County Dublin is dotted with over 60 golf courses and within a half-hour drive of Skerries are some of the premier courses in Ireland. Laid out on land once owned by distiller John Jameson is the Portmarnock Golf Club (www.portmarnockgolfclub.ie). Established in 1894, the club hosted the first Irish Open in 1927 and was named the second best golf course in Ireland by Golf Digest Ireland in 2011. One of the more lavish clubs in Ireland, if you visit the course you should be aware that dress is smart casual (even on the links) and a jacket is required to enter the restaurant. Green fees at the 27-hole Portmarnock course range from €115 to €175 per person.
Founded in 1905, the Skerries Golf Club (www.skerriesgolfclub.ie) is home to an 18-hole championship golf course. Golfers of all abilities can appreciate the parkland course with undulating fairways and views of the sea and nearby mountain ranges, including the Mourne Mountains and the Wicklow Mountains. Measuring 6,107 metres, the course has a par of 73 or 74 for ladies. Lessons, a golf shop, and a friendly bar with catering are available at the small clubhouse, where neat dress is a must. While the clubhouse is open daily from 10:00 during summer months, catering is unavailable Mondays and Thursdays from October to March. Located in Hacketstown just south of Skerries, the golf course is less than a five-minute drive from the town centre and just east of the N-1. Fees at the club range from €15 and €30 per person.
Within a 15-minute drive north of Skerries is Balbriggan Golf Club (www.balbriggangolfclub.com). Established in 1945 on the same day Americans dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima during the Second World War, the club operates an 18-hole parkland course that was redesigned by Eddie Connaughton in 2009. With a mix of mature trees, doglegged fairways, challenging water hazards, and sand-based greens and tee boxes, the course tests golfers of all skill levels. Before venturing out to Balbriggan, you can book your tee time online at the club’s website. A full bar and quiet dining room with a diverse menu of light snacks, as well as steak or chicken dinners, is open daily. Fees start at €15 per person.
Fifteen minutes south of Skerries is the Rush Golf Club (www.rushgolfclub.com) in the seaside town of Rush. The traditional golf course has a rustic feel and provides panoramic vies of Lambay Island and Dublin Bay. You can book your visit in advance at club’s website and fees range from €15 to €40 per person.