Clampett - Golf at Tramore Ireland 1900s (6158047183)

Golf in Ireland dates to at least the mid-19th century, with the

Royal Curragh Golf Club The Royal Curragh Golf Club is a private members' club with an 18-hole golf course in County Kildare, Ireland. Dating from 1858, it is the oldest golf club in Ireland. Located next to Curragh Camp, its course has historically had strong links t ...

(the first

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

club in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

) being founded in 1858. The two "oldest governing bodies in world golf", the

Golfing Union of Ireland The Golfing Union of Ireland (GUI) (Irish: ''Aontas Gailf na hÉireann (AGÉ)'') was the governing body for men's and boy's amateur golf across the island of Ireland. Formed in 1891, the GUI was the first national golfing union to be established ...

(GUI) and the Irish Ladies Golf Union (ILGU), were formed in 1891 and 1893 respectively. By 2008, the GUI had 166,419 members and the ILGU had 49,822 members, making them the third and seventh largest sports associations by membership base in Ireland. Operating as separate (men's and ladies') unions for over 120 years, the two entities formed a combined organisation, Golf Ireland, which ratified its first board in early 2021. As of the 21st century, golf is among the most-played sports in the country, with a 2008 report for the

Irish Sports Council Sport Ireland ( ga, Spórt Éireann), formerly the Irish Sports Council, is a statutory authority that oversees, and partly funds, the development of sport within Ireland. It is located at the National Sports Campus in the townland of Sheephil ...

indicating that golf was then the fourth most popular sport by participation rate. As of 2009, Ireland reportedly had the fourth most golf courses per capita in the world, and a 2012

Fáilte Ireland Fáilte Ireland is the operating name of the National Tourism Development Authority of the Republic of Ireland. This authority was established under the National Tourism Development Authority Act of 2003 and replaces and builds upon the functions ...

report stated that overseas visitors to the country spent €183m on golfing activities.

History of golf in Ireland

Early development

Golf in the modern world originated from a game played on the eastern coast of Scotland during the 15th century. The game later spread throughout the (then) British Empire, including to Ireland. While golf may have been played near Bray in

County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ga, Contae Chill Mhantáin ) is a county in Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is bordered ...

during the 1760s, the game in Ireland largely developed during the mid-19th century, when a number of courses were built. One of the oldest and most popular at this time was the

, which was founded in 1858.

Formation of amateur organisations

The

(GUI) was established in 1891, making it the oldest national golfing union in the world.Menton, William A., (1991) The Golfing Union of Ireland, 1891 - 1991, p.14 Based at

Carton House Carton House is a country house and surrounding demesne that was the ancestral seat of the Earls of Kildare and Dukes of Leinster for over 700 years. Located 23 km west of Dublin, in Maynooth, County Kildare, the Carton Demesne is a 1,100 a ...

Maynooth Maynooth (; ga, Maigh Nuad) is a university town in north County Kildare, Ireland. It is home to Maynooth University (part of the National University of Ireland and also known as the National University of Ireland, Maynooth) and St Patrick ...

, as of 2018, it represented 430 golf clubs and 170,000 members. The Irish Ladies' Golf Union (ILGU) was founded in 1893, just two years after the GUI, and is recognised as the "oldest Ladies Golf Union in the world". Based at Sandyford in Dublin, as of 2008 the ILGU had almost 50,000 members. Following a consultation process which commenced in 2015, and after separate votes by representatives of both the GUI and ILGU, the two "oldest governing bodies in world golf" agreed to form a new joint governing organisation for golf in Ireland. The new combined body, "Golf Ireland", held its first general meeting (and ratified its first board and association president) in February 2021.

Professional and other organisations

The

Professional Golfers' Association (Great Britain and Ireland) The Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) is the professional body which represents the interests of teaching and club golf professionals in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It was established in 1901 and is based at The Belfry ...

was founded in 1901 and is based out of

The Belfry The Belfry is a golf resort and hotel in Wishaw, Warwickshire, close to Sutton Coldfield, England, located approximately 8 miles from the centre of Birmingham. It was acquired by KSL Capital Partners in August 2012. The resort has three golf ...

, England. It was established to professionalise careers in golf and grow the golf community in Great Britain and Ireland. The Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) initially included 70 members, later growing to over 7,500. The Confederation of Golf in Ireland is an umbrella body, formed by the GUI, ILGU and the PGA, to "help advance the sport of golf on the island of Ireland".

Tournaments

The Irish PGA Championship has been held annually at many of the nation's courses since its founding in 1907. It is the oldest tournament in Ireland. The Irish Open is a professional tournament established in 1927. It was revived in 1975 and is now on the

European Tour The European Tour (currently known as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons), legally the PGA European Tour is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European Senior Tour (for players aged fif ...

and a qualifying event for the

Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

. The

Irish Amateur Open Championship The Irish Amateur Open Championship is an amateur golf tournament held annually in Ireland and organised by the Golf Ireland. The championship has been played as a 72-hole stroke-play event since 1958. Previously it was played as a match-play t ...

is a 72-hole stroke play event established in 1892 by the

. It has been held at the

Royal Dublin Golf Club The Royal Dublin Golf Club, founded in 1885, is Ireland's third oldest golf club. It is a private members' club, with an 18-hole links course on Bull Island, Dublin, Ireland. The championship routing that we recognise today was by designed b ...

since 2007. The

Irish Senior Open The Irish Senior Open is the Irish stop on men's golf's European Senior Tour. It was played from 1997 to 2010 and was contested at several different courses around Ireland. From 1997 to 2007 it was sponsored by Allied Irish Banks. In 2021, the tou ...

is a 54-hole stroke play event in the

European Seniors Tour The Legends Tour is the current branding of the European Senior Tour, a professional tour for male golfers aged 50 and over, run by the PGA European Tour. The tour was branded as the Staysure Tour for the 2018 and 2019 seasons after UK-based insur ...

. It was established in 1997. The Volopa Irish Challenge was established in 2015 and is a tournament on the

Challenge Tour The Challenge Tour is the second-tier men's professional golf tour in Europe. It is operated by the PGA European Tour and, as with on the main European Tour and the European Senior Tour, some of the events are played outside Europe. History ...

Past tournaments held in Ireland

* Carroll's International * Celtic International * Challenge of Ireland * Greenore Professional Tournament * Irish Hospitals Tournament * Jeyes Tournament * Kerrygold International Classic *

Ladies Irish Open The Women's Irish Open is a professional golf tournament on the Ladies European Tour (LET), held in the Republic of Ireland. The tournament became part of the LET schedule in 1994 and ran for ten editions through 2003. After a four-year hiatus, ...

* North West of Ireland Open *

Portmarnock Professional Tournament The Portmarnock Professional Tournament was a golf tournament played in Portmarnock, Ireland. The event was held just once, in 1910, and had total prize money of £250, provided by the Portmarnock club. The tournament was won by James Sherlock wh ...

* R.T.V. International Trophy

Notable courses

Aerial View of Portmarnock Golf Club and peninsula

There are around 300 different courses on the island of Ireland. Around the entire coast of Ireland are links-style golf courses, played on sandy soils with firm conditions, often with views of the sea while inland there is a wide variety of parkland courses more usually containing trees and water hazards. There are a number of historic courses in Ireland, whether that be tournament hosting history such as

Portmarnock Portmarnock () is a coastal suburban settlement in Fingal, Ireland, with significant beaches, a modest commercial core and inland residential estates, and two golf courses, including one of Ireland's best-known golf clubs. , the population was ...

in the Dublin region, which was home to fifteen Irish Opens or Royal Portrush in County Antrim, the only course in Ireland to have held The Open Championship. A number of other clubs and courses were established in the 19th century such as the

in Kildare (1858) and

Lahinch Golf Club Lahinch Golf Club is a links golf course in western Ireland, in the town of Lahinch on the northwest coast of County Clare in northern Munster. It is situated approximately northwest of the town of Ennis. In 2016, ''Golf Digest'' ranked the ...

in County Clare (1894). Below is a list of some of the notable courses in Ireland; Ballybunion Golf Club - 7th hole

Courses in Ireland

* Adare Manor Golf Club * Ballybunion Golf Club (Old) * Ballyliffin Golf Club (Glashedy) * Ballyliffin Golf Club (Old) * Belmullet Golf Club (Carne) * Blainroe Golf Club *

County Louth Golf Club County Louth Golf Club is a links golf course located in the village of Baltray, County Louth in Ireland. It is situated approximately 4 miles from the town of Drogheda. The Irish Open professional golf tournament which is part of the PGA Euro ...

* County Sligo Golf CLub (Championship) *

Cork Golf Club Cork Golf Club is a golf club located in Little Island, Cork, Republic of Ireland. History The club, founded in 1888, hosted the 1932 Irish Open, won by Alf Padgham Alfred Harry Padgham (2 July 1906 – 4 March 1966) was one of the leading ...

* Donegal Golf Club * Dooks Golf Club * Druids Glen Golf Club * Enniscrone Golf Club(Dunes) * European Club * Fota Island Golf Club (Deerpark) * Headfort Golf Club (New) * Island Golf Club * K Club (Palmer) * Killarney Golf and Fishing Club (Killeen) * Killeen Castle Golf Club * Lahinch Golf Club (Old) * Mount Juliet Golf Course Conrad * Old Head Golf Links * Portmarnock Golf Club (Championship) * Portsalon Golf Club * Rosapenna Golf Club (Sandy Hills) *

Tralee Golf Club Tralee Golf Club is an 18-hole links golf course, at Barrow, near Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland. Overview The records show that golf has been played in Tralee since 1896 in various locations such as Oakpark, Fenit, the site of the present d ...

* Trump International Golf Links, Doonbeg * Waterville Golf Club

Notable golfers

Pádraig Harrington Pádraig Peter Harrington (born 31 August 1971) is an Irish professional golfer who plays on the European Tour, PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions. He has won three major championships: The Open Championship in 2007 and 2008 and the PGA Champ ...

was the first golfer from Ireland to win

The Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later t ...

Shane Lowry Shane Lowry (born 2 April 1987) is an Irish professional golfer who plays on the European Tour and the PGA Tour. His notable achievements include winning the 2019 Open Championship, the Irish Open as an amateur in 2009, and the 2015 WGC-Brid ...

won The Open Championship 2019 at Royal Portrush. Other notable Irish golfers include:

Darren Clarke Darren Christopher Clarke, (born 14 August 1968) is a professional golfer from Northern Ireland who currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions and has previously played on the European Tour and PGA Tour. He has won 21 tournaments worldwide on ...

Rory McIlroy Rory Daniel McIlroy (born 4 May 1989) is a professional golfer from Northern Ireland who is a member of both the European and PGA Tours. He is the current world number one in the Official World Golf Ranking, and has spent over 100 weeks in th ...

Graeme McDowell Graeme McDowell (born 30 July 1979) is a professional golfer from Northern Ireland. He has a total of eleven tournament victories on the European Tour, and four on the PGA Tour, including one major championship, the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble ...

, Alexander William Shaw (founder of

Lahinch Lahinch or Lehinch ( ''or'' ) is a small town on Liscannor Bay, on the northwest coast of County Clare, Ireland. It lies on the N67 national secondary road, between Milltown Malbay and Ennistymon, roughly by road southwest of Galway and nort ...

and

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

golf clubs),

Rhona Adair Rhona Kathleen Adair (2 September 1881 – 27 March 1961) was an Irish amateur golfer. She won the British Ladies Amateur twice and the Irish Ladies' Close Championships four times at the start of the twentieth century. Life Adair was bor ...

(who contributed to the first American book on golfing for women entitled ''Golf for Women'' in 1904),

Philomena Garvey Philomena Garvey (26 April 1926 – 5 May 2009) was an Irish amateur golfer, the daughter of James and Kathleen Garvey (née Owens). She was born in the village of Baltray, which is on the north shore of the Boyne estuary approximately four mil ...

(who won the

British Ladies Amateur The Women's Amateur Championship, previously known as the Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship, was founded in 1893 by the Ladies' Golf Union. It is organised by The R&A, which merged with the Ladies' Golf Union in 2017. Until the dawn of the ...

competition in 1957), and Paddy Skerritt (winner of the 1970 Alcan International).

Irish golfers

(1878–1961) * Hugh Boyle (28 January 1936 – 23 May 2015) * Harry Bradshaw (9 October 1913 – December 1990) *

Joe Carr Joseph Benedict Carr (22 February 1922 – 3 June 2004) was an Irish amateur golfer. Carr was born in Inchicore, a suburb of Dublin, Ireland, to George and Margaret Mary "Missie" Waters (the fifth of seven children). At 10 days old, he was ado ...

(22 February 1922 – 3 June 2004) *

Richie Coughlan Richard J. Coughlan (born 7 April 1974) is an Irish former professional golfer who played on the European Tour and the PGA Tour. Career In 1997, Coughlan became the first player in history to qualify for the PGA Tour and the European Tour in ...

(born 7 April 1974) *

Eamonn Darcy Eamonn Christopher Darcy (born 7 August 1952) is an Irish professional golfer. He won four times on the European Tour and played in the Ryder Cup four times. Professional career Darcy, with a handicap of 12, turned professional at the age of ...

(born 7 August 1952) * Pat Doyle (10 March 1889 – 29 March 1971) *

Paul Dunne } Paul Colum Dunne (born 26 November 1992) is an Irish professional golfer from Greystones in County Wicklow. He first came to prominence at the 2015 Open Championship where, playing as an amateur, he was tied for the lead after three rounds. In ...

(born 26 November 1992) *

(26 April 1926 – 5 May 2009) * Stephen Grant (born 14 April 1977) *

(born 31 August 1971) *

Mabel Harrison Mabel Harrison (1886 – 22 April 1972) was an Irish golfer, winner of the Irish Ladies' Close Championship in 1910, 1911, and 1912. (Some news reports referred to her, apparently in error, as Mary Harrison.) Early life Frances Mabel Harrison ...

(1886 – 22 April 1972) * Florence Hezlet (c. 1884 – 2 November 1945) * David Higgins (born 1 December 1972) *

Justin Kehoe Justin Kehoe (born 14 February 1980) is an Irish professional golfer. Kehoe, who turned pro in 2004, lives in Birr, County Offaly. He qualified for the 2007 Open Championship, but missed the cut following the first 36 holes. He plays mainly o ...

(born 14 February 1980) *

Jimmy Kinsella James J. Kinsella (born 25 May 1939) is an Irish professional golfer. Kinsella played on the European Tour in the 1970s, winning the 1972 Madrid Open. He played on the European Seniors Tour in its first three seasons, 1992–94. Professional ...

(born 25 May 1939) *

Peter Lawrie Peter Lawrie (born 22 March 1974) is an Irish professional golfer. Early life Lawrie was born in Dublin and educated at Terenure College and University College Dublin, where he took up a golf scholarship. He won the 1996 Irish Amateur Clos ...

(born 22 March 1974) *

(born 2 April 1987) *

Leona Maguire Leona Maguire (born 30 November 1994) is an Irish professional golfer. She was ranked 1st in the world on the women's World Amateur Golf Ranking from May 2015 until May 2016 and then from August 2016 until February 2018. Maguire's 135 weeks ...

(born 30 November 1994) *

Lisa Maguire Lisa Maguire (born 30 November 1994) is a former Irish professional golfer. In 2011, she was ranked as high as 10th in the world on the World Amateur Golf Ranking. She retired in 2019. Life A native of County Cavan, her parents are schoolte ...

(born 30 November 1994) *

Jimmy Martin James Henry Martin (August 10, 1927 – May 14, 2005) was an American bluegrass musician, known as the "King of Bluegrass". Early years Martin was born in Sneedville, Tennessee, United States, and was raised in the hard farming life of rura ...

(1924 – 14 February 2000) * Joe McDermott (born 17 September 1940) *

Michael McGeady Michael McGeady (born 11 May 1978) is an Irish professional golfer. He turned professional in 2005. He tied for second in the 2006 Ireland Ryder Cup Challenge and secured his first win as a professional in 2008 at the SWALEC Wales Challenge. I ...

(born 11 May 1978) *

Paul McGinley Paul Noel McGinley (born 16 December 1966) is an Irish professional golfer who has won four events on the European Tour. At the 2002 Ryder Cup, he famously holed a ten-foot putt on the 18th hole in his match against Jim Furyk at The Belfry whi ...

(born 16 December 1966) *

Damien McGrane Damien McGrane (born 13 April 1971) is an Irish professional golfer. Early life and career McGrane was born in Kells, County Meath, Ireland. He turned professional in 1991. McGrane has had full status on the European Tour since 2003, and has ...

(born 13 April 1971) *

Mark McNulty Mark William McNulty (born 24 March 1953) is a Zimbabwean-Irish professional golfer. He was one of the leading players on the European Tour from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, and featured in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking for ...

(born 25 October 1953) *

Colm Moriarty Colm Moriarty (born 12 June 1979) is an Irish professional golfer. Moriarty was born in Dublin. He turned professional in 2003, after playing in the victorious Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team. He has competed mostly on lower level ...

(born 12 June 1979) *

Gary Murphy Gary Murphy (born 15 October 1972) is an Irish professional golfer. Career Murphy was born in Kilkenny and began playing golf aged 11, after caddying for his father, Jim, who has played an instrumental role in the development of young golf ...

(born 15 October 1972) * Keith Nolan (born 11 January 1973) *

Christy O'Connor Jnr Christy O'Connor Jnr (born Christopher O'Connor; 19 August 1948 – 6 January 2016) was an Irish professional golfer. He is best known for defeating American Fred Couples at the 1989 Ryder Cup, helping Europe secure the trophy. Early life O'C ...

(19 August 1948 – 6 January 2016) *

Christy O'Connor Snr Patrick Christopher "Christy" O'Connor (21 December 1924 – 14 May 2016) was an Irish professional golfer. He was one of the leading golfers on the British and Irish circuit from the mid-1950s. O'Connor won over 20 important British and Irish t ...

(21 December 1924 – 14 May 2016) * John O'Leary (18 August 1949 – 26 March 2020) * Denis O'Sullivan (born 11 March 1948) *

James Cecil Parke James Cecil Parke (26 July 1881 – 27 February 1946) was an Irish rugby union player, tennis player, golfer, solicitor and World War I veteran. He became an Olympic silver medallist, Davis Cup champion, Wimbledon Mixed Doubles winner and Au ...

(26 July 1881 – 27 February 1946) *

Kevin Phelan Kevin Phelan (born 8 November 1990) is an Irish professional golfer who finished T62nd at the 2013 U.S. Open. Phelan was born in Waterford, Ireland and grew up in St. Augustine, Florida. He played college golf at the University of North Florid ...

(born 8 November 1990) * Alexander William Shaw (27 October 1847 – 1923) * Paddy Skerritt (29 May 1926 – 21 November 2001) *

Des Smyth Desmond John Smyth (born 12 February 1953) is an Irish professional golfer. He won eight times on the European Tour between 1979 and 2001. He also had a successful senior career winning twice on the Champions Tour and five times on the European ...

(born 12 February 1953) * Simon Thornton (born 18 March 1977) *

Philip Walton Philip Joseph Walton (born 28 March 1962) is an Irish professional golfer. Walton attended Oklahoma State University in the United States and played for Great Britain & Ireland in the Walker Cup in 1981 and 1983. According to Ronan Rafferty, W ...

(born 28 March 1962) *

Philip Wynne Philip P. Wynne, Sr. ( – 17 January 1953) was an Irish professional golfer who played in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Wynne finished tied for tenth place in the 1898 Open Championship. Early life Wynne was born in County Lei ...

(c. 1873 – 17 January 1953)

References

{{Golf