Down in one

If you want to play a winning round of golf, then drink in some classic pubs aft erwards, look not further than Dublin, says Andrew Marshall, who offers his must-do “pubs and clubs”

Photography by Paul Marshall

Golf: a sport where grown men and women use several different bent sticks to hit a ball into an area with very short grass surrounding a hole in the ground. Yep, that’s pretty much the gist of it, and the inhabitants of the Emerald Isle love it – alongside a good drink of course. And where in Ireland is perfect for both?

Well, none other than the capital itself. Just a short drive away from Dublin’s city centre there are some amazingly high quality courses waiting to be discovered. A few miles north of the city there are the Royal Dublin, Portmarnock Links and the lesser-known St Anne’s Golf Club. To the west, are top-class parkland tracks like the K Club and Rathsallagh. To the south, quick road connections lead to CountyWicklow and championship courses such as Druids Glen and The European Club.

And when it comes to enjoying a pint or two after your round, there’s no shortage of 19th holes in the city. “A good puzzle would be to cross Dublin without passing a pub,” wrote James Joyce in Ulysses. Little has changed since Joyce’s time, and Dublin’s approximately 800 pubs are still the hubs of social life summed up in that famous Irish word, the “craic”. So whether you are negotiating one of The European Club’s long par-4s through the dunes or sampling a few beers in O’Neill’s back in Dublin, here are 18 holes of clubs and pubs. Enjoy your rounds!

HOLE 1
THE EUROPEAN CLUB
Crafted out of tumbling dunes by Pat Ruddy, the European Club features 18 holes (plus two bonus par-3s) of exciting links golf with dramatic views of the Irish Sea. This is seaside golf at its very best, with fast-running fairways, greens that invite the pitch-and-run approach, swathes of tall, waving marram grass, strong winds and the taste of salt in the sea air. Look out for the 470 yards par-4 7th, voted one of the world’s greatest 100 golf holes. Tiger Woods still holds the course record of 67, shot on 12 July 2002. On the tees of several of the par-4s he said: “Is this a par-5? Wow… what great optical illusions!”
www.theeuropeanclub.com

HOLE 2
DRUIDS GLEN & DRUIDS HEATH
Situated in a scenic location just 30 minutes south of Dublin, this double-header venue boasts two championship courses to test your golfing skills. Host of the Irish Open four times in a row from 1996 to 1999, Druids Glen – often referred to as the “Augusta of Europe” – is a challenging parkland layout that can be tough to negotiate, with water being a threat on several holes. Elevation changes, historical landmarks, mature trees and vibrant floral displays add to the interest as you go round. The other course, Druids Heath, runs through undulating and mainly open terrain, with the mountains, sea and rolling Irish countryside providing a host of stunning natural vistas throughout.
www.druidsglen.ie

HOLE 3
ST ANNE’S GOLF CLUB
While not as famous as some of the other courses on Dublin’s north coast, St Anne’s Golf Club is an impressive links layout that’s lucky enough to be situated on one of Ireland’s most important ecological attractions, Dublin Bay’s Bull Island Nature Reserve. It’s a great spot to ensure at least a few birdies of the feathered variety.
www.stanneslinksgolf.com

HOLE 4
DEER PARK HOTEL
Spread across 182ha, Deer Park Hotel Golf and Spa represents Ireland’s largest golf complex, offering a range of courses for players of all abilities. For starters, there’s an 18-hole pitching and putting range and two excellent 9-holers, the Grace O’Malley and St Fintans – each having their own individual charms. Then a 12-hole par-3 course. But the main course is Deer Park’s wonderful 18-hole parkland course, with a stunning backdrop of the Irish Sea and panoramic views of Dublin and its suburbs.
www.deerpark-hotel.ie/golf

HOLE 5
CORBALLIS LINKS GOLF CLUB
Be sure to take advantage of this excellent opportunity to play a top-quality links course at an affordable price. Golfers here benefit from playable conditions throughout the year and some of the most consistent greens in the country. Corballis is a hidden gem located just 25 minutes’ drive north from the centre of Dublin. Highly recommended for an introduction to the vagaries of links golf.
www.corballislinks.com

HOLE 6
RATHSALLAGH
A top-quality parkland track that has rapidly developed a reputation as one of the best courses in the Dublin region. Beautifully laid-ou t by Christy O’Connor Jr and Peter McEvoy, Rathsallagh has been designed across 101ha of superbly natural terrain, dotted by mature oak and beech trees. It features several lakes and small streams that meander across the fairways with immaculate greens. There’s also a wonderful country house hotel.
www.rathsallagh.com

HOLE 7
ROYAL DUBLIN GOLF CLUB
Heading back to Bull Island in Dublin Bay, you can discover a natural links fashioned in a classic style in the early part of the last century. It was created by the renowned golf architect Harry Colt, and over the years many legends of the game have played here, including Nicklaus, Trevino, Ballesteros, Langer, Norman and Faldo. Martin Hawtree has now enhanced this top-drawer links for the modern era, making one of Ireland’s greatest golfing tests, well, even greater.
www.theroyaldublingolfclub.com

HOLE 8
THE K CLUB
West of Dublin, The K Club’s Palmer Ryder Cup Course was the scene of that dramatic European victory over the US in 2006. It’s one of Ireland’s finest parkland courses, with a classic closing stretch. The 16th is an all- or-nothing two-shotter, where an accurate drive must be followed by a long and precise approach over water to an island green. The 18th dares you to drive over the top of a bunker-strewn hill, then tempts you to fire straight at the flag in search of that heroic Ryder Cup finish. K Club’s other course, the Palmer Smurfit, would best be described as an inland links, with dune-type mounding throughout.
www.kclub.ie

HOLE 9
PORTMARNOCK GOLF LINKS
Widely recognised as one of Ireland’s premier golf resorts, Portmarnock combines all the charms of a traditional links layout with the challenge of the modern game. Gently undulating, luxuriously sprung fairways, leading to large fast greens, must be negotiated through 98 strategically placed bunkers. Hillocks, wild grasses and gorse await wayward shots. The 1st tee and 18th green are just a wedge shot from the hotel and clubhouse.
www.portmarnock.com

The Pubs

HOLE 10
PALACE BAR
Tucked away amid the cobbled streets of the Temple Bar district, this place is often said to be the perfect example of an old Dublin pub. Step into the snug, with its mirrors and wooden niches, or the backroom with its high ceiling and stained glass. Writer Flann O’Brien and painter Harry Kernoff were regulars, and the Palace Bar became one of Dublin’s great literary pubs. An advert from the Where to Drink Guide 1958 adorns the wall: “Internationally famous also for its intellectual refreshment.” How can you go wrong?
21 Fleet Street, Tel: +353 (0)1 6717388

HOLE 11
GROGAN’S CASTLE LOUNGE
Known among regulars simply as Grogan’s, this city centre institution is a favourite haunt of painters, writers and bohemians. From the street, not much can be seen through the lace curtains, but once you go through the door it’s like stepping into someone’s living room. Brad Pitt came here to soak up the atmosphere, while working on the movie Snatch.
15 South William Street, www.groganspub.ie

HOLE 12
O’NEILL’S
Credited with a James Joyce Award for being an authentic Dublin pub, O’Neill’s has existed as licensed premises for over 300 years. Featuring five bars and numerous alcoves and snugs, it attracts a diverse clientele, from students and lecturers at nearby Trinity College, to busy city traders and lovers of the arts and theatre. As an added bonus, O’Neill’s is one of 220 Irish pubs with special beer-dispensing tap tables, where customers can pour their own Guinness without the interminable wait for the barman to put the shamrock in the froth. Taps on the tables are linked to kegs behind the bar and you’ll have to set up a tab if you’re thirsty.
Suffolk Street, tel:+353 (0)1 679 3656, www.oneillsbar.com

HOLE 13
THE LONG HALL
Backing onto Dublin Castle, The Long Hall is one of Dublin’s most beautiful and best-loved watering holes. Although very much a locals’ pub, many visitors come to experience the evocative atmosphere and full Victorian splendour, which includes an ornately carved bar, elegant chandeliers and a pendulum clock that’s more than 200 years old.
51 South Great George’s Street, tel: +353 (0)1 4751590

HOLE 14
DUBLIN LITERARY PUB CRAWL
A great way to learn more about Dublin’s pub culture, history and its literary associations is to take the Literary Pub Crawl. It’s a guided tour by two Irish actors, Colm Quilligan and Derek Reid, who perform humorous extracts from Dublin’s best-known writers in some of the city’s best-loved drinking establishments. “We were a band of unemployed actors doing entertainment in pubs,” says Quilligan. “It was a natural fusion of the two ideas and a great way of legitimising the pub lifestyle.”
www.dublinpubcrawl.com

HOLE 15
THE TEMPLE BAR Slap bang in the centre of the tourist area of the same name, vibrant-red boozer The Temple Bar features the most photographed pub facade in Dublin, if not the whole world. Not the kind of place to go for a quiet pint with the locals, as it’s usually wall-to-wall with visitors. However, this place has all the right ingredients thanks to traditional musicians and a buzzing atmosphere.
47/48 temple bar, tel: +353 (0)1 672 5286, www.thetemplebarpub.com

HOLE 16
RYAN’S
Located just a few sips of the black stuff away from the Guinness Storehouse across the River Liffey, Ryan’s of Parkgate Street (established in the 1890s) is one of only a handful of city pubs to retain its Victorian decor virtually intact. Order your drink at the original oval mahogany bar, and eye up the magnificent stained glass and walls decorated with an outstanding collection of antique gilt mirrors, displaying advertising from the turn of the century.
28 parkgate street, tel:+353 (0)1 677 6097

HOLE 17
JOHN MULLIGAN
Once a working-class drinking man’s pub, this brilliant old boozer is another virtually unchanged over the years. Established in 1782, its main claim to fame is a perfectly poured pint of Guinness and the colourful crew of regulars who are considered experts on the subject. Over the years Mulligan’s has even attracted the likes of former US President John F Kennedy, and made an appearance as the local in the film My Left Foot, which starred Daniel Day-Lewis as Irish author and poet Christy Brown.
8 poolbeg street

HOLE 18
GUINNESS STOREHOUSE & GRAVITY BAR
What would Dublin’s pubs be without Guinness stout? No “Pubs and Golf Clubs” visit would be complete without a pilgrimage to the Guinness Storehouse at St James’s Gate. Here you can learn plenty about the world-famous black stuff, including the brewing process and the Arthur Guinness story. Afterwards, head up to the Gravity Bar, where, with a pint of Guinness in hand and incredible 360-degree views over the streets of Dublin, you have the perfect position to contemplate James Joyce’s “puzzle”.
www.guinness-storehouse.com

Fast facts

GETTING THERE:
Dublin airport lies about 10km outside the city centre. Terravision, in partnership with Aircoach, operates a coach into the centre, and then onto south Dublin. Hertz (www.. hertz.com) is Ryanair’s exclusive rental partner and provides special rates for passengers.

STAYING THERE:
The luxurious and Clontarf Castle Hotel (www.clontarfcastle.ie) is located two miles from Dublin city centre and five miles from the airport. It’s close to the courses on the north coast, including Royal Dublin, St Anne’s, Deer Park and Corballis.

For a comfortable, affordable city centre three-star, try The Arlington Hotel Temple Bar (www.arlingtontemplebar.com).

Four-star Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links (www.portmarnock.com) is a 19th-century building once owned by the Jameson whiskey dynasty. It’s 15 minutes from the airport, a 10-minute walk from the train station, and right next door to the excellent links course.

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