Four men, a boat, and land ahead,

To cross the channel for golf they said.

Dunes so high and grass so dense,

To build a links, why that makes sense!

Pure and true, with so many stories told,

The Island Golf Club is one to behold.

Go to Ireland and make sure you play

One of the original 12 of golf's early days.

What do a lawyer, a brewery owner, and two bankers have in common? Take it back to 1887 when roads were sparse, and golf was too.  Four men, a boat, an estuary, a vast wilderness of land, inclusive of low to high sand dunes, and extensive views to the sea and lush Irish countryside. The men were documented as friends, golf enthusiasts, and business men from Malahide, a small village just north of the big bustling city of Dublin.  From the peninsula across the waters, the distance was a mere half a mile.  However, at that time, there was a road but it was long and not well suited for travel; however, there were boats, and most definitely - spirit of inquiry, interest, and desire.

Golf brings out the best (and perhaps worst) in us; it also brings out the adventurist and enthusiast.  In the late 1880s, this was no different.  As curiosity mounted, the men donned their wellies, rain jackets and hats, and set foot into a small row boat, destination across the water to the crag of land extending into the sea.  Upon reaching ground, the men’s dream began.  How to build a course utilizing nature’s most perfect landscape, and how to structure a new golf “club.”  The four men became a group of 10, all bachelors at the time, and the group that would “found” the club in 1890 would be called “the Bacherlors.”  However, it wouldn’t be long that some of the men would settle down and get married, thereby disassociating with the name “bachelor.”  With a meeting of the minds, and a promising future of what they had started, the group formerly reestablished and renamed itself - “the Syndicate.”  They would lease the land, “hire” a local farmer to cut back the grass and brush to prepare it for mowing, as mowing would be in that day.  Though there is no account on who originally laid out the initial 18 holes, what whoever did certainly utilizing the hills and valley, and nooks and crannies, in the most honorable way to Mother Nature.

Since the club had no association or connection to the military, as so many of the courses did at that time, a membership was formed by the Syndicate as a private club, to be used by the members and their families.  Eventually, the original ten allowed “others” to join the club but only on an annual basis.  They were called “ticket holders” which, over the years, became “associate member.”

There are so many wonderful photos in the clubhouse, all of which tell the story of how the Island Golf Club came to be.  A few favorites have to be the original clubhouse that was constructed of wood and corrugated-iron, and its follow up erected in 1904.  One picture (above) shows the men and women of Malahide dressed in what looks to be “athletic” garb for the time.  The sophistication and elegance shines though the black and white nostalgia, indicating the era.  And remember, access to “the island” was still by boat, and would be for the next 90+ years.  So ladies in the long skirts, sans the bustle - at least hopefully, and men in their single, sometimes double, breasted blazers, would have to wait for the boatmen to return from the other side of the channel.  A clever system was devised utilizing a large disc, mounted on the side of the clubhouse.  When the golfer was ready to depart, the disc would open to show a combination of red and white coloring.  This would be seen by the boatman, readying him for the return row.  If no one was in waiting, the disc would close to green, blending in with the clubhouse wall.  Brilliant!  As noted above, boat service would extend until 1973.  A new clubhouse closer to a road would be designed and opened at this time, and need for water travel ended.

No one really knows who designed the earliest 18 hole layout, but whoever did had so much foresight.  Seven new holes and multiple modifications over the years have made the Island GC one of the special golf courses in Ireland, at least in my opinion.  Eddie Hackett, Fred and Martin Hawtree, Mackenzie & Ebert have all put there fingers in the design, but it is the original creation that still glistens on a beautiful Irish evening.

Arriving at the Island Golf Club remains the same since 1973.  The clubhouse, practice area, golf course.  Perhaps the biggest difference is the newly gained, and well deserved fame, and the multiple “tour buses” that line the asphalted parking lots.  Golfers from all over the world are finding their soft spikes on the first tee of this historically grounded links.  To say it is well worth the day is an understatement, and to say that the course is anything less than remarkable, well…they don’t know golf.

Grab your clubs, take enough golf balls for the front nine, make sure your camera has enough battery life, and get your legs ready.  The dunes are awaiting!   The 9th does come back to the clubhouse so there will be ample opportunity for energy and reloading.

So, let’s play the course!

Threading the needle at hole #1

The opening hole at the Island looks simple, uncomplicated, straightforward, at least on the card.  It is anything but.  With only three tees from which to play, even the forward is a long haul of a par 4.  Narrow and harrowing, the tee shot sets the tone for the day and the accuracy that will be demanded in your game.  Though the sides of the fairway do not start closing in until halfway down the hole, there is still the requirement of “hitting it straight” aiming for the left center of the fairway. For many additional swings might be necessary before getting to the green, and for those who can arrive in two, just make sure to thread the needle as entry into the green is small.  No bunkers, just humps and knolls.  The first green is small, but elevated. Due to the back to front slope, it is very conducive to the bump and run, so take that into consideration!

Lower dunes and a wee bit more landing area gives you the opportunity of letting out the shaft on the drive.  A very slight dogleg to the left inspires you to line the right side of the fairway, offering a clearer, sight into the green.  The yardage is shorter than the first, so if you do have the length to carry the corner on the left, then you can cut off quite bit for the approach.  And if true to form for the day you play, the prevailing wind will give a little hurt for an already mid-iron to hybrid in.  Coming in from the left also clears the way between the two bunkers that guard the incredibly sloping green.

After two difficult starting holes, the par 5, third, gives a bit of a breather.  Parallel to the sea, with wall-like dunes buffering the incoming winds, the hole is fairly open once you land over the initial carry.  Two fairway bunkers cause a little challenge so check the yardage before taking out the driver.  It can be a two shot arrival for some of the long hitters, but playing smart will enhance your chance of walking off the green with a smile.  In addition, the green drops off considerably on the right side, making for a very difficult up and down.  So laying up to a yardage you know will find the middle of the green, or short for a bump and run, is key to success on this hole.  The putt will break toward the slope and the water.

Yikes! Don't get in here! Hole 4

The only par 3 on the front is at number 4.  Epically beautiful and especially sublime.  This hole starts with elevation from tee to green, views down the coast, and a shot before you that calls your attention.  What distance lacks, accuracy demands.  Choosing the correct club is your job here.  Anything left, right, front, or back will, most likely, find a collection area as the green is domed, crowned, bowled.  All carry with not a lot of room between the low dunes and the green, demands a well struck shot.  Camera ready hole!

View to the clubhouse - #5

For me, this was one of the hardest holes on the course.  A slight dogleg to the right,

though not overly long, the architect’s “ask” for a fade, is a tough call against the incoming wind.  It looks like the landing area opens to the left but it is a little false.  Aim at the left center and let the hills and valleys, contours of the fairway, take the ball to its next spot.  It is all you can do.  The approach in is timid with only a lone bunker, but the green is smaller and slopes in pretty much every direction.  Take your score and move on.

After a blind tee shot, upon approach - ring the bell - #6

How does one describe the magnificence of this hole?  Many of the Irish courses of old have at least one of the “blind” driving holes, and for the Island Club, the sixth hole it is.  A short par 4 that starts with a tee, a drive, a pole, and a prayer.  Look at the stake, set your alignment, settle your stance, breathe out, and swing.  Only the ball knows where it will go!  Start your walk, cart ride, and crest the hill in front.  The other side opens to a field of moguls, none of which you can control, so find your ball, get the yardage and hit your shot into the green.  There are three green-side bunkers, but they really should not cause you too much trouble, especially if you can come in from the left side of the fairway.  And don’t forget to ring the bell for those behind…how can you not love that?

A very short par 4 comes in at the seventh.  The yardage will tempt and persuade you to cut the corner on the left for all intensive purposes of getting to the green, or just shortly thereof on your drive.  With high dunes on the left, the much brighter play is to take aim on the right fairway bunker, lay up 10-15 yards back, leaving a short club into the green.  The green is small so anything other than a short iron will be hard to hold.  If you need to hit longer club, think of landing it a wee bit short and let it bounce in.  This is a really well designed hole for the yardage.

The carry off the tee is real.  The landing area is a poke away so gather your mojo and let is loose here.  Line up just to the right of the fairway bunkers and let it all out.  This is one of the longer holes on the front nine.  A good drive will still require a mid iron to hybrid into the green, for most people.  Balancing the green-side bunker on the right is a drop off to the left, so being diligent and dialed in is important.  The green gradually moves uphill about 15 yards, another perfect opportunity to bump it into the hill for a nice shot to the green.

A view from the sand off the 9th fairway

Rounding the nine is the interesting par 4, ninth.  A new hole as of 2020, the tee shot is the key, again asking for a good drive to carry the low dunes.  Without it, this hole will eat your lunch! The higher dunes come back into play with a vengeance, causing lost balls and frustration if the drive goes wayward.  Avoid that by picking a spot to the right center of the fairway and manifest its destiny.  With a single bunker green-side right, coming in from the right opens the left side of the green.  This is a precision hole to say the very least.

And there you go…front nine at the Island Golf Club is in the books!  Reload if necessary, grab a sandwich (maybe a Guinness?) and move over to the 10th tee.  The back nine is just plain fun and full of Irish flora and fauna.  Prior to teeing off, load a birding app!  As a protected area, there are so many different birds that grace the spaces between the dunes.

Wayward shots do give gifts - off the 10th

Let’s start the back with a bold par 5.  The 10th hole takes you down a narrow dogleg to the right.  From the tee, take target at the fairway bunkers, the second one to be exact, and trust your swing.  This is a fairly long hole but one that can be tackled by playing it the right way.  The instinct would be to squeeze the out of bounds stakes on the right to gain a bit of yardage, but adhere to the strategy and take it left.  From there, the second opens up down the middle, though do stay clear of the pot bunker hidden left.  There is a ridge in that crosses the fairway that will kick the ball right, so take heed.  With the approach heading back into the sea, make sure to test the wind.  The best opening is to the left center of the green.

Short but strict, easy yet challenging.  The 11th hole at the Island is fairly benign with the exception of swales that will capsize the vessel, wayward ball, if given a chance.  They are in the middle of the fairway and toward the green.  The trough that lines the left side of the fairway, the closer you get to the green, will bounce the ball to the right.  While there are no sand traps near the putting surface so the only issue is missing your approach right.  It is prime for a bump and run.

Working back to the sea, this long par 4 is strong and willing.  It can take you down if you let it, but you can also conquer.  A long carry over the low dunes takes the drive, hopefully, down the left side.  It is the play, even if it sets up as a dogleg to the left as there is long, wispy, hay-like grasses to the right (I called it the “Venus Flytrap!).  With the winds coming off the sea, it might take a few more shots to approach the green, and that is okay.  Better to protect against the higher number and accept one more than you may have wanted.  The green is tucked into between the dunes and sea. Just a stunning sight.

Beautiful view behind green #13

The second of the three par 3s at the Island Golf Club.  With the coastline to the right, waves crashing in the distance, and Malahide straight ahead.  The tee shot on the 13th is directly out of Golf Architectural Digest.  There is a large carry even before arriving at the grass bunker that protects the green.  If you have the club to get you there, then go for the middle of the putting surface.  And if there is any skepticism in your swing, take the route to the left.  It will leave you a nice bump and run and chance for par.

Named the “Old Clubhouse” - this hole take you along the way where the original clubhouse once stood. Straight as an arrow, the tee shot needs to hit the bulls-eye in order to stay in the fairway.  As such, and due to the shorter yardage, the suggestion is back down from the driver and hit the 3 or 5 wood, even a hybrid off the tee.  There is a water hazard to the right, but don’t even look over there.  Just take it down the left…all the way to the green.

The narrows off the tee at 15

Wow.  The 15th hole.  One of the best designed creations on the course.  It is just a glorious hole. Nestled between the lower dunes and grassy flora off the tee, the fairway opens up to rolls and knolls that give texture and flavor to perfect links hole.  The target with the driver is up the left side as the natural countryside will kick it to the right.  The high dunes that arrive during the second shot give you thought to ricochet, but trust me, the grass that rides up the dune will only gobble the ball.  There is one green-side bunker that guards the approach so if there is a second strategy, play it short and bump it up.

The last of the par 3s and it is a good one.  A long iron to hybrid is needed for the hole aptly named “Andes.”   The tee box sits on top of a series of dunes that shoots down through a number of low and high mounds.  There are a couple of bunkers that guard each side of the green, but there is a clear opening if you just split the two.  The “Andes” that line the left side of the hole give rise to the third to last hole.

The 17th hole is the second of the final trio at the Island GC.  Just a slight curve, not even dogleg, welcomes you as you set up for a tee shot aimed toward the second bunker down the right.  Left will leave you mountain climbing, so do try to avoid as the end of the round is near, and energy needs to be preserved! It is a fairly long hole but moderately easier than a few that have come before.  Suggestion is to come in from the left side of the green to open up your selection of shots.

Hole 18

And then the 18th.  It is hard to articulate the feeling you get when standing on the last tee box, looking through the hourglass style fairway.  The round is almost over, there is a Guinness waiting for you, but there is one tough test ahead of you.  With length at the helm, driver is the club of choice.  A double black diamond mogul field separate your tee shot from the fairway, and then the narrow part of the glass needs to be threaded.  Once the ball airs through it all, the hole opens up for a fairly generous area for landing.

Gobble, gobble - the grasses at the Island GC

With the deepest green before you, and a bunker left and one right, if it takes one more shot to get there, so be it!  This is the last hole so end with a positive feeling.  Knock that putt in, turn to back to the tee, and tip your hat.

As you make your way off the course and into the clubhouse, regardless of “hat head,” it is mandatory to remove your your cap.  The locker rooms are well equipped with anything you might need for a comfortable sitting in the dining room, and it the experience is well worth it.  Pictures of years gone by adorn the walls, keeping you occupied as you wait for the well deserved drink of choice.  If the weather is nice, the patio is ideal.  A panoramic view of the course takes you back to just a few hours before.

The Island Golf Club. A walk through Irish history.  An experience that warms your heart.  A true test of the game.  And memories to last a lifetime. Thank you for all that you are, all that you represent in the world of golf.  Purity in its simplest, yet most dramatic and exciting, form.