Cork Golf Club

Cork Golf Club was established in 1888 and initially located at Rathcooney Hill above Glanmire village. After several relocations, the current site at Little Island was selected in 1897, and the design of the initial four holes was influenced by the surrounding limestone quarries, contributing to the course's links-like turf.

In 1898, professional David Brown from Edinburgh was hired, leading to the creation of a nine-hole course by 1901, and later, an eighteen-hole course designed by Brown himself in 1911 after consultation with Harry Vardon. The course experienced significant development when Alister MacKenzie was commissioned for a major upgrade after World War I, which included new holes, greens, and sand-filled bunkers.

Completed in 1925, the redesigned course measured 6,200 yards with a par of 78 and received acclaim hosting professional tournaments and championships. However, a 1945 fire destroyed the clubhouse and many records, prompting the construction of a new clubhouse by 1946, which has since been refurbished and redesigned multiple times.

Continual modernization efforts have been contributed to by golf architects like Frank Pennick, Dave Thomas, and even a comment by Robert Trent Jones Sr. The course has been lengthened, and the planting of trees altered its appearance, leading to a significant upgrade completed in 2013 by Hawtree Ltd to align more closely with MacKenzie's original design concepts.