THE ISLAND - 17 POINTS

Ireland is one of the most popular countries in the world for international golf travel. People fly from all over the world to enjoy the delights of the likes of Lahinch and Ballybunion in the south west, or Royal Portrush and Royal Country Down in the north.

Many of those visitors will fly in via Dublin, but often they will simply jump in a tour bus and leave the area - maybe with just a stop in Portmarnock on the way.

That’s a shame as if they miss a stop at The Island, they are missing one of the most enjoyable links courses in the land.

The history of golf on The Island is an interesting one. First things first, The Island isn’t on an island, but rather a headland that sits opposite the picturesque town of Malahide. It’s about 20 minutes to the airport from the course, 45 minutes to the centre of Dublin.

For many years the clubhouse and first tee were on the site of the current 14th hole and players would arrive and leave on a shuttle boat from Malahide. There’s a fantastic history of the club on the website which is well worth a read.

They describe the process for getting on and off of ‘The Island’

When the boat took a party of golfers to The Island, they were entirely dependent on the boat for the return journey. The signal to the boatman on the far side of the estuary to collect golfers from the links was to open a large red and white disc on the side of the pavilion. The disc was hinged in the centre and could be seen from the shore by the boatman. When the disc was in the closed position it was green in colour and blended in with the wall of the pavilion.

Well as better roads were built the first hole has been relocated and the course has been through several iterations for the layout we find today.

Pretty much from beginning to end The Island feels like a classic links course. I played the course in November and the ground was still running very fast and the greens were in great condition. I can only imagine how it plays in the summer. This was proper links golf.

The course is set in dunes which are really dramatic in places - some of them wouldn’t feel out of place at Royal County Down or Lahinch such is their size. There is a real sense of scale at The Island.

The course starts with one of the toughest opening holes you’ll find anywhere. It’s a long par 4 playing through a narrow fairway to a raised green. It was a very strong hole, but thank goodness things get a little more generous as the course reveals itself.

You soon get a sense of the great movement on the fairways - the second tumbles up and down towards another raised green. For many years the course opened with eight par 4s but recent alterations have changed that.

The third is now a par 5 which has another raised green, this one affording lovely views over the water. It’s a shortish par 5 which has probably softened the opening a little - I can imagine if this was another long par 4 some would be tearing up their cards early in the round!

From here you come to the first par 3. This was a hole which Martin Hawtree put in around 10 years ago and was used as a ‘spare’ hole before entering the routing with recent changes from Mackenzie and Ebert. I enjoyed the hole, like the previous three greens though accuracy was required as miss the green and your ball will be swept away.

The next holes go back and forth in the dunes, all featuring interesting greens and dunes waiting for wayward shots. The course felt like it had a very pleasant rhythm to it and the holes flew by. I really enjoyed the greens on the early holes. They all felt like they sat very naturally as extensions of the fairways and were always full of interest and challenge. Good fun greens that you could play again and again.

A few years ago the brief came from the club to Mackenzie and Ebert to elevate the front nine to the same standard of the back nine. Their main intervention were the creation of new 8th and 9th holes. I think these work pretty well. The dunes that have been built are virtually indistinguishable from those that have been there for generations. The greens maybe don’t have quite the same features as some of the early ones but it would be nit-picking to make too much of a thing about that.

I did notice a couple of their trademark superfluous scrape areas but they hadn’t gone too far this time! All in all I thought it was a very good front nine. But it was a tough brief that the received, such is the standard of the back nine.

The tenth hole actually didn’t do much to stir the blood. It’s a par 5 on fairly open ground, gone are the dunes. Not a bad hole, just very different from the front.

But you don’t have to wait long before the quality really ratchets up again. The 11th is a fun short par 4 and then comes the most interesting run of holes on the course.

The 12th is a challenging par 4 where you really need to hug the inside of the dogleg to get the best line to the elevated green. The 13th is then probably the signature hole on the course. A long par 3 with an all carry shot to a green 200+ yards away. There are no easy tees so everyone is going to be asked a very stern question. The good news though is that there is a bail-out to the left which means a bogey should be in reach for everyone. The hole is framed beautifully with Malahide behind and views over the estuary and marina. A really lovely spot.

You then come to the 14th teeshot - home to the original clubhouse and boat to the ‘mainland’. This is one of the most memorable tee shots you will find anywhere. The reason is the width of the fairway. It’s only around a dozen paces wide, with gunch on the left and water waiting right. Some people have moaned to me and said they think that it is weak. Utter tosh. Of course you wouldn’t want to see a course full of fairways like this but a bit of quirk here and there is never a bad thing! I thoroughly enjoyed it. Helped by a tee shot that found the fairway! It’s not a long hole so if you are really worried about it then a 5 iron from the tee will still see you getting to the green in two.

While these holes may be the highlight of the round, there is still more to enjoy. The 15th is a great par 5 with a real ‘Royal County Down’ feel as you play towards a white pole on a vast dune behind the green.

The last hole is a very long, tough par 4. With a drive required into a narrow valley and then an approach to a raised green I played this as a short par 5, and enjoyed it all the moreso for taking that approach I suspect!!

It’s a testament to the quality of The Island that I can clearly remember every hole a week later as I write this review. It’s a challenging and interesting place to play golf. The conditioning was fantastic and the welcome warm.

There was so much to like at The Island and I can’t help feeling that it flies under the radar a little. If you are flying in to Dublin to start a golf trip you would be remiss not to stop off at The Island. You’re in for a treat!

BOOKING THE COURSE

Ireland has seen an explosion in green fees in recent years, much like the UK and a round at The Island costs a lot more now than it would have just a few years ago. The course is only open to visitors from April to October, and it’s €270 per person Monday-Thursday and then €295 at the weekends. It’s an expensive tee time for sure. But there is not doubt that this is a top 10 Ireland course and, it’s still really a members’ club. They are happy to just welcome the golfers who are willing to pay that price and keep the course for members the rest of the time.

They have online booking, which always makes life a lot easier compared to some of the other top Irish courses. You can book here.

TOUR TIPS

The Island is very close to Dublin airport, and they have availability 7 days a week, so the course works brilliantly to bookend any trip arriving into the city by plane. But even if you are in Dublin anyway, it’s only 30-45 minutes from the city so very easily accessible - even by taxi.

If you are looking to just have a few days playing golf in Dublin then the obvious candidates to add on are Portmarnock and the European. But for a cheaper option, have a look at the Corbalis course next door. A short links course available for 1/10th of the price of some of the others!

CONTACT DETAILS

The Island Golf Club
Corballis,
Donabate,
Co. Dublin,
Ireland

Tel: +353 1 843 6205
E-mail: info@theislandgolfclub.com​
Web: www.theislandgolfclub.com

BACK TO IRELAND →