How to Play Portmarnock
Portmarnock Golf Club is the grandest links in Ireland, a par 72 of 7,466 yards laid out on a low peninsula beside the Irish Sea just north of Dublin, founded in 1894 and for decades the home of the Irish Open. It is a pure, fair and famously windswept test that the R&A is now studying as a possible Open Championship venue. A private members' club that welcomes visitors on weekdays, it insists you walk. Here is exactly how to play it in 2026, what it costs, and when to go.
Photograph: Portmarnock Golf Club, via Google
The short answer
Book directly with the club, and book very early. Portmarnock welcomes visitors on weekdays, with limited weekend access and members taking priority, and you reserve through the club's visitor booking, the online tee sheet or the office. Demand is extraordinary and the links fills its visitor sheet far in advance, with much of the 2026 summer already gone, so reserve as far ahead as you can or let a trip planner hold the time. The indicative 2026 visitor green fee is around 320 euros in the summer season and around 150 euros in winter. It is a walking course, so plan to walk and to take a caddie. Always confirm current availability and fees directly before booking.
How to book, step by step
| Detail | 2026 position | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Visitor tee times | Weekdays mainly, with limited weekend access; members have priority | The 2026 summer sheet is largely full; book well ahead |
| How to book | Direct with the club through visitor booking, the online tee sheet or the office | Or through a trip planner as part of a Dublin and east coast links week |
| Season | Summer rates roughly April to October; winter rates the rest of the year | Reserve as early as possible for the high season |
| On foot | Walking links; caddies recommended | Confirm the current buggy policy, as access is limited |
Visitor access and policy verified in June 2026 from the club's published visitor information; they can change, so always confirm directly with Portmarnock Golf Club or your trip planner before booking. Check tee time availability.
Portmarnock green fees, 2026
| Item | Indicative 2026 cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Championship links, summer | Around 320 euros | Roughly April to October |
| Championship links, winter | Around 150 euros | Roughly November to March |
| Caddie | Additional, by request | Well worth taking on a first visit |
| Buggy | Limited, where permitted | Walking links; confirm policy with the club |
Green fees verified indicatively in June 2026 from the club's published 2026 visitor rates; they change without notice, so always confirm current fees directly before booking.
The round, the 15th and what to expect
Portmarnock is links golf stripped to its essence, a course with almost no weakness that asks only that you control the ball in the wind. There are no blind shots of consequence and few tricks, just firm fairways that twist with the dunes, deep bunkering and greens that demand precise approaches, the holes rarely running in the same direction for long so the breeze comes from every quarter across a round. The most famous hole is the par 3 fifteenth, played hard along the shore, where Arnold Palmer once called it the finest par 3 in golf, a long, exposed one shotter that is as hard as it is beautiful when the wind is up. Take a caddie for the lines, walk as the club intends, and expect a fair, searching and unforgettable examination.
When to go and what to pair it with
Play Portmarnock in the settled, warmer weeks of May to September for the best balance of weather and long daylight, accepting that this is when demand and rates are highest, so book early. The links sits barely twenty minutes from Dublin Airport and the city, which makes it the natural anchor of an east coast links week alongside The Island, Royal Dublin, County Louth at Baltray and the dramatic Portmarnock Hotel links next door, with the County Down and Royal Portrush courses of the north within a comfortable drive. Build a trip around a confirmed Portmarnock time and fill the rest with the neighbours. Always confirm current access and fees before booking.
Plan a Portmarnock and Dublin links trip
We hold the weekday time on the Championship links, arrange the caddies, and build the week around The Island, Royal Dublin, Baltray and the courses of the north. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling, and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Portmarnock booking questions
How do you book a tee time at Portmarnock?
You book the Championship links directly with the club through its visitor booking, by the online tee sheet or by contacting the office, and visitors are welcomed on weekdays with limited weekend access, members taking priority. Portmarnock is in very high demand and books up far in advance, with the 2026 visitor sheet largely full through the summer, so reserve as early as you can or have a trip planner hold the time as part of a Dublin links trip. Always confirm current availability directly before booking.
How much does it cost to play Portmarnock in 2026?
The indicative 2026 visitor green fee is around 320 euros per golfer in the summer season, roughly April to October, and around 150 euros in the winter months. Caddies and a buggy where permitted are additional. These figures move year to year, so always confirm the current rate directly with the club before booking.
Is Portmarnock a walking course?
Yes. Portmarnock is a walking links, and the club keeps it that way to protect the turf and preserve the character of the course, so plan to walk and consider taking a caddie, who is well worth the fee for the lines and the wind on a first visit. Confirm the current buggy policy with the club, as access is limited and may be restricted to those with a medical need. Always check directly before booking.
Could Portmarnock host The Open Championship?
Possibly. The R&A has been actively examining Portmarnock as a potential Open Championship venue, which would be the first time golf's oldest major is staged outside Great Britain, and the club has voted on course changes in support of a bid. No staging has been confirmed at the time of writing, so treat it as a live prospect rather than a certainty. Portmarnock has long major pedigree, having hosted the Irish Open nineteen times and the Amateur and Women's Amateur Championships.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Tee time releases, green fee changes and the booking windows that matter. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts, visitor access and indicative green fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.