Portmarnock Links

Mickiwi

Does anyone know what the new owners have planned for the Links (Hotel Course) in Portmarnock? Great course but geared towards green fees and limited members. Would love to know the 5 -10 year plan...

PARlance

Mickiwi wrote: »

Does anyone know what the new owners have planned for the Links (Hotel Course) in Portmarnock? Great course but geared towards green fees and limited members. Would love to know the 5 -10 year plan...

There's a member on here, Golfgraffix, that may be able to tell more but from what I last heard, the new owners are happy to keep the current arrangement with the club.

Dublin Spur

I think it's currently €2,500 per year (no joining fee)

Members competitions Wed and Sun only

Golfgraffix

Mickiwi wrote: »

Does anyone know what the new owners have planned for the Links (Hotel Course) in Portmarnock? Great course but geared towards green fees and limited members. Would love to know the 5 -10 year plan...

I am on the commitee there but am away at the moment so missed our last meeting but AFAIK there will be no change this year and more than likely no change next year.

For a resort course its a model that works quite well, 100 members coughing up about €220k at the end of each jan and all they have to give away are 2 hours on a Sun and Wed plus one day a year for our club day. has no real impact on their guest tee times.

J

yettie1701

Golfgraffix wrote: »

I am on the commitee there but am away at the moment so missed our last meeting but AFAIK there will be no change this year and more than likely no change next year.

For a resort course its a model that works quite well, 100 members coughing up about €220k at the end of each jan and all they have to give away are 2 hours on a Sun and Wed plus one day a year for our club day. has no real impact on their guest tee times.

J

Glad no major changes taking place for now. I think it's a super course as it is. Highly underrated and a super test of golf. A gang of us play it every year and I'm looking forward to it all year. It's super value for money compared to some of the more illustrious over priced courses near by.

Golfgraffix

Looks like we are good for next year at least, renewal forms arrived on Friday.

J

FixdePitchmark

Must head out a good few times next year. It is already a bit expensive.
But, I feel it will be out of the reach of the mere mortals.

must be best in Dublin .

ForeRight

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

Must head out a good few times next year. It is already a bit expensive.
But, I feel it will be out of the reach of the mere mortals.

must be best in Dublin .

I'd head out some winter days with you for the qualifying comps if you are around

Golfgraffix

3 spots at 8:45 this wed if anyoneis interested, €30 inlcuding comp fee.

J

ForeRight

Golfgraffix wrote: »

3 spots at 8:45 this wed if anyoneis interested, €30 inlcuding comp fee.

J

I'm in work this Wednesday but thanks for the offer. Hopefully get out in the next couple of weeks.

Kingswood Rover

Golfgraffix wrote: »

I am on the commitee there but am away at the moment so missed our last meeting but AFAIK there will be no change this year and more than likely no change next year.

For a resort course its a model that works quite well, 100 members coughing up about €220k at the end of each jan and all they have to give away are 2 hours on a Sun and Wed plus one day a year for our club day. has no real impact on their guest tee times.

J

Wow only 100 members would have thought there would be more, great track. i wonder are there many clubs with that sort of number of full members. Hats of to the people that keep them going.

Golfgraffix

Kingswood Rover wrote: »

Wow only 100 members would have thought there would be more, great track. i wonder are there many clubs with that sort of number of full members. Hats of to the people that keep them going.

The licence from the course owners has the membeship capped at 100. We have about 60 regular players and about 60% are full an the rest are 5 day members.

I have played in 2 other clubs and this is by far the best so far, small membership can be challenging to get a good interclub team together but it makes for a very good club atmosphere as everybody pretty much knows everyone else.

I love it as it is five minutes from the house, right beside the kids school and if i want to stay for a pint i can leave the car and its playable all year round with 2 qaulifying comps every week all year. I think i have had 38 qualifying scores already this year.

In saying all that it is pricey and can be very hard to justify when you see some of the membership fees just outside the dublin area.

J

Tones69

Gonna try get a game in here in the next few wks. Played once and loved it

FixdePitchmark

ForeRight wrote: »

I'd head out some winter days with you for the qualifying comps if you are around

Cool yes - I'm finished with parklands till may now.

I don't want to see a Christmas tree again till then.

FixdePitchmark

Portmarnock Links is in a funny place the last few years - it is a course at a Championship level - but not at that price point yet.

The Island is a level above - but not realistically a course you can down and play next week if you feel like it.

The great thing about Portmarnock links is - it is a course you can imagine being a member of - some of the others are too hard and big for your day to day golf.

The only thing it lacks is a big dune and a sea view.

But a great mix of holes and fantastic finish love it.

Considered joining at one stage - would consider it again, when kids older.

Class place.

Golfgraffix

Tones69 wrote: »

Gonna try get a game in here in the next few wks. Played once and loved it

SEnd me a PM when you are ready to play and you can come out with me, a good few boardsies have been out this year for the wed member/guest comp.

J

Tones69

Golfgraffix wrote: »

SEnd me a PM when you are ready to play and you can come out with me, a good few boardsies have been out this year for the wed member/guest comp.

J

Cool cool will do! Whats the price on wed with a member? Will deffo give u a shout

Golfgraffix

30 inlcuding comp fee

Tones69

Golfgraffix wrote: »

30 inlcuding comp fee

Including comp fee? Wat else is there

DrewEats

Hi there - just reopening this? Anyone know if the Links is worth joining - I am in another club and trying to weigh it up.

Golfgraffix

I think there is 50 places available for 2019. Not sure of the prices but I think €1500 for 5 day and €2500 for 7.

Club is very vibrant now, just shy of 300 members. The course is in amazing condition all year round and with the new Spike Bar we have our own little clubhouse now, away from the hotel.

Competitions every Wednesday and Sunday, its getting busier on these days but still more than enough members times to accommodate the numbers we have playing.

During the summer there is a Friday 9 and dine.

Great new Golf Manager in Conor Russell (ex Sutton)

I am there 10 years nearly and its is in the best shape both course and club that i have seen

J

FixdePitchmark

The winter matchplay 2019 - Hit Portmarnock Links thanks to an invite from Golfgraffix here.

We typically play Corballis - so it was a nice treat to hit a full golf course at the higher end of the Dublin links options.

I've always loved the course - it just has a terrific mix of links holes. From the first tee you know you are on a "real golf course" – it has you thinking from the off and it has a classic links drain hole to start. Your never sure what club to hit – and a great testament to a course when it has you asking questions on your first shot.

There has been considerable investment in the course and facilities and the full venue is top drawer stuff at this stage. Hotel, golf shop, short game practice area.

Considering how poor the conditions were , it is remarkable that it had no impact on course conditions at all. The joy of links golf and good design.

The course has a great variety of short holes, long holes, dog legs left and right and a couple of blind holes too. They are only blind if you are in the wrong place and the course rewards good strategy on holes like 9, 14, 15, 16. Put the ball where you can see.

The par 3s are a joy when you literally could play all the irons in your bag on different days.

The finishing 4 holes are simply brilliant and it made for fantastic drama in the 2 match play matches we had. In Portmarnock Links, You rarely get out of the last 4 holes without some damage to your card or your heart. 15 What a hole , 16 what a hole.

In the car park I heard a golfer saying , the course is tough but fair. That is true. If you are hitting the ball well you will be rewarded. There are many links in Ireland that have a real cruel twist to them. That isn’t really a feature of Portmarnock Links.

The bunkers , greens and fairways are top of the range. Amazing to get true roll that links greens have , but very hard to get it right. We were playing them in slow conditions. But they are greens that can get incredibly fast. It is a different game at that green speed.

Portmarnock Links has an unusual aspect of being protected by a large sand dune on the coastal side. I know there are plans to try bring the sea view in more and this will be a more pleasant aspect of the round. But the day that was in it – with 10 m/s wind. The shelter was much appreciate and we can dream of the sea views in the summer.

One blemish on the course is the work taking place 13. Work is underway to solve the problems here. So it has a winter green at present.

The bunkers – are simply amazing and real links hazards. You need to be a serious bunker player to just get out and the riveted edge is stunning.

With the wind and rain , it was interesting looking at the planes struggle. Imagine trying to land in that. I’m sure they were looking at us going, imagine trying to play golf in that.

At one stage – it got so bad we had to stop and take a break. Then the sun was out again within minutes. One of the lads in the group turned and said. This is fantastic , imagine you could be in work.

A great day , a great course. We will be back.

Golfhead65

Looking forward to playing there in my 1st Boards society outing, Played it when it 1st opened when I was only a pitch&putt player so it was mighty difficult

RoadRunner

Cracking day. Utterly pissed down once or twice. Wind up all day. But great fun. It’s a savage place to play matchplay. I found it a little unfair at times though as I had number of tough breaks such as strange lost ball from a perfect 3wooded drive, unplayable ball embedded in the face of a riveted bunker, very first drive finished in a sanded divot right off the mark. When you factor in the toughness of the conditions on the day these things just made it that little bit extra Spicy.

My game plan to keep the ball low worked out well for me though. The course layout makes it feel like an adventure. Hope to get back out when the 13 green is finished, there looked like a big enough job going on there.

The best is saved for last and as fix said, the last 4 holes are a super finish. Having played corballis a bit recently, I find you start to lose concentration near the end there. Here, in a close match, you are always conscious of the difficult finish. My match went down to the 18th which kept it exciting. Truth be told, I think we were all exhausted walking off the last green, as there is nothing straightforward about any single shot around there. Looking forward to trying it again in a different wind direction!

charlieIRL

What a course, it’s my third or fourth time playing it and the more I play it, the more I enjoy it. I think that’s cause you need to know where you are going, where to (try) hit the ball and most definitely where not to hit too. I’ve played it in sunshine, damp conditions and in that weather Friday and I can’t wait to go back again.

From start to finish there’s not a weak hole on the course and every single club in your bag is needed. Every hole is a unique challenge completed with some well protected greens. The course is in fantastic condition as per usual and over my few visits you can see the improvements and continuous work that’s been done.

If I lived closer, it’s a club I wouldn’t think twice about joining. If you haven’t played it, do now. It’s well worth it.

RoadRunner

charlieIRL wrote: »

If I lived closer, it’s a club I wouldn’t think twice about joining.

^ This, all day long.

Seve OB

RoadRunner wrote: »

^ This, all day long.

giving up St Mags so are ye?

RoadRunner

Seve OB wrote: »

giving up St Mags so are ye?

I know where I'll be living beginning 2019 not sure too much beyond that. I would need the dust to settle on that whole thing before I change.

Seve OB

RoadRunner wrote: »

I know where I'll be living beginning 2019 not sure too much beyond that. I would need the dust to settle on that whole thing before I change.

well hopefully it won't come to a tent on the beach but I guess that if it does...… every cloud and all that

RoadRunner

A few of us got out here again for a second match yesterday morning. The conditions were perfect, calm still and mild. My hat came off after the first. My Jumper a hole or two later. More than once I sprinkled the top of my head with grass when pinching a tuft and throwing it up to test the wind. So different to my last day out here.

The greens were faster then I'm used to for this time of year and I over cooked a few of them, even 4 putted one of them :mad: The grass on the greens here just looks different to what I'm used to seeing and I find it hard to gauge the pace. Morning dew doesn't seem to hold on to the ball the same.

The rough is tame in many parts, wispy, you'll generally find a ball here and have a shot. But you need to know which are the parts that you can miss.

The bunkers here are tough and deep. But the sand quality is excellent and consistent (a gripe of mine on my regular place!)

Many give up golf for winter. My regular place moves to 12 hole comps, the tees are pushed forwards, and there's placing fairway and lift, clean & drop in the rough. The ability to play 18 hole qualifiying comps in excellent conditions, on a beautiful course on a lovely calm day in the middle of winter makes the idea of being a member of this course very enticing. I halved the match in the end. It would have been nice to win. But win, lose or draw, playing in these conditions at this time of year just can't be beat when so many others put their clubs away months ago not to be seen again until the masters kicks their season off again next year.

slave1

Was out myself yesterday, conditions great for this time of year alright, a bonus round before the end of the year

WHIP IT!

An absolute gem, possibly my favourite course in Dublin. I'm lucky enough to get to play it 2/3 times a year and I look forward to it every time.

It's the wrong side of the Liffey for me, but if I lived Northside I'd join PL in a heatbeat.

RoadRunner

Beautiful day for portmarnock links today. Course in great nick. Can’t get over how well conditioned all the bunkers are. They are tough, very deep and rivetted faced. Very scary. But the sand is quality and soft. Play the shot correctly, even this time of year and the ball may just come out. Bunker shots here are actually Fun