd be looking at 15 odd weeks.

At Elmgreen, 17 quid per night after half 6 or even at the likes of Silloge Park, which is around the same all day, that's around 500 quid.

That's as cheap a golf as you're going to get. If you're not interested in a handicap, which it seems like you're not, then i'd just play casually and pay when you can rather than join somewhere.

I have just joined Beaverstown in Donabate.
€7,500 joining fee (was €11,000) paid over 3 years.
€1,300 annual sub.

Very nice challenging course - excellent facilities and a good/nice atmosphere about the place.

Can't go wrong.

C.O.Y.B.I.B

I joined Hollystown in Oct. on the pay and play scheme 440e, just to get GUI . Never had any problem in the evenings , but might be advisable to book if your planning on a full 18 around 5-6pm. They are pretty good at accomadating members without teetimes and will try and squeeze you in . Also they will often ask other members to allow you join their 2/3 ball if your on your own. All in all its a well run club , nice clubhouse. I joined on my own and found existing members very friendly and never had a problem getting out . I'll be paying the 1400e next year to get the "no green fee" membership.
Only issue I had with pay and play was the 22e flat rate in the evening which is expensive if your only looking for a quick 9 holes.
Any questions just ask.

03mcgs0

Hey Jeffm587 how did you get on the other night??

I played it there and I must admit I really liked the course (Hollystown), the greens were really fast, anyone else think that? It’s a challenging course, well I found it that way, been out of the game for a while. But over all would welcome going back to the place.

copacetic

03mcgs0 wrote: »

Hey Jeffm587 how did you get on the other night??

I played it there and I must admit I really liked the course (Hollystown), the greens were really fast, anyone else think that? It’s a challenging course, well I found it that way, been out of the game for a while. But over all would welcome going back to the place.

its a nice course alright, but very short imo.

03mcgs0

copacetic wrote: »

its a nice course alright, but very short imo.

You think it's short? Relatively long I would have thought, nothing compared to Druids Glen and the like but the same time long enough

copacetic

03mcgs0 wrote: »

You think it's short? Relatively long I would have thought, nothing compared to Druids Glen and the like but the same time long enough

very short imo. the par 5s are very reachable, except on the blue and there are about 6 par 4s that you can drive on or within 10 yards of the green. 1st on yellow is only a 3 wood to hit the green, 2nd is driveable too, 4th and 5th are both short par 4s.

Blue is a bit better but 4th and 5th are shortish and 7th is very short par 3.

The red is the worst 9, 2nd, 4th, 6th and 9th are all very short par 4s and the 3rd is a wedge of a par 3 with no trouble.

If you end up on the red/blue you will have 8 par 4s which are close to driveable or else a mid iron and a wedge.

Off the whites you are well under 6000 yards which is short by any measure of a golf course. Don't get me wrong, it is still a nice course and can be tricky, but only one of the 9s is a good test of golf imo, the blue.

03mcgs0

copacetic wrote: »

very short imo. the par 5s are very reachable, except on the blue and there are about 6 par 4s that you can drive on or within 10 yards of the green. 1st on yellow is only a 3 wood to hit the green, 2nd is driveable too, 4th and 5th are both short par 4s.

Blue is a bit better but 4th and 5th are shortish and 7th is very short par 3.

The red is the worst 9, 2nd, 4th, 6th and 9th are all very short par 4s and the 3rd is a wedge of a par 3 with no trouble.

If you end up on the red/blue you will have 8 par 4s which are close to driveable or else a mid iron and a wedge.

Off the whites you are well under 6000 yards which is short by any measure of a golf course. Don't get me wrong, it is still a nice course and can be tricky, but only one of the 9s is a good test of golf imo, the blue.

I played the yellow/blue and i suppose i've been brought up on smaller courses, its a busy course but a well run one I would have thought.

I did find the greens fast, tell me you think the same?!!

Jeffm587

played last thurs, started at 4.30 , no bother /hold ups getting out. There is a ladies comp every thurs eve but very few were out as far as I could see. Played blue /red and on the red we had a clear hole in front and behind all the way round which was great. Greens were fast and dry I thought. Played awful, have to get up this week and try to put things right