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Course
type : |
Links |
Founded
: |
1894 |
Par
: |
72 |
Yards
: |
7182 |
SSS
: |
73 |
Course
designer : |
|
W.C.
Pickeman |
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Often
compared to Muirfield it has merciless rough yet fair to the reasonable
golfer. Notable fans of the course are Arnold Palmer and Sam Snead
who won the World Cup here.
Ranked No.7 in the Top 100 British Isles courses 2002 by Golf
World.
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As with Royal Dublin there were two more Scottish
men, W.C. Pickman and George Ross responsible for the foundation
of Portmarnock Golf Club. The two men were exploring the peninsula
from Sutton, whilst rowing across the estuary they discovered
the site which is now the home of the Portmarnock Golf Club.
They secured a long term lease from its owners The Jameson family
better known now for their whiskey.
9
holes were laid out with the formal opening in 1894 with 18
holes by 1896 and 27 holes by 1971. The three nines are denoted
by colour, the red, blue and yellow nines. The championship
course offers Links as it should be, Bernard Darwin wrote
“I know of no greater finish in the world than that
of the last five holes at Portmarnock”. Ben Crenshaw
said while playing in The Irish Open 1976 “that 15th
Par 3 hole is the shortest Par 5 I have ever played!”
Ben had a double bogey 5 each day of the event, yet he still
won. The 15th would be the course's signature hole with views
of Ireland’s Eye and Lambay Island to your right with
out of bounds all the way to the hole. Nick Faldo and Greg
Norman named the 185 yard 15th in their “best in the
world” category while Ben wanted to take it home to
America.
Invariably
rated as one of Ireland’s best courses, it is a true
Championship Links hosting the British Amateur Championship
in 1949, the Canada Cup now the World Cup in 1960. Portmarnock
was also stage to the first sell out and live televised Walker
Cup match in 1991. Another first it was to stage and pay for
the inaugural Irish Open in 1927 continuing to be host for
12 more with the Irish Open European Event returning for the
13th time in July 2003. In many ways it is the spiritual home
of the event and intrinsically linked to Irish golf.
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Dublin
City
Gallery
of Modern Art Guided tours, recitals, and lectures are offered.
Old
Jameson Distillery in Smithfield Village, at the end
of your tour you get to taste.
National
Museum of Ireland, includes displays and exhibitions of Ireland's
social economic and military history.
Take
a walking tour of Dublin City Center
40
minutes south is the "Garden of Ireland which has : Glendalough
a 6th century monastic site that was founded by St. Kevin. It
has a stone tower that stands 110 feet tall, several churches,
a cathedral, and many other monastic buildings, ruins and sites.
1
hour to Powerscourt a beautiful estate with
some of the finest gardens in Europe. It is also home to the
highest waterfall in Ireland.
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