Dooks Golf Links: Kerry’s Oldest Club, the Reeks Behind Every Shot, and Dingle Bay in Front
Reading time: 5 minutes
Dooks does not announce itself. There is no grand gateway, no clubhouse built to impress, no marquee name carved into the first tee. What there is, on a strip of low dunes above Dingle Bay near Glenbeigh, is one of the oldest golf clubs in Ireland, set in front of arguably the finest backdrop in Kerry golf: the Atlantic in front of you, and the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks, the highest mountains in the country, behind every shot.
The club was laid out as nine holes in 1889 by officers of the Royal Horse Artillery who were billeted nearby. That makes Dooks one of the ten oldest clubs in Ireland and the oldest in Co. Kerry. For most golfers touring the southwest it is the quiet round between the marquee names, and for many it is the surprise of the trip.
At a Glance
Course: Dooks Golf Links, Glenbeigh, Co. Kerry
Type: Links
Founded / opened: 1889 (one of the ten oldest clubs in Ireland; the oldest in Co. Kerry)
Main architects: Eddie Hackett (permanent second nine, late 1960s–early 1970s); Martin Hawtree (overhaul from 2002)
Par / back tee yardage: Par 71; plays to around 6,500 yards from the back tees, depending on setup
Best paired with: Waterville, Killarney and a day on the Dingle Peninsula
Practical note: Walking; on Dingle Bay beneath the Reeks; a gentler, scenic links that pairs well with the bigger Kerry names.
The Course: From Nine Holes in 1889 to a Hawtree Links
For its first decades Dooks was a modest nine-hole course used by local players and visiting officers. In 1895, when the Great Southern Hotel took an interest, the architect Anthony Brown was engaged to raise the standard of the links. The course stayed at nine holes for much of the twentieth century.
The turning point came when the members built a permanent second nine on the present site in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with the help of Eddie Hackett, Ireland’s foremost links architect, threading a full eighteen through the low dunes and sandy ridges above the bay. The modern character of Dooks, though, owes most to Martin Hawtree, who from 2002 produced a complete overhaul of the links, reshaping greens and bunkering and tightening the routing. The course today plays to par 71 at around 6,500 yards from the back tees, which makes it shorter than the marquee Kerry names but no less honest a test when the wind comes off Dingle Bay.
The Signature Holes
The 7th: A par-4 of around 368 yards that is widely regarded as the best hole on the course. It asks for an accurate drive and then a precise approach to a green set in a natural hollow, with the dunes gathering around it like a small amphitheatre.
The seaward stretch: Several holes run right along the edge of the bay, where the ground is firm, the bounces are unpredictable, and the views across to the Dingle Peninsula are the ones visitors photograph. The Atlantic is in sight from nearly every tee.
The mountain backdrop: The Reeks rise behind the course throughout the round. On a clear day the combination of sea in front and mountains behind is among the most complete settings in Irish golf, and it is the reason many golfers rate Dooks above its modest length.
The Dooks Experience
Dooks is a working members’ club, not a resort. The welcome is warm, the green fee is gentle by Kerry standards, and the round is walked. It is the kind of place where the locals will ask how you played and mean it. For a touring group, a round at Dooks is a change of pace from the championship links, and a reminder of what Irish golf looked like before the marquee venues grew famous.
Getting There and What’s Nearby
Dooks sits near Glenbeigh on the Ring of Kerry, roughly 45–60 minutes from Killarney and a similar drive from Kerry Airport, traffic dependent. It pairs naturally with Waterville further round the Ring, with Killarney’s parkland courses inland, and with a day on the Dingle Peninsula. The Ring of Kerry drive itself, the Gap of Dunloe and the lakes of Killarney National Park are all within easy reach for a non-golfing partner.
Why Dooks Belongs on Your List
Dooks is the round that rounds out a Kerry week. It will not be the longest or the most famous course on the trip, but it is often the one that sends visitors home talking about the setting. For a group already playing Waterville, Tralee and Ballybunion, a morning at Dooks is the gentle, scenic counterpoint that makes the itinerary feel complete rather than relentless.
Dooks features in Argyle Links’ Kerry and Southwest Ireland itineraries, often as the relaxed round alongside Waterville and Killarney. We arrange tee-time requests and build itineraries around confirmed access, coordinate accommodation in Killarney or along the Ring of Kerry, and arrange chauffeured transfers. See our itineraries at argylelinks.com.