MOURNE GOLF CLUB
The Club
Mourne Golf Club was founded in 1946
The Club
Mourne Golf Club is a private members’ club that welcomes guests and vistitors all year round. The club was affiliated to the then Golfing Union of Ireland (Golf Ireland) in 1946 and is established as part of the wider golfing landscape at Newcastle.
Club competitions are played over the famous Championship Links at Royal County Down and members also have access to the Annesley Links.
Mourne has long held the reputation as one of the most welcoming clubs in Ireland with its many characters leaving lasting memories for visitors who enjoyed their time at the Mourne.
For a relatively small membership club, Mourne has enjoyed numerous successes in interclub competition, winning coveted All-Ireland pennants which take pride and place within the clubhouse. A number of Mourne members have also played representative golf for Ulster and Ireland with other going on to make their mark in the professional ranks.
Whether you are visiting with friends or looking for a welcome refreshment after a day on the links, we look forward to welcoming you at Mourne Golf Club.
Mourne Timeline
The arrival of Mourne Golf Club on the Irish Golfing scene is recorded in the Golfing Union of Ireland centenary book with 'Mourne Golf Club was founded in 1946 and affiliated to Golfing Union of Ireland in 1946'.
1943 (circa.)
Gerald Annesley, grandson of the first President of Royal County Down, proposed the formation of a new local golf club for residents of the Newcastle area - and so the seed was sewn.
1945
A competition played by local golfers and arranged by RCD professional and Scot Jack Mclachlan. The cost of entry was one shilling. The ‘Shilling Sweepers’ were some of the first members of Mourne.
1946
First meeting held in the lifeboat house, and later in the Women’s Institute (now the Elim Pentecostal Church on the Downs Road). The name Mourne was proposed by Gerald Annesley and accepted.
1946
The original clubhouse consisted of two Nissen huts used by the Civil Defence Authority during World War II, adjacent to the Slieve Donard Hotel and behind the first tee of the Championship Links at RCD.
1961
In the first 15 years Mourne could be unilaterally wound up by either RCD or Mourne, but the club went from strength to strength and in 1961 the club’s first President PJ McEvoy proposed a new clubhouse.
1964
Belfast architect Gerry Marshall designed a new clubhouse and Dornan Bros. submitted a quote for £3,000. Work completed in 1964 under the captaincy of Francis Dornan (one of the contractors).
1971
Further upgrade work was agreed, costing £12,000. Extending out towards the putting green with granite stonework created a new ‘Sun Lounge’, that doubled as a members’ bowling lawn and dining area.
1981
Inflation and spiralling costs didn’t deter ambitions to build a squash court, a popular sport at the time. Permission was sought from RCD and a £50,000 feasibility grant awarded by the local council.
1994
Architect Eamon Larkin and builders Kelly, McEvoy and Brown carried out work on the clubhouse as we know it today (approx. cost £240,000). The clubhouse was officially opened by club captain Theo Gallagher.
1996
Mourne Golf Club was firmly established and was recognised across Ireland. All-Ireland team success soon followed, but perhaps the greatest success was the determination of the early members.
2007
Many prestigious championships have been played at Royal County Down, but the 2007 Walker Cup was a special week. Members got an early glimpse of Rory McIlroy, who played alongside Jonny Caldwell.
2015
RCD had hosted the Irish Open three times (1928, 1935 and 1939), but when Rory McIlroy revived the ailing national championship, he helped to bring it to Newcastle where Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen won.
2022
Due to the pandemic, 75th anniversary celebrations for 2021 were postponed until 2022 when golf involving all three Newcastle clubs and guests took place followed by celebrations at the clubhouse afterwards.