Thoughts on Golf Clubs in/close to South Dublin

Tempora · 24-07-2019 1:18pm #1

Hey,

Been playing golf for many years now but only casually, and looking to get into competitions, maintain a handicap, etc. Hoping that those of you from around here could help me out on which clubs you'd recommend. I had a read of a few threads I found by searching but they're all 1-2 years old so wanted to make sure I have up to date info. Hopefully any others looking at clubs could find this thread useful in the future as well.

A little bit about me:
I live in South Dublin (Stillorgan area) and have a car, and I'd prefer to be within 20-25 min drive of any club I join. I'm 22 years old and a student, so student rates are important to me, looking to spend under €1000/yr including any levies. I have a lot of friends that play casually so a decent value guest rate for when I want to bring them playing with me is important too. Finally would be nice to have some practice facilities like chipping practice area, range/nets, trackman, etc.

I've been looking at the following clubs:
- Killiney GC (Unknown/yr) - Very nice club and I have a few friends here but not accepting applications until October and worried I might get a bit bored with only 9 holes and not much in the way of practice facilities.
- Dun Laoghaire GC (€589/yr) - Probably my first choice but struggling to find sponsors since my friends that play there are all student members who don't have rights to propose/second.
- Powerscourt GC (Unknown/yr) - I've heard that you still have to pay green fees in Powerscourt even as a member?
- Stackstown GC (€499/yr) - Great price and no hoops to jump through for joining here worry me that there's something wrong here?
- Carrickmines GC (€1070/yr) - No student membership option and after playing here a couple of times I haven't been too impressed by the standards of the greens.
- Charlesland GC (€371/yr) - Really great price and I've heard great things about the course standards, possibly a bit too far of a drive for me.

If any of you have thoughts about the clubs above or other suggestions nearby I'd love to hear them.

Thanks!

GreeBo · 24-07-2019 2:07pm

Did you look at Beechpark or Lisheen GC?

Not much to worry about with Stackstown, the other nearby clubs would be better but are more expensive and have hoops so it is what it is. Was good enough for P. Harrington!

Tempora · 24-07-2019 2:10pm

GreeBo wrote: »

Did you look at Beechpark or Lisheen GC?

Not much to worry about with Stackstown, the other nearby clubs would be better but are more expensive and have hoops so it is what it is. Was good enough for P. Harrington!

Beechpark and Lisheen are probably a bit too far out for me, extra 20 minutes round trip compared to the rest I've been looking at. Glad to hear Stackstown is decent, I'll probably head out for a round this weekend to check it out before making a final decision.

youcancallmeal · 25-07-2019 3:19pm

GreeBo wrote: »

Not much to worry about with Stackstown, the other nearby clubs would be better but are more expensive and have hoops so it is what it is. Was good enough for P. Harrington!

Yeah I'm member of Stackstown and very happy considering the price, location and facilities. You'll hear people complain it's too hilly but I enjoy the variety and challenge. As you say I'd have definitely joined the likes of the grange or castle if it they weren't mad money

eoghan104 · 25-07-2019 3:42pm

Woodbrook is lovely but not sure if they have a student rate.
Members in Powerscourt do not pay green fees unless there is some strange student deal.

TCM · 25-07-2019 3:52pm

youcancallmeal wrote:

Yeah I'm member of Stackstown and very happy considering the price, location and facilities. You'll hear people complain it's too hilly but I enjoy the variety and challenge. As you say I'd have definitely joined the likes of the grange or castle if it they weren't mad money

You enjoy the "challenge ". Just wondering what's your handicap, if I might ask.

youcancallmeal · 25-07-2019 4:13pm

TCM wrote: »

You enjoy the "challenge ". Just wondering what's your handicap, if I might ask.

Ha sorry I might have made it sound like other courses are too easy for me, I'm 21 handicap, only started playing golf regularly this year. When I say challenge I mean course management is something I really need to focus on to do well in a round. When I've had a bad round it's usually because I'm taking on silly shots and other bad course management cliches

Dtoffee · 25-07-2019 8:16pm

https://delganygolfclub.com/membership/fees-rates/

Old school club, very welcoming and great history.

Golfhead65 · 25-07-2019 9:42pm

Tempora wrote: »

Hey,

Been playing golf for many years now but only casually, and looking to get into competitions, maintain a handicap, etc. Hoping that those of you from around here could help me out on which clubs you'd recommend. I had a read of a few threads I found by searching but they're all 1-2 years old so wanted to make sure I have up to date info. Hopefully any others looking at clubs could find this thread useful in the future as well.

A little bit about me:
I live in South Dublin (Stillorgan area) and have a car, and I'd prefer to be within 20-25 min drive of any club I join. I'm 22 years old and a student, so student rates are important to me, looking to spend under €1000/yr including any levies. I have a lot of friends that play casually so a decent value guest rate for when I want to bring them playing with me is important too. Finally would be nice to have some practice facilities like chipping practice area, range/nets, trackman, etc.

I've been looking at the following clubs:
- Killiney GC (Unknown/yr) - Very nice club and I have a few friends here but not accepting applications until October and worried I might get a bit bored with only 9 holes and not much in the way of practice facilities.
- Dun Laoghaire GC (€589/yr) - Probably my first choice but struggling to find sponsors since my friends that play there are all student members who don't have rights to propose/second.
- Powerscourt GC (Unknown/yr) - I've heard that you still have to pay green fees in Powerscourt even as a member?
- Stackstown GC (€499/yr) - Great price and no hoops to jump through for joining here worry me that there's something wrong here?
- Carrickmines GC (€1070/yr) - No student membership option and after playing here a couple of times I haven't been too impressed by the standards of the greens.
- Charlesland GC (€371/yr) - Really great price and I've heard great things about the course standards, possibly a bit too far of a drive for me.

If any of you have thoughts about the clubs above or other suggestions nearby I'd love to hear them.

Thanks!

Any club that wants a proposer & Seconder for you to gain membership I'd avoid like a rash, plenty of options around as you stated and other posters lists..

REFLINE1 · 26-07-2019 4:04pm

Dtoffee wrote: »

https://delganygolfclub.com/membership/fees-rates/

Old school club, very welcoming and great history.

they've a joining fee now, not shown on their website

GreeBo · 26-07-2019 7:41pm

Golfhead65 wrote: »

Any club that wants a proposer & Seconder for you to gain membership I'd avoid like a rash, plenty of options around as you stated and other posters lists..

Why would that be?

Clubs want to know who is joining, its not a gym.

Golfhead65 · 26-07-2019 7:51pm

GreeBo wrote: »

Why would that be?

Clubs want to know who is joining, its not a gym.

I thought we finished with that elitest type of golf club, 1 man's or woman's money is the same as anyone's...Personally if I was moving club and they wanted a proposer and Seconder I'd give them a wide berth

GreeBo · 26-07-2019 7:57pm

Golfhead65 wrote: »

I thought we finished with that elitest type of golf club, 1 man's or woman's money is the same as anyone's...Personally if I was moving club and they wanted a proposer and Seconder I'd give them a wide berth

Wanting to know who is joining your club is not elitist.
Its nothing to do with money, its to do with wanting to keep the ethos of a club and to have like minded members.
As I said earlier, a golf club is a social place, its not like a gym where you turn up and keep to yourself and go home.

Also, typically in those clubs you are buying into the club, you are becoming an owner/partner, its expected that you are there for the long haul, if not for life.

If you want somewhere that will take anyone with money and not care what that person is like, then there is a market for that too, neither is wrong or right, there is no need to be judgemental or derogatory about it.

Imhof Tank · 26-07-2019 11:30pm

GreeBo wrote: »

somewhere that will take anyone with money and not care what that person is like,

no need to be judgemental or derogatory.

:rolleyes:

GreeBo · 27-07-2019 7:00am

Imhof Tank wrote: »

:rolleyes:

10/10 for thoughtful, detailed reply

Imhof Tank · 27-07-2019 10:22am

GreeBo wrote: »

10/10 for thoughtful, detailed reply

Sometimes rolleyes say more than words.

When i saw the post upthread from someone saying stay away from clubs requiring proposers and seconders i said to myself how long before Greebo comes along with a snarky dig.

Do you not see the irony of you complaining about others judging the traditional clubs while simultaneously looking down your nose at the newer clubs' joining policies?

First Up · 27-07-2019 12:24pm

Imhof Tank wrote:

Do you not see the irony of you complaining about others judging the traditional clubs while simultaneously looking down your nose at the newer clubs' joining policies?

I think he was looking down his nose at someone who thinks golf club membership is just about money.

Mantis Toboggan · 27-07-2019 2:01pm

I get the idea of having to do an interview/meeting the captain before joining but having to be proposed and seconded by existing members just to join a golf club is old hat. Of the clubs I joined over the years I didn't know any of the existing members. I think it's a method of keeping membership numbers down.

It's something I never understood. Who do they think is trying to join the club. Maybe they think because they're an unknown that they'll start digging up trees and tearing down the clubhouse? People just want to play golf.

Tempora · 27-07-2019 2:09pm

Mantis Toboggan wrote: »

I get the idea of having to do an interview/meeting the captain before joining but having to be proposed and seconded by existing members just to join a golf club is old hat. Of the clubs I joined over the years I didn't know any of the existing members. I think it's a method of keeping membership numbers down.

It's something I never understood. Who do they think is trying to join the club. Maybe they think because they're an unknown that they'll start digging up trees and tearing down the clubhouse? People just want to play golf.

Clearly to keep the filthy lower classes who don't repair their pitch marks away. :P

GreeBo · 27-07-2019 7:23pm

Mantis Toboggan wrote: »

I get the idea of having to do an interview/meeting the captain before joining but having to be proposed and seconded by existing members just to join a golf club is old hat. Of the clubs I joined over the years I didn't know any of the existing members. I think it's a method of keeping membership numbers down.

It's something I never understood. Who do they think is trying to join the club. Maybe they think because they're an unknown that they'll start digging up trees and tearing down the clubhouse? People just want to play golf.

If, as a club, you had the choice between two people for 1 space, do you choose the friend/family of an existing member or the stranger?

If your club has a large volume of applicants then interviews are not feasible...you need some way to reduce the numbers, especially if it's for a couple of places.
Btw, what club wants to keep the numbers artificially low?

Imhof Tank wrote: »

Sometimes rolleyes say more than words.

When i saw the post upthread from someone saying stay away from clubs requiring proposers and seconders i said to myself how long before Greebo comes along with a snarky dig.

Do you not see the irony of you complaining about others judging the traditional clubs while simultaneously looking down your nose at the newer clubs' joining policies?

I'd be obliged if you could show where I was snarky in my post?
I gave a detailed reply with points showing why clubs do this, you gave an emoji.

I'm not looking down my nose at any club thanks, I clearly said neither approach is wrong not right.

Perhaps you could learn to use your words to help others understand what it is you are trying to say? Yunno, like a conversation?

54and56 · 27-07-2019 10:34pm

Would be nice if the thread got back on track to help the OP choose a club that suits his needs, budget and criteria.

Stackstown is great value and well run. It's not everyone's cup of tea but if you're looking for somewhere to start off with a nice friendly membership only 15 minutes drive from Stillorgan you won't go too far wrong and if you want to move in a few years you can without losing a joining fee. I play it several times a year with friends (they do an open each Sunday) and always enjoy it. The slopes on both fairways and greens can be frustrating but some course management and imagination will be rewarded.

Powerscourt is superb in my opinion and the variety of both courses is a treat. It's exceptionally well run and is just a pleasure to play, particularly the East course IMHO.

Dun Laoghaire is also very good and will be adding a 4th 9 to create 2 X 18's in due course so might represent the best log term value for money given your age.

Tempora · 28-07-2019 6:45pm

Played Powerscourt today with a friend who's a member and wow, great course. Really liked the driving range off grass + the great practice facilities for pitching/chipping. The only downside is that I'm not sure I'd be able to play any type of competitions on the course for a number of months due to my current standard of play. It's quite a challenging course and those bunkers are absolutely lethal on some of the holes.

54and56 · 28-07-2019 7:47pm

Tempora wrote: »

Played Powerscourt today with a friend who's a member and wow, great course. Really liked the driving range off grass + the great practice facilities for pitching/chipping. The only downside is that I'm not sure I'd be able to play any type of competitions on the course for a number of months due to my current standard of play. It's quite a challenging course and those bunkers are absolutely lethal on some of the holes.

Which course did you play, East or West?

Joining a golf course is (should) be a long term decision so I wouldn't worry about your ability to compete on the course(s) in the short term. If you're handicap goes out a little due to you having to learn each course c'est la vie. It'll come in again once you've played each of them a few times.

Personally I love Powerscourt. The only other course I enjoy playing more within striking distance of South Dublin is Druids Glen. That's not to say there aren't better courses in the same distance range, it's just my personal preference.

Tempora · 28-07-2019 9:00pm

54&56 wrote: »

Which course did you play, East or West?

Joining a golf course is (should) be a long term decision so I wouldn't worry about your ability to compete on the course(s) in the short term. If you're handicap goes out a little due to you having to learn each course c'est la vie. It'll come in again once you've played each of them a few times.

Personally I love Powerscourt. The only other course I enjoy playing more within striking distance of South Dublin is Druids Glen. That's not to say there aren't better courses in the same distance range, it's just my personal preference.

West, really was a great experience. Quite a walk as well, started to wish I'd grabbed at least a trolley after I got past the 12th haha.

54and56 · 28-07-2019 10:57pm

Tempora wrote: »

West, really was a great experience. Quite a walk as well, started to wish I'd grabbed at least a trolley after I got past the 12th haha.

It's 14-18 which are challenging if you're carrying on the West course.

Glad you enjoyed it.

East is an easier carry and a more enjoyable (still challenging) course IMHO. Even if you've had a terrible first 15 holes, 16 -18 are amazing, particularly 17.

You should get your friend to get you out on the East before you make your final decision.

Tempora · 29-07-2019 11:44am

Rang Powerscourt up to ask a few questions about membership but unfortunately it turns out they're not willing to pro-rate membership mid-year so I'd have to either pay full price to get the 5 months remaining this year or wait until January 2020.

GolfNut33 · 29-07-2019 2:13pm

Tempora wrote: »

Rang Powerscourt up to ask a few questions about membership but unfortunately it turns out they're not willing to pro-rate membership mid-year so I'd have to either pay full price to get the 5 months remaining this year or wait until January 2020.

That doesn't make business sense at all. Surly its a no brainer. What have they got to lose?

54and56 · 29-07-2019 2:24pm

GolfNut33 wrote: »

That doesn't make business sense at all. Surly its a no brainer. What have they got to lose?

I don't disagree and think it's an Admin simplification legacy issue.

54and56 · 07-08-2019 10:35am

Tempora wrote: »

Hey,

Been playing golf for many years now but only casually, and looking to get into competitions, maintain a handicap, etc. Hoping that those of you from around here could help me out on which clubs you'd recommend.

So Tempora, did you take the plunge?

Tempora · 10-08-2019 7:30pm

54&56 wrote: »

So Tempora, did you take the plunge?

Played almost all the courses on my list now except DL+Stackstown. Tee time tomorrow at 4pm at Stackstown and then I'll be joining either Charlesland or Stackstown on Monday.

Tempora · 12-08-2019 1:29pm

Played Stackstown yesterday and really enjoyed the course and everything about the place. It's a well designed course and I did find it quite challenging in terms of course management Went ahead and gave them a ring today and it's official, I'm now a member! Next up: shooting under 95!

Thoughts on Golf Clubs in/close to South Dublin

Comments