The course opened on St. Stephen’s day 1894 with nine holes. It was extended to eighteen holes in 1896 with a new clubhouse and a further nine holes were added in 1971. The championship course follows the original layout although considerably lengthened (over 7,500 yards off the Championship tees). The only major change in the routing was the insertion in 1927 of a new now famous par three, the 15th hole.
Portmarnock was the venue for the first Irish Open in 1927 and has hosted the tournament on many occasions since, including 13 following its revival in 1975. Many other important golf tournaments have been held at the club, including the British Amateur Championship in 1949 and 2019, the Walker Cup in 1991, and the Canada Cup in 1960.
Over the course of 121 years Portmarnock Golf Club has welcomed some of the greatest players in the world from early greats such as Harry Vardon, Henry Cotton, Bobby Locke to the first super star of golf Arnold Palmer. In recent years Pádraig Harrington, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, David Duval, Paul McGinley and Tiger Woods have all walked the pristine links fairways.
In 2014/15 it was voted as the best golf links in Ireland through Golf Digest magazine.
