How big is the Portmarnock Golf Club? All you need to know about the potential Open Championship venue

The R&A has expressed interest in the potential for Portmarnock Golf Club in Dublin to host the Open Championship and Women’s Open in the future. According to R&A Chief Executive Martin Slumbers, the main challenge would be addressing the logistical challenges of organizing the oldest major in Dublin.

Portmarnock Golf Club is a links golf club located in Portmarnock, County Dublin, Ireland. It is consistently ranked as one of the top golf courses in Ireland and is often featured in the list of the world's top 100 golf courses.

Portmarnock Golf Club opened on Saint Stephen's Day in 1894. William Pickeman initially designed a nine-hole course, which was later extended to 18 holes with the addition of a new clubhouse two years later. In 1971, nine more holes were added, designed by the British architect Fred Hawtree.

The championship course spans 7,466 yards. Here are the details of each hole on the championship course:

Front Nine:

• Hole 1: 417 yards, Par 4
• Hole 2: 411 yards, Par 4
• Hole 3: 398 yards, Par 4
• Hole 4: 474 yards, Par 4
• Hole 5: 422 yards, Par 4
• Hole 6: 601 yards, Par 5
• Hole 7: 184 yards, Par 3
• Hole 8: 427 yards, Par 4
• Hole 9: 454 yards, Par 4

Back Nine:

• Hole 10: 370 yards, Par 4
• Hole 11: 429 yards, Par 4
• Hole 12: 171 yards, Par 3
• Hole 13: 565 yards, Par 5
• Hole 14: 411 yards, Par 4
• Hole 15: 204 yards, Par 3
• Hole 16: 571 yards, Par 5
• Hole 17: 472 yards, Par 4
• Hole 18: 452 yards, Par 4

Total: 7,466 yards, par 72

Portmarnock Golf Club has hosted numerous events over the years. It was the venue for the inaugural Irish Open in 1927 and has since hosted it 19 times. Other notable events include the British Amateur Championship (in 1949 and 2019), the Walker Cup (in 1991), and the Canada Cup (in 1960).

Several golf greats, such as Harry Vardon, Henry Cotton, Bobby Locke, Arnold Palmer, Pádraig Harrington, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, David Duval, Paul McGinley, and Tiger Woods, have played at the Portmarnock Golf Club.

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Venues for the Open Championships over the years

Here are the Open Championship venues over the years:

1. Prestwick Golf Club (Prestwick, Scotland) - 24 times
2. Old Course at St Andrews (St Andrews, Scotland) - 30 times
3. Musselburgh Links (Musselburgh, Scotland) - 6 times
4. Muirfield (Gullane, Scotland) - 16 times
5. Royal St George's Golf Club (Sandwich, England) - 15 times
6. Royal Liverpool Golf Club (Hoylake, England) - 13 times
7. Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club (Deal, England) - 2 times
8. Royal Troon Golf Club (Troon, Scotland) - 9 times
9. Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club (Lytham St Annes, England) - 11 times
10. Carnoustie Golf Links (Carnoustie, Scotland) - 8 times
11. Prince's Golf Club (Sandwich, England) - 1 time
12. Royal Portrush Golf Club (Portrush, County Antrim, Northern Ireland) - 2 times
13. Royal Birkdale Golf Club (Southport, England) - 10 times
14. Turnberry (South Ayrshire, Scotland) - 4 times