Lucan Golf Club

Origins

Lucan Golf Club traces its founding to September 1897, when a course was opened under Captain Colthurst-Vesey at the Moor of Meath, a site between Dunboyne and Leixlip. Poor accessibility caused membership to decline, and the club was revived in January 1902 when its committee acquired land adjoining the Spa Hotel on the Celbridge Road in Lucan, laying out a nine-hole course there. James McKenna, professional at Carrickmines Golf Club, is credited with the original design work around 1906-1907, and Cecil Barcroft of Royal Dublin Golf Club made further refinements in 1907, relocating what is now the 7th hole to an elevated green.

That routing remained largely unchanged until 1980.

Design Philosophy

The original nine holes were laid out as a modest parkland circuit on leased farmland, working within the constraints of a compact site. When Eddie Hackett was engaged in 1988 to double the course to eighteen holes, he extended the layout through mature trees and across streams and water features, incorporating the terrain's natural hazards rather than reshaping the ground extensively, consistent with his broader design approach across Irish parkland courses.

Development

The club spent decades securing its tenure on the Celbridge Road site: after a notice to quit in the mid-1960s and a prolonged legal dispute with its landlord, a court ruled in the club's favour in June 1979 and granted a 99-year lease. With long-term security in place, the club pursued its long-standing ambitions of an 18-hole course and a new clubhouse. Eddie Hackett was retained in 1988 to extend the course, and the first 18-hole competition was played in November 1988; the expanded course and a new clubhouse were officially in place by 1989.

The club marked its centenary in 1997.

Today

Lucan Golf Club operates as an 18-hole parkland course on the Celbridge Road, roughly 15-20 minutes from Dublin city centre, offering full membership, visitor green fees, and society bookings alongside a pro shop and restaurant.