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In
September 1887, 4 men rowed across the channel, which separates the
North County Dublin village of Malahide from the spur of land to the
north known locally as "The Island". Their mission was to
survey this "wilderness" and assess its suitability as a golf
course. The four men - a brewery proprietor, a solicitor and 2 bankers
viewed the location for the afternoon and made their decision. It was
from these humble beginnings, that the Island Golf Club was formed in
1890 and from then, it has gone from strength to strength.
Due to the demands of modern golf, the course underwent a redesign some
years ago. Fred Hawtree and Eddie Hackett set out with the goal of
increasing the course length and cutting blind shots and they achieved
magnificent results. The course still retains all the character and
charm that was inherent at The Island.
Since then, The Island has hosted the Irish Ladies Close Championships
in 1990 and the Irish Close Championship in 1998. Even still, the course
has failed to gain the reputation it deserves among the general golfing
public. However, any perception that this course is in any way second
rate is definitely misguided. The Island, without a doubt, is one of the
finest links courses in Ireland. It can be deservedly mentioned in the
same breath as Portmarnock, Ballybunion, Lahinch, Royal Dublin or indeed
any of Ireland's finest links courses. |
