Type Private Designed by William Pickeman Course record 64, Thomas Bjørn Province Leinster Established 1894 | Website portmarnockgolfclub.ie Par 72 Length 6,824 m Phone +353 1 846 2968 Total holes 27 | |
 | ||
Address Golf Links Rd, Stapolin, Portmarnock, Co. Dublin, D13 KD96, Ireland Similar The Royal Dublin Golf Club, Royal County Down Gol, Royal Portrush Golf Club, Ballybunion Golf Club, K Club Profiles | ||
Portmarnock golf club dublin ireland
Portmarnock Golf Club is a links golf club in the Republic of Ireland, located 15 minutes from Dublin Airport.
Contents
- Portmarnock golf club dublin ireland
- Portmarnock golf club 1991 walker cup highlights
- Discrimination claims
- References
On Christmas Eve 1893, an insurance broker named W.C.Pickeman and his friend George Ross rowed over from Sutton to Portmarnock peninsula to explore the possibility of creating a golf links. The peninsula is about two miles long and covers over 500 acres. 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 of 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, 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.
The links green rates and online tee times are available online. It is regularly famed as one of the world's greatest links golf clubs. In 2014/15 it was voted as the best golf links in Ireland through Golf Digest magazine.
Some notable quotations from Professional Golfers
Portmarnock golf club 1991 walker cup highlights
Discrimination claims
The club has been at the centre of controversy, by continuing to bar women from becoming members. In 2003 the Equality Authority of Ireland brought a successful discrimination case in the Dublin District Court under which the club's drinks licence was suspended for 7 days. The finding was overturned in the High Court in 2005, and again in the Supreme Court in 2009, allowing the club to keep its men-only policy.
In 2005, the High Courts decision in the Equal Authority v. Portmarnock Golf Club & Ors case set back any potential progress in the fight for gender equality. While the authority argued such discrimination could not be protected by Section 9 of the ESA because the club providing a space for golf is not necessarily a “need” of men, the Supreme Court believed it was fair to hold Portmarnock Golf Club as a nondiscriminatory club under the Equal Status Act, ruling the fundamental purpose of the club was golf.
Portmarnock Golf Club’s men-only policy is legally enforceable due to its exemption under equal status legislation. The reason for this discrimination against women is because the club has claimed their main purpose is to accommodate the needs of only one gender. Section 9 of the Equal Status Act states that clubs whose main purpose is to serve the needs of only one gender may be considered nondiscriminatory. However, Section 8 of the ESA holds that a club will be considered discriminatory if there is anything, such as a rule or practice that exempts a qualified member or an applicant for membership from being a member of the club. In addition, Section 8 claims a club is considered to be discriminatory if there are different terms and conditions of membership for different individuals. Because Section 8 prohibits gender discrimination, Portmarnock was technically a discriminating club under Section 8 of the ESA.
Women are only able to play at the north Dublin course, but are not granted the ability to become a full member. Pormarnock Golf Club is one of only two top golf clubs in Ireland that still prohibits women from becoming members. Not only have women been banned from becoming full members of the club, but claims have been made stating women’s tee times have been limited, and equal voting rights have not been granted. Women are excluded from memberships while being limited to the utilization of the courses and the courses clubhouse.