Royal Dublin's Less Well-Known Neighbour On The Tiny Island That's Home To Two Great Links

Looking back up the 18th hole at St Anne's links in Dublin

(Image credit: Kevin Markham)

The evolution of Dublin’s North Bull Island is a fascinating one, for it owes its creation directly to Captain William Bligh. His soundings of Dublin Bay in 1800 paved the way for an island, five kilometres wide, of low dunes. Today, it is home to a vast beach, a bird sanctuary and two links courses.

There is room for little else. It is surrounded by a cityscape that is dominated by the tall red and white striped Poolbeg chimney stacks, set against the Dublin Mountains. Ferries, cruise liners and cargo ships routinely slink by, heading sedately across the Irish Sea.

The Poolbeg chimney stacks at St Anne's links — The striking Poolbeg chimney stacks beyond the 8th hole

To the south of the island is Harry Colt’s revered Royal Dublin, while to the north is a course that recently celebrated its centenary, but is little known. It is a low links of constant ripple, and, like the passing ships, there is a sedate slinkiness to its movement.

St Anne’s Golf Club opened with a nine-hole layout in 1921. In 1989, Eddie Hackett extended the course to create a neatly packaged 18 holes. He introduced many excellent green sites and challenges that require multiple playings to fully unravel.

Something different

St Anne’s doesn’t pretend to compete with neighbouring Royal Dublin, nor does it need to. This is links golf of a different hue. St Anne’s is one of the most popular clubs around Dublin, with an atmosphere to match, and a uniquely shaped clubhouse that is always buzzing with activity.

Looking up 18 towards St Anne's distinctive clubhouse

The course may appear to flow over level, flat terrain but it is anything but, and you will have to do your level best to figure out how to adapt your game to the constant curves, the crumpled fairways and the sweeping breezes that envelop every hole.

It is a wonderful test of links golf. The 519-yard par-5 1st is the perfect introduction to what lies ahead, showing off those tight, rippling fairways while presenting you with an opening birdie opportunity to set the tone for your day.

St Anne's 8th green at sunrise — Sunrise over the 8th green at St Anne's

Look beyond the star names

It can be all too easy to pass St Anne’s by because of the high profile of its neighbours – Portmarnock and Jameson Links also lie close by – but this is another quality and punchy links, and one that is justifiably proud of its excellent conditioning.

It comes with a sweet set of four par 3s, the highlights of which come at 10 and 17. The 158-yard 10th plays over a long stretch of water while the 178-yard 17th, named Kitchen, has a small green sitting low in a tight nest of dunes, with gorse behind and the clubhouse beyond.

● Essentials
Bull Island Nature Reserve, Dollymount, Dublin 5, Ireland
Stats: par 71, 6,526 yards
Green fees: €150-€200

(Green fees correct at time of publication in February 2026)

Kevin Markham stepped into a campervan in 2007, and spent the next 14 months playing every 18-hole golf course in Ireland… 360 of them. He wrote two books on the back of those travels and has been working in the golf industry ever since, both as a freelance writer and a photographer. His love of golf courses has seen him playing extensively in Scotland, as well as across Europe. In total, he has played over 550 courses including most of Scotland’s top 100, and over half of Portugal’s growing number. He writes for the Irish Examiner newspaper, Irish Golfer magazine, and Destination Golf, and is a regular contributor to Golf Monthly. He has his own photography website – kevinmarkhamphotography.com – and spends hours on golf courses waiting to capture the perfect sunrise or sunset.

Kevin can be contacted via Twitter - @kevinmarkham

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