Updated on November 10, 2026
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Dublin is home to several links courses: Portmarnock, The Island, Royal Dublin—located on Bull Island, 7 km from downtown—and County Louth in Baltray. Inland, The K Club, host of the 2006 Ryder Cup, and Druids Glen round out the selection.
A Quick Look at the Rankings of Golf Courses Around Dublin
10 courses shown.
| Rank | Golf | Town | Distance | Access | Green fee | Golf Digest | Top100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portmarnock Golf Club – Championship | Portmarnock | 11.4 km | Restricted | €475–530 | 3 | 4 |
| 2 | County Louth Golf Club (Baltray) | Baltray | 44.2 km | Open | 365 € | 16 | 6 |
| 3 | The Island Golf Club | Donabate | 15.1 km | Restricted | 375 € | 17 | 7 |
| 4 | Royal Dublin Golf Club | Bull Island | 6.7 km | Open | €220–375 | 25 | 19 |
| 5 | Portmarnock Resort & Jameson Golf Links | Portmarnock | 12.2 km | Open | €150–320 | 21 | 26 |
| 6 | Druids Glen Golf Resort – Druids Glen | Newtownmountkennedy | 30.4 km | Open | — | 22 | 29 |
| 7 | The K Club – Palmer North | Straffan | 24.7 km | Open | 175 € | — | 28 |
| 8 | Headfort Golf Club – Championship (New) | Kells | 57.8 km | Open | €65–100 | — | 32 |
| 9 | Killeen Castle | Dunsany | 30.4 km | Open | — | — | 33 |
| 10 | Luttrellstown Castle Resort | Clonsilla | 11.4 km | Open | — | — | 42 |
Distance as the crow flies from downtown Dublin. Green fee: public 18-hole rate published by the golf course (range varies by season or day), as of November 10, 2026; “—” = not published. Ranking columns: the course’s ranking in each list; “—” = not listed.
Where are the golf courses around Dublin?
Click on a number to view the golf course, then click on its name to read its profile. Base map © OpenStreetMap.
Our Method
We have selected 18-hole courses located within a maximum of 60 km as the crow flies from downtown Dublin: courses open to visitors (the conditions—days, handicap, season—are specified for each one). The ranking is the average of their positions in two national rankings: Golf Digest (Ireland’s Best Golf Courses, May 2026) and Top100GolfCourses (Ireland ranking, accessed November 10, 2026); a course not included in a ranking is assigned the last place plus ten. Distances are calculated using OpenStreetMap coordinates. Green fees are listed only if they are published on the golf course’s official website (as of November 10, 2026).
Golf Courses in Detail
Architects, dates, access and green fees: official golf course websites and the rankings cited, checked on November 10, 2026; nothing is shown when the source does not say. Photos under free licenses via Wikimedia Commons.
1. Portmarnock Golf Club – Championship
Rankings: Golf Digest 3 · Top100 4
⛳ Course: designed by Mungo Park; expanded to 18 holes by George Coburn; opened in 1894; links course
📍 Distance: 11.4 km (7.1 mi) from central Dublin
🔑 Access: Visitors from April 1 through September 30 only: Monday 10 a.m.–2 p.m., Tuesday 8:30 a.m.–2 p.m., Thursday 8:30 a.m.–12 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.–4 p.m., Sunday afternoons (April through September); Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and holidays are reserved for members; no golf carts available for visitors. The 2026 season is fully booked through September 30.
💶 Green fee: €530 for 18 holes on the Championship Course in 2027, including lunch (€475 in 2026) (official website, (November 10, 2026)
✈️ Airport: 10 km from Dublin as the crow flies
In 1893, William Pickeman and George Ross rowed from Sutton to the peninsula and identified it as an ideal site for a golf course. A nine-hole course opened in 1894 under the direction of the Scotsman Mungo Park; George Coburn expanded the course to 18 holes two years later. The land belonged to distiller John Jameson, who had been using it as a private course since around 1850.
2. County Louth Golf Club (Baltray)
Rankings: Golf Digest 16 · Top100 6
⛳ Course: designed by Tom Simpson and Molly Gourlay (1938), Links
📍 Distance: 44.2 km (27.5 mi) from central Dublin
🔑 Access: Open to visitors; tours can be booked online.
💶 Green fee: 365 € per person per course (official website, (November 10, 2026)
✈️ Airport: 36 km from Dublin as the crow flies
The club was founded in 1892, but the current course was designed by Tom Simpson and Molly Gourlay in 1938. The East of Ireland Championship has been held there since 1941; Joe Carr won it 12 times between 1941 and 1969. Its greens are renowned as among the best in Ireland.
3. The Island Golf Club
Rankings: Golf Digest 17 · Top100 7
⛳ Course: Opened in 1890, Links
📍 Distance: 15.1 km (9.4 mi) from central Dublin
🔑 Access: Visiting season: April 1 through October 31, 2027, Monday through Sunday, by reservation only.
💶 Green fee: €375 per golfer, Monday through Sunday (2027 season) (official website, (November 10, 2026)
✈️ Airport: 10 km from Dublin as the crow flies
Ten Irishmen, known as the “Syndicate,” founded the club in 1890; a ferryman took them from Malahide across the estuary. The original course was designed by an unknown architect; it was later redesigned by Fred W. Hawtree, Eddie Hackett, and then Martin Hawtree.
4. Royal Dublin Golf Club
Rankings: Golf Digest 25 · Top100 19
⛳ Course: Designed by Harry Colt (1920 reconstruction), opened in 1889, Links
📍 Distance: 6.7 km (4.2 mi) from central Dublin
🔑 Access: Open to visitors Monday through Sunday; a deposit of €100 per golfer is due within 14 days of booking, with the balance due 60 days in advance.
💶 Green fee: €375 per person Monday through Sunday (March 18 – October 31, 2027); €220 during the winter season (official website, (November 10, 2026)
✈️ Airport: 10 km from Dublin as the crow flies
The club, founded in 1885, moved to Bull Island in 1889 and received a royal charter two years later. Damaged during World War I, the course was rebuilt by Harry Colt in 1920. Bull Island is the only UNESCO biosphere reserve located in a capital city.
5. Portmarnock Resort & Jameson Golf Links
Rankings: Golf Digest 21 · Top100 26
⛳ Course: Designed by Bernhard Langer (with Stan Eby), opened in 1996, Links
📍 Distance: 12.2 km (7.6 mi) from central Dublin
🔑 Access: Open to visitors 7 days a week; golf carts are not available in winter unless you have a doctor's note.
💶 Green fee: €320 per person from April through October 2026; €150 in the winter (visitors) (official website, (November 10, 2026)
✈️ Airport: 10 km from Dublin as the crow flies
The course, designed by Bernhard Langer in collaboration with landscape architect Stan Eby, opened in 1996. Portmarnock is the ancestral estate of the Jameson whiskey family, who once had a nine-hole course there.
6. Druids Glen Golf Resort – Druids Glen
Rankings: Golf Digest 22 · Top100 29
⛳ Course: Designed by Pat Ruddy and Tom Craddock, opened in 1995, Parkland
📍 Distance: 30.4 km (18.9 mi) from central Dublin
🔑 Access: Open to visitors; online reservations available 24 hours a day.
✈️ Airport: 38 km from Dublin as the crow flies
The course, designed by Pat Ruddy and Tom Craddock, opened in 1995. It was named “European Golf Resort of the Year” in 2005 and is nicknamed the 'Augusta of Europe.“Holes 12 through 14 form the”Irish Amen Corner“; a Druidic altar is located behind the 12th green.
7. The K Club – Palmer North
Rankings: Golf Digest — · Top100 28
⛳ Course: Designed by Arnold Palmer, Parkland
📍 Distance: 24.7 km (15.3 mi) from central Dublin
🔑 Access: Open to visitors (reservations at teetimes.kclub.ie); special rates for Golf Ireland members.
💶 Green fee: €175 per golfer for Golf Ireland members (promotional rate; public rate not listed in the text) (official website, (November 10, 2026)
✈️ Airport: 27 km from Dublin as the crow flies
The K Club hosted the 2006 Ryder Cup, the first ever held in Ireland. It is the only 36-hole course in Europe designed entirely by Arnold Palmer. The Irish Open will be held there in 2023, 2025, and 2027 as part of an agreement with the DP World Tour.
8. Headfort Golf Club – Championship (New)
Rankings: Golf Digest — · Top100 32
⛳ Course: Designed by Christy O'Connor Jr., opened in 2001, Parkland
📍 Distance: 57.8 km (35.9 mi) from central Dublin
🔑 Access: Visitors are welcome 7 days a week; online reservations available.
💶 Green fee: Starting at €75 Monday through Thursday and €100 Friday through Sunday (April through October); starting at €65 / €75 from November through March (official website, (November 10, 2026)
✈️ Airport: 52 km from Dublin as the crow flies
The club was founded in 1928 on part of the former Headfort estate, just outside Kells. The Championship course, designed by Christy O'Connor Jr. on land acquired in 1998 across the Blackwater River, opened in 2001.
9. Killeen Castle
Rankings: Golf Digest — · Top100 33
⛳ Course: designed by Jack Nicklaus, Parkland
📍 Distance: 30.4 km (18.9 mi) from central Dublin
🔑 Access: Open to visitors; online booking for departures.
✈️ Airport: 25 km from Dublin as the crow flies
Built in 2008, it is one of only two “Jack Nicklaus Signature” courses in Ireland, stretching over 7,700 yards. It hosted the 2011 Solheim Cup and the Women’s Irish Open from 2010 to 2012.
10. Luttrellstown Castle Resort
Rankings: Golf Digest — · Top100 42
⛳ Course: Designed by Tom Mackenzie (Donald Steel & Co., 2006), Parkland
📍 Distance: 11.4 km (7.1 mi) from central Dublin
🔑 Access: Open to visitors (see the “Green Fee Rates” and “Tee Time for Visitors” sections of the website).
✈️ Airport: 11 km from Dublin as the crow flies
The course spans 560 acres centered around a 600-year-old ivy-covered castle. Tom Mackenzie redesigned the course in 2006, adding new greens that meet USGA standards.
Just missed the cut
- Carton House – Montgomerie: Open to visitors but ranked 11th on average, just behind Luttrellstown (43rd in the Top 100)
- The K Club – Palmer South: 12th in the standings (tied with Corballis Links)
- Brittas Bay Golf Club (formerly The European Club): Ranked 8th by Golf Digest but not listed in the Top 100 Ireland: average score of 46.5; official website could not be accessed during the search
See also
The Best Golf Courses in Ireland
The Best Golf Courses Near Madrid
The Best Golf Courses Near Rome
The Best Golf Courses Near Edinburgh
The Best Golf Courses Near Amsterdam
The 20 Best Golf Hotels in EuropeFrequently Asked Questions
What's the best golf course around Dublin?
Portmarnock Golf Club – Championship (Portmarnock, 11.4 km from downtown) tops our ranking, based on Golf Digest (Ireland’s Best Golf Courses, May 2026) and Top100GolfCourses (Ireland rankings, accessed November 10, 2026). Access: Visitors from April 1 through September 30 only: Monday 10 a.m.–2 p.m., Tuesday 8:30 a.m.–2 p.m., Thursday 8:30 a.m.–12 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.–4 p.m., Sunday afternoons (April through September); Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and holidays are reserved for members; no golf carts available for visitors. The 2026 season is fully booked through September 30.
Which golf courses around Dublin are open to visitors?
No special conditions: County Louth Golf Club (Baltray), Royal Dublin Golf Club, Portmarnock Resort & Jameson Golf Links, Druids Glen Golf Resort – Druids Glen, The K Club – Palmer North, Headfort Golf Club – Championship (New), Killeen Castle, Luttrellstown Castle Resort. The others (Portmarnock Golf Club – Championship, The Island Golf Club) only accept visitors on certain days, subject to handicap requirements or by invitation: see the details for each course.
Which golf course is closest to downtown Dublin?
Royal Dublin Golf Club, 6.7 km as the crow flies from downtown (Bull Island).
How much does a green fee cost in the Dublin area?
Among the golf courses in our selection that publish their rates, the 18-hole green fee ranges from €65 to €530 depending on the course, the season, and the day (rates as of November 10, 2026, on the official websites).
Which airport is best for a golf trip near Dublin?
Most convenient airport: Dublin.