The club is located in the foothills of the Dublin mountains, a short drive from the city centre.
The club was founded in 1910, consisting of just nine holes, over the year the course has evolved and improved, into the course you see today. It is a mature open parkland course that is lined by trees. Of the original James Braid design only three holes remain the 1st, 2nd and 18th. The main championship 18 hole course is a par 72 and measures 6,244 yards from the blue tees.
There is also a nine hole creating a 24-hole course, that can be configured into three separate 18-hole courses, the Philip Love, the Marlay and the Centenary Course.The layout of the course is a mixed parkland, there is an abundance of trees many infringe on the fairways. It is unusual in that it opens with a par 3 hole, with the 2nd a par 3 also, this is not a common design feature. In fact there are six Par 3’s in total.
The course is excellently maintained and the greens are long and narrow, with some protected by bunkers, they are exceptional, it is not uncommon for people to say they are a pleasure to play on. The fairways are relatively narrow often protected by trees on bot h the left and right. Of major prominence here is water, there are seven lakes that come into play at various stages, as well as quiet streams that wind around a number of the holes.