Castle Golf Club

Overview: Castle Golf Club occupies the grounds of Rathfarnham Castle in south Dublin. The 18-hole parkland layout is shaped by mature trees, historic estate ground and the rolling character of the foothills, rather than by a flat municipal setting. Visit Dublin lists a par 70 course measuring 5,653 metres, approximately 6,187 yards, and credits Harry S. Colt with the design. The course is known for its six par threes and for playing through a landscape where the castle and estate history remain visible around the golf.

History: The club was established in 1913 and the course officially opened in 1915. The original layout involved Cecil Barcroft, W.C. Pickeman and Tom Hood before Harry S. Colt updated the design in 1918 and 1919. Later redevelopment between 2000 and 2002, together with USGA-standard greens installed in the late 1990s, continued that tradition of adapting the course while retaining its historic setting. The result is a Colt-influenced Dublin parkland course rather than a frozen museum piece.

Did You Know? The course’s 75 bunkers and six par threes are part of its published identity, but the most revealing detail is the way golf sits within the estate. Rathfarnham Castle is not merely a name on the scorecard: the course uses ground associated with the historic house, giving the round an architectural and urban context that many parkland layouts lack.