History

Limerick ​ Golf Club is located at Ballyclough, on the southern outskirts of Limerick City and is one of the oldest golf clubs in Ireland, founded in the same year as the Golfing Union of Ireland, 1891. The club boasts a mature parkland course, following a design by Dr Alister MacKenzie laid down in 1927. About half of the MacKenzie design remains intact, with subsequent contributions from Eddie Hackett and John Harris. Several green complexes have recently been remodelled by Ken Kearney. The current layout measures 6500 yards in length and has a par of 72.
 
Limerick Golf Club has a proud tradition in competitive golf and has won 19 national club championships. Limerick was the first Irish club to win the European Club Championship in 1980, and the most recent green pennant was the Men’s Junior Cup in 2023. The Club has hosted several big tournaments, including the Irish Dunlop Championship in 1968, the Irish PGA Championship in 1973, the Terry Wogan Classic in 1991, and was the original home of the JP McManus Invitational Pro-Am from 1987 to 2000. The 2000 event was won by Tiger Woods and raised over €19 million for local charities. A famous exhibition match in 1936 saw members John Burke and Stanley Martin defeat the 11-time major winner, Walter Hagen, and Australian trick-shot artist, Joe Kirkwood.
 
The Club moved to Ballyclough in 1908, and the course and clubhouse are located on the original site of Roxborough Castle and grounds. Each hole on the course is named according to historical events that are associated with the hole or its environs. For example, the first organized hurling match in the county of Limerick was played in the region of the 13th hole in 1882, and the hole is called “All Home” after the earlier system of hurling. The 11th hole is called “Last Duel” remembering the last duel fought in Limerick, which took place between two neighbors near the 11th green in 1792. The 14th hole (“Double Ace”) was the site of the first ever recorded half in one in a golf match when two players had holes in one during the 1950s, a feat that was unique in all of golf until 2015.
 
A new, modern clubhouse was opened by Padraig Harrington in 2007 and offers magnificent views of the golf course and the Clare Hills.