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A redesign and a rebranding has transformed the former Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links into a must-play links outside Dublin.
The new Jameson Golf Links debuted October 3 after a multi-million-euro renovation of Bernhard Langer’s original 1995 design by Jeff Lynch, director and senior architect at a firm called (re)GOLF. The new name is a nod to the land's historic connection to the family famous for its Irish whiskey.
In the 1850s, John Jameson built his own private course on the site. Three of the Jamesons, including John, are laid to rest in the graveyard to the right of the first hole, and the old family home – St Marnocks – now forms part of Portmarnock Resort (the new, more simplified name for the hotel).
The course redesign has completely changed the character and routing of the dune holes that start at no. 8, where the previously dog-leg has been transformed into a straighter par four with an elevated green and tees. The former par 4s at no. 12 and no. 14 are now par fives, with the raised 12th green providing incredible views of the Velvet Strand, Howth Head, Lambay and Ireland’s Eye. The old par-5 13th has become the course's no. 1 handicap as a stout par 4, and no. 15 has been shortened from a par 4 to a par 3. Plans are in place to change the 17th from a par 3 to a par 4 in early 2024 in order to provide another birdie opportunity over the closing holes.
A new snack shack will be available for golfers at several points on the closing nine. Portmarnock Resort, home to the popular Jameson Bar where you can sip some Jameson, is now the ideal home base for traveling golfers looking to sample Dublin's other links, including Portmarnock Golf Club, County Louth, Seapoint and Royal Dublin.
More golf course news & notes
OPEN ROTA COURSE CHANGES - Following on the introduction of a new par 3 at Royal Liverpool ahead of the 2023 Open Championship, Royal Birkdale Golf Club, which will host the 2026 edition, is planning some changes of its own, including the construction of a new par-3 15th hole framed by the clubhouse. Mackenzie & Ebert, who performed Hoylake's work, will oversee the project. [LINK: Royal Birkdale Golf Club]
CABOT REVELSTOKE UPDATE: Cabot Revelstoke, backdropped by the Monashee and Selkirk Mountain Ranges in western Canada, has announced the opportunity to buy into its real-estate program: The Residences at Cabot Revelstoke, a collection of six chalets offering 79 well-appointed residences ranging from two to five bedrooms surrounded by river and mountain vistas. Prices start at $2.5 million. Drawing inspiration from the European ski chalets of the Dolomites, Austria and Switzerland, the mountain contemporary aesthetic of Cabot Revelstoke’s homes will exude an elevated sense of alpine sophistication. For summertime golf fun, Cabot Pacific golf course, designed by Whitman, Axland & Cutten, is set to open in 2025 overlooking the Columbia River. [LINK: Cabot Revelstoke]
TGL VENUE DETAILS - The TGL, a televised golf-on-simulators league backed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy that launches January 9, 2024 on ESPN, has confirmed its venue, which will be called the SoFi Center. Located on the campus of Palm Beach State College in Palm Beach Gardens, the stadium will measure 250,000 square feet in total size and will accommodate up to 2,000 fans. [LINK: The Golf Wire]
Mother and son notch million-to-one holes-in-one
Family golf is fun no matter how everyone plays. But one recent round took an incredible turn for Domanic Catacora, general manager of Twin Oaks Golf Course in Covington, Ky., and his wife and sons. During a summer vacation round at Bonita Fairways in Bonita Springs, Fla., Domanic's wife Kelly aced the 84-yard 8th hole. Then, 9 holes later, their 8-year-old son Cole achieved the same feat on the 80-yard 17th hole (Cole would make another ace two weeks later, in a junior tournament back home). The likelihood of two different golfers making an ace on different holes in the same round is roughly 1.3 million to 1.
DYE COURSES ON FUTURE SENIOR OPEN SCHEDULE - The USGA announced that the 2026, 2027 and 2028 U.S. Senior Opens will be held at Scioto Country Club, Oak Tree National and Crooked Stick Golf Club, respectively. Scioto is a recently restored Donald Ross design, while Oak Tree and Crooked Stick are stern tests of golf by Pete Dye. [LINK: The Golf Wire]
CONTROVERSIAL IRISH COURSE RENOVATION - The Cashen Course at Ballybunion Golf Club is a love-it-or-hate-it type of layout, plunging between and around huge dunes beside the world-renowned Old Course. The club has engaged five-time Open Champion Tom Watson, with architect Graham Webster, to make some changes to the course over the coming five to six years.
GOLF-ADJACENT - It takes a lot for something equipment-related to make it into this column, but we have to commend Tour Edge for the naming of its new Template Series of putters. Models include Biarritz, Eden, Punchbowl and more. [LINK: The Golf Wire]
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