100 Years of Golf at Clontarf: Clontarf Golf Club

Clontarf Golf Club was founded in 1912 thanks to the efforts of Dr. John Love Morrow, a Presbyterian Minister and passionate golfer. It was originally located on the lands of Mount Temple, the club moved to its current location at Donnycarney House in 1921 due to leasing issues. The club secured a lease from Dublin Corporation for the land attached to Donnycarney House in 1921. Dublin City Council reputable owned 62.3 acres on the 77 acres on which their course was built. The course was designed by the renowned golf-course architect Harry Colt in 1921. Colt was responsible for several famous courses, including the West Course at Wentworth and the Dunluce Course at Royal Portrush.

Since 2003 there have been talks around swapping the Clontarf G.C. for an alternative site. Treasury Holdings presented a proposal to move the club to the Milverton Demesne a 428-acre site property development site near Skerries and had a similar concurrent offer with Balbriggan G.C. Clontarf owned only part of the 80-acre site as Dublin City Council also owns part of the course. The possibility of a move to Kinsealy was also under consideration with Manor Park Homes which was now owned by Joe Moran following the DCC sale of their 49% stake. Manor Park had purchased the Abbeyville Estate for Eur45m.

In the end it was Capel Developments that beat Manor Park Homes to the punch and on offer was substantial payouts to members ranging from Eur100k for full members to Eur17.5k for five-day members together with an 150-acre Berhard Langer designed course at Portmarnock, a new clubhouse and Eur20m into the club’s coffers. Dublin City Council would have to sell their freehold and agree to a rezoning of the land in their ownership. In the end Capel Developments pulled out the deal at the final few days as a consequence of the market crash of 2008.

The proposal for a land swap was resurrected in 2021 by Green Land Capital (owned by the Cotter family, Ray and Barbara) whereby the club would relocate to a 185-acre site in Kinsealy (which Green Land had an option to buy from the Nishida family owners of hotel chains – Toyko Inn Group) where a course would be designed by Paul McGinley.