Portmarnock Golf Club
A true championship links on a peninsula bordered on three sides by the Irish Sea, host of the first Irish Open in 1927 and many since. Considered Ireland's premier pure links test, and about eleven minutes from the airport.
Ireland · Dublin and the east coast
Dublin and the East Coast Golf Holidays
Four world class links within forty five minutes of the airport, no long transfers, and Dublin city waiting at the end of the round. The easiest great links trip in Ireland to organise, and a perfect first.
Photograph: Portmarnock Golf Club via Google
Who this trip suits
Ireland's southwest gets the postcards, but it also gets the four hour drives. The Dublin and east coast links offer the same championship quality with almost none of the travel, because the best of them cluster on the peninsulas just north of the capital. Portmarnock is about eleven minutes from Dublin Airport, The Island barely more, and you can play four genuine links in a week without ever crossing the city.
That makes this the ideal trip for links pilgrims short on time, for first time visitors to Ireland who want easy logistics, and for groups who like the idea of pairing serious golf with a serious city. After the round there is Dublin: the Guinness Storehouse, Temple Bar, the pubs and the restaurants that a remote links trip simply cannot offer. Add a parkland round at the K Club, host of the 2006 Ryder Cup, and you have variety as well as quality.
It suits buddies trips and society groups comfortable with the etiquette of historic clubs, and it rewards planning, because the marquee links take visitors only from roughly mid April to mid October and book up well ahead.
The courses to build around
THE ISLAND · DONABATE
The Island
Some of the tallest, most dramatic dunes in Irish golf, with fairways running through narrow corridors of sand. It sits across the estuary from Malahide and rewards the player who can shape a shot in the wind.
ROYAL DUBLIN · BULL ISLAND
Royal Dublin
A classic out and back Colt links on a nature reserve island in Dublin Bay, minutes from the city centre. The home club of Christy O'Connor senior, with a famously tough closing stretch known as the Garden.
COUNTY LOUTH · BALTRAY
County Louth, Baltray
A strategic Tom Simpson links with notably few bunkers, where the routing and the greens do the defending. Host of the Irish Open in 2004 and 2009, where the amateur Shane Lowry famously won, and about forty five minutes north of the airport.
Designers, founding years and pars verified June 2026 from the clubs and leading course databases. Note that the European Club in Co Wicklow closed in December 2025 for an extended redesign and is not expected to reopen until 2027, so it is not playable on a 2026 trip. Green fees are indicative for the 2026 season and rise annually. Always confirm directly before booking.
A sample four round links week
Day 1
Arrive and Royal Dublin
Land at Dublin, drop the bags in the city, and warm up with an afternoon round at Royal Dublin on Bull Island, twenty minutes from the centre. Dinner and a pint in town.
Day 2
Portmarnock
The marquee round, eleven minutes from the airport on the peninsula. Play it in the morning while the wind is up, lunch in the clubhouse, then the afternoon free in Dublin.
Day 3
The Island
Across the estuary to Donabate for the towering dunes of The Island. An easy day, with time for Malahide village and the coast road in the afternoon.
Day 4
Baltray, then home
North to County Louth at Baltray for the final links, or swap in the K Club for a Ryder Cup parkland finish. Back to the airport for the evening flight.
Drive times from Dublin Airport are roughly eleven minutes to Portmarnock, ten to fifteen to The Island, twenty to Royal Dublin and forty five to County Louth, with the K Club about forty five minutes southwest. Most rounds avoid crossing central Dublin.
Indicative costs
| Course or package | Indicative 2026 guide | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Portmarnock green fee | around 320 euros summer | About 150 euros in winter; visitor season April to October |
| The Island green fee | around 270 to 295 euros | Weekday to weekend, fees rising fast |
| County Louth, Baltray | around 220 to 240 euros | Weekday to weekend |
| Royal Dublin green fee | around 205 euros | Minutes from the city centre |
| Week long package, per person | around 3,000 to 5,000 euros independent | Higher via a specialist operator with guaranteed tee times |
Indicative third party figures for the 2026 season, shown to set expectations only. We are a guide and trip planner, never the operator, and never quote our own pricing. Irish green fees rise annually and several top clubs publish only current year rates, so always confirm directly before booking.
Best time to go and to book
The Irish links season runs roughly April to October, with May to September the prime window. June is often the single best month, with the firmest turf, the driest spell and daylight from about 5am to past 10pm, so you can play thirty six holes and still make dinner. July and August are warmest but busiest and dearest, while many premier links restrict or close visitor access in winter. Wind is the constant variable all year. Book the marquee links well ahead for summer, especially for a group, and lock the tee times before the flights.
Plan your Dublin links trip
Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and which links you want. One concierge secures the tee times, books the city hotel and costs the trip to the head, replying within one working day with no obligation.
Dublin golf questions
When is the best time for a golf trip to Dublin?
The Irish links season runs roughly April to October, with May to September the prime window. June is often the single best month, with peak turf, the driest spell and daylight from about 5am to past 10pm. Many premier links restrict visitor access in winter.
Which is the best links near Dublin?
Portmarnock Golf Club is Ireland's premier pure championship links and host of the first Irish Open in 1927. The Island, Royal Dublin and County Louth at Baltray complete a four links week, all within about forty five minutes of Dublin Airport.
Why play Dublin rather than the southwest?
The Dublin and east coast links sit within ten to forty five minutes of the airport, so you skip the long transfers of a southwest trip and can pair championship links with Dublin city. It is shorter, easier to organise and a strong first Ireland trip.
What are green fees on the Dublin links?
Indicative 2026 summer green fees run from around 205 euros at Royal Dublin to about 320 euros at Portmarnock, with County Louth and The Island in between. Fees rise annually and winter rates are much lower, so always confirm directly 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, founding years and pars verified June 2026; green fees and package ranges are indicative for the 2026 season. Last reviewed June 2026.