Historic Golf Clubs
in Ireland

Golf arrived in Ireland in the late 19th century and found a country perfectly suited to it. The land along the coast — windswept, naturally contoured, drained by centuries of Atlantic weather — needed almost no modification to become exceptional golf terrain. The result was a series of links courses that are now counted among the finest anywhere in the world.

Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, Lahinch, Portmarnock — these names are known to serious golfers on every continent. But behind the famous names lies a quieter story: dozens of clubs founded in the same era that have maintained their traditions, their greens, and their memberships through more than a century of Irish history.

Ireland has 119 golf clubs in The Centenary database that are 100 years or older. Among them are 3 clubs that hold a Royal designation. Together they tell the story of how a small island became one of the world's great golfing destinations.

Below you will find the complete list, ordered by founding year. We also show which clubs currently qualify for The Centenary network based on our Provenance Index — our transparent measure of a club's international and regional standing.