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Ireland has a preponderance of excellent golf courses of all types and visitors are just beginning to discover some of the best, including the many hidden gems that are so plentiful.

Portmarnock dates from 1894

However, there remains a prestigious listing, known as The Big Four, that are generally accepted as the cream of the crop on the Emerald Isle: Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, Ballybunion and Portmarnock. These are four outstanding links courses that contend with the greatest anywhere for a position among the very best and each holds a place in the World's Top 50 Rankings.

From the standpoint of aesthetics, Portmarnock may give the impression of being the plain Jane of the group -- it lacks the spectacular sand dunes of Ballybunion and has neither the dramatic cliff-top setting of Portrush nor the majestic backdrop of Royal County Down's, Mountains of Mourne. At first glance Portmarnock appears to be relatively flat, perhaps even boring. The views are generally uninspiring and you may well start wondering what all the fuss is about. But as the saying goes, beauty is only skin deep and looks can be very deceiving.

One of Ireland's top four - or perhaps the best of all.

What Portmarnock lacks in physical beauty, it more than makes up for with character, intelligence and pure integrity. This is one of the fairest links courses in existence with hardly a blind shot to be found. There is no trickery and no unpleasant surprises, just an honest to goodness test made all the more difficult by the typical wind, blowing in off Dublin Bay. Expert bunkering, superb greens and rough that should be avoided at all costs makes Portmarnock true links golf at its very best.

There are good reasons why this has been the selected site for more professional tournaments than any other course in Ireland. It has hosted The Irish Professional Championship more than half a dozen times; The Irish Amateur on 11 occasions; The Walker Cup and The World Cup. In 2003, Ireland's premiere golfing event, The Irish Open, returned to Portmarnock for the 13th occasion. No course in Ireland holds more impressive credentials.

Shrewd bunkering is an important part of Portmarnock's defense arsenal.

Many thought Portmarnock should have been the Irish course to host Ireland's Ryder Cup in 2006 and it's a great pity, perhaps even an injustice that it wasn't. But good guys don't necessarily come in first and it was a downright shame when Portmarnock, the best course in the Republic, was ignored.

Situated a short 20 minutes drive north of Dublin, Portmarnock occupies a narrow, flat peninsula, jutting into Dublin Bay. Surrounded by water on three sides, it is very much subject to the temperamental moods of the winds coming in from the Irish Sea. From a soft sea breeze to stiff 20-mile an hour plus winds, the changes you are likely to encounter in a single round can confuse and bewilder the inexperienced links golfer, but for those more accustomed to this kind of golf, the challenge is taken to new heights.

The Irish Sea and ominous rough are only two of Portmarnock's challenges.

The championship course measures over 7,000 yards from the back tees, but the visitor will not be confronted by quite such a monster. The more than healthy 6,800 yards you have to work with from the visitors' tees are only a little easier and more than enough for most. I highly recommend that you not attempt to tackle Portmarnock's test until later in your trip, after the opportunity to prepare yourself on a few challenges that are somewhat more lenient.

After the relatively gentle opening three holes, the fourth presents a change of direction and the beginning of the real test. It gets no easier from here on in and it will be essential to avoid the rough, which at times is waist high and totally unforgiving.

Portmarnock's 15th hole, with Dublin in the background.

On the front nine, the par-5 6th hole and par-4 8th hole are truly outstanding. On the back, the 14th was described by Henry Cotton as one of the greatest par fours in golf and the 15th received similar accolades from Ben Crenshaw who considered it the best short hole on earth. Hopefully by the time you reach this point in your round you are prepared for the closing trio, one of the strongest combinations of finishing holes you will ever face.

No links aficionado should miss the opportunity to play Portmarnock; it just might be the ultimate links test. But plan well ahead, as the close proximity to Dublin and number of visiting golfers that want to play one of the best in the world can make visitor times a scarce commodity.

For suggestions on how to include Portmarnock in your Irish golf trip, click here.

© 2007 David Brice / Golf International Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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