The Best Golf Courses in County Dublin
Few cities on earth have great links on their doorstep like Dublin. A short drive north of the centre, a string of championship courses runs along the coast, an emerald necklace of dunes, estuary and sea, all within reach of the airport. These are the six rounds we would build a County Dublin golf trip around.
Photo: Portmarnock Golf Club via Google.
How we chose
County Dublin is one of the great links concentrations anywhere, and the remarkable thing is how close it all sits to the city and the airport. Our ranking rewards the courses that combine genuine championship pedigree with the easy access that makes Dublin such a rewarding short golf trip, led by the classic links of the north county coast and rounded out with the public links and parkland that complete the picture. A group can play a different great links each morning and be back in the city for the evening.
We weighed design and tournament history, the quality of the links land and conditioning, and how readily a visiting golfer can get on. The headline clubs welcome visitors with advance booking, the public Corballis is open to all, and the city parkland fills out an itinerary on a links rest day. Designers and tournament history were verified at the time of writing; green fees vary by season and day, so always confirm directly before booking.
Reviewed June 2026 by the GolfForKings editorial desk. How we research and rank.
The ranking
1. Portmarnock Golf Club
One of the truly great links of the world and the finest in County Dublin. Founded in 1894 on a peninsula surrounded by the sea on three sides, Portmarnock is a pure, fair and supremely strategic links where the wind is the defining challenge and not a weak hole exists. It has hosted a long roll of Irish Opens and the 1991 Walker Cup, and remains the bucket list round of any Dublin trip, classical golf at its very best.
2. The Island Golf Club
Portmarnock's great rival across the estuary and a thrilling links in its own right. Dating to 1890, The Island threads between some of the tallest, most dramatic dunes in Irish golf, with narrow fairways, blind shots and a famous run of holes along the water opposite Malahide. Wild, natural and exhilarating, it has risen up the world rankings and is an essential stop on the north Dublin links necklace.
3. Royal Dublin Golf Club
The second oldest club in Ireland and the closest links to the city, on Bull Island in Dublin Bay. A Harry Colt layout, Royal Dublin is a relatively flat but cleverly bunkered out and back links that finishes with the famous Garden, a tempting dogleg par 5. Long the home club of the legendary Christy O'Connor Senior, it pairs heritage and convenience just minutes from the centre.
4. Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links
On the same stretch of links land beside the original Portmarnock peninsula, this Bernhard Langer design offers a modern championship links with a hotel on site, ideal for a group that wants to stay and play. The course rolls through the dunes with sea views and a strong, exposed finish, and the resort setting makes it one of the most convenient quality links bases in the county.
5. Corballis Links
A genuine natural links open to all, Corballis sits on the Donabate peninsula beside The Island and offers honest, charming seaside golf at a fraction of the marquee green fees. Short by championship standards but full of character and run hard and fast by the sea, it is the perfect warm up round, a relaxed extra day, or a value pick for a group that simply loves links golf.
6. Castle Golf Club
For a change from the links, Castle Golf Club at Rathfarnham is one of the finest parkland courses in the city, a mature, tree lined and beautifully kept layout with classic design credentials in the leafy southern suburbs. It is the ideal sheltered rest day round when the wind is up on the coast, and a reminder that County Dublin golf is not all dunes and sea.
When to go and what it costs
| Season | What to expect |
|---|---|
| May to Jun | Prime. Long daylight, firm links and the best chance of settled weather; the marquee clubs book up early |
| Jul to Aug | Peak summer. Busiest and warmest, with the courses at their best and the most demand for tee times |
| Sep to Oct | Excellent value. Quieter, with classic breezy links conditions and often better rates as the season eases |
| Nov to Apr | Off season. Mild but wet and windy off the Irish Sea; the lowest rates and easiest tee times for the hardy |
Package guide. County Dublin spans a wide range of fees. Indicative 2026 peak season green fees run from around 50 euros at the public links to roughly 150 to 350 euros at the marquee championship clubs, with the very top course at the higher end. A short links trip with a few rounds, a city or coast hotel and transfers commonly runs from around 1,200 to 2,800 euros per golfer, before flights, depending on the courses and hotel tier. These are third party ranges, not our prices, and you should always confirm directly before booking.
Booking individual rounds? See our recommended tee time partner for the Dublin courses.
Plan a County Dublin golf trip
Tell us roughly when you want to travel and how many are in the group, and one concierge secures the tee times across the best links, matches you to the right hotel and costs the whole trip to the head, with no obligation.
County Dublin golf questions
What is the best golf course in County Dublin?
Portmarnock Golf Club is widely rated the best course in County Dublin and one of the finest links in the world. Founded in 1894 on a peninsula surrounded by the sea on three sides, it has hosted multiple Irish Opens and the 1991 Walker Cup, with the neighbouring Island Golf Club its closest rival.
Where are the best links near Dublin?
North County Dublin holds a remarkable cluster of links, often called an emerald necklace: Portmarnock, The Island, Royal Dublin and the Portmarnock Hotel links, with the public Corballis Links at Donabate. All sit within about 30 minutes of the city centre and the airport, ideal for a short links trip.
When is the best time to play golf in Dublin?
May to September gives the best weather and the longest daylight, the prime window for links golf around Dublin, and the busiest. Spring and autumn are quieter and often better value, while winter golf is possible but exposed to wind and rain off the Irish Sea. Always confirm tee times and fees before booking.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Tee time windows, course access changes and the trips worth taking. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course designers and tournament history verified June 2026 from the clubs and leading sources; green fees indicative for the 2026 season, always confirm directly before booking. Last reviewed June 2026.