Portmarnock Golf Club
| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1894 |
| Type | Private |
| Total holes | 27 |
| Website | portmarnockgolfclub.ie |
| Championship Course | |
| Designed by | William Pickeman |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 7,463 yards (6,824 m) |
| Course record | 64, Thomas Bjørn |
Golf Club
Portmarnock Golf Club is a links golf club in the Republic of Ireland, located 15 minutes from Dublin Airport.
On Christmas Eve 1893, an insurance broker named W.C.Pickeman and his friend George Ross rowed over from Sutton to Portmarnock peninsula to explore the possibility of creating a golf links. The peninsula is about two miles long and covers over 500 acres. The course opened on St. Stephen’s day 1894 with nine holes. It was extended to eighteen holes in 1896 with a new clubhouse and a further nine holes were added in 1971. The championship course follows the original layout although considerably lengthened (over 7,500 yards of the Championship tees). The only major change in the routing was the insertion in 1927 of a new now famous par three, the 15th hole.
Portmarnock was the venue for the first Irish Open in 1927, and has hosted the tournament on many occasions since, including 13 following its revival in 1975.[1] Many other important golf tournaments have been held at the club, including the British Amateur Championship in 1949, the Walker Cup in 1991, and the Canada Cup in 1960.
Over the course of 121 years Portmarnock Golf Club has welcomed some of the greatest players in the world from early greats such as Harry Vardon, Henry Cotton, Bobby Locke to the first super star of golf Arnold Palmer. In recent years Padraig Harrington, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, David Duval, Paul McGinley and Tiger Woods have all walked the pristine links fairways.
The links green rates and online tee times are available online. [2] It is regularly famed as one of the world's greatest links golf clubs. In 2014/15 it was voted as the best golf links in Ireland through Golf Digest magazine.[3]
Some notable quotations from Professional Golfers
o Padraig Harrington - “Portmarnock is the fairest links I have ever played, which is unusual because links golf by its very nature can be unfair. It is almost perfectly balanced in that it is both challenging and demanding for every level of golfer.....as stern an exam as a professional could wish for from the back tees, and an equally strict test for the more modest player off the medal tees. ”
o Tiger Woods - “One of the most enjoyable links courses I have had an opportunity to play”
o Tom Watson - “There are no tricks or nasty surprises, only an honest, albeit searching test of shot making skills.”
o Seve Ballesteros - “I always enjoy my time in Ireland but in particular playing links golf at fantastic links courses like Portmarnock”
o Arnold Palmer - “Sam Sneed and I played in the Canada Cup at Portmarnock in 1961 and I recall saying to Sam on the way home that every aspect of our games was examined that week”
o Phil Mickelson - “I had the opportunity and play in the 1991 Walker Cup at Portmarnock Golf Club and it was one of the great highlights of my Amateur days not only to represent the USA but also to enjoy the challenge of such a magnificent links course”
o Rory McIlroy - “I always love playing Portmarnock Golf Club; one of the world’s greatest links courses in my view”
Discrimination claims
The club has been at the centre of controversy, by continuing to bar women from becoming members. In 2003 the Equality Authority of Ireland brought a successful discrimination case in the Dublin District Court under which the club's drinks licence was suspended for 7 days.[4] The finding was overturned in the High Court in 2005,[5] and again in the Supreme Court in 2009,[6] allowing the club to keep its men-only policy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ubPh097hDw
References
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- ↑ http://www.portmarnockgolfclub.ie/visitors/visitor-information
- ↑ http://www.golfdigesttop100.ie/top-100-2015/top10
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External links
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