History

The founding of Rathfarnham Golf Club in 1899, in Butterfield, coincided with a boom in the development of golf towards the end of the nineteenth century. The formation of Royal Belfast Golf Club in 1881 marked the birth of the game of golf in Ireland and there were over 70 Clubs in Ireland (10 in the Greater Dublin Metropolitan Area) by the end of the century.

"New Golf links have been established at Butterfield, Rathfarnham, the lands of which, containing about 50 acres, were duly surveyed by T. Hood, Professional of The Royal Dublin Golf Club, who indicated the best positions for the greens and tees, and reports that a very pretty and sporting course, with nine holes to start with, had been secured. Mr. John Lumsden and other competent authorities also kindly inspected the grounds and were equally pleased with the new links".

The Irish Golfer (September 6th 1899)

It required a great act of faith to move the Club from Butterfield, its home for almost 70 years, to its present location, Newtown. The Club undertook the mamouth task of developing a golf course from a greenfield site. The course was designed by John Jacobs and opened for play on Saturday 16th April 1966 with the official opening of the Course and Clubhouse taking place on Saturday 30th April.

Please click below to download the Club History compiled by Club Archivist, Susan Hood.