Dooks Golf Club

What Dooks Golf Club does

Dooks Golf Club is a member-owned private golf club founded in 1889 in Glenbeigh, County Kerry, Ireland, operating an 18-hole traditional seaside links course on the Wild Atlantic Way. It is one of Ireland's ten oldest golf clubs and was voted Ireland's Most Scenic Golf Course in 2020. The club serves three primary customer groups: visiting golfers (tourists, golf societies, and individual travelers), members (Adult, Student, and Junior tiers within Men's, Ladies', and Junior sections), and competitive golfers participating in open competitions and interclub matches. Supporting facilities include the Dan Sugrue Golf Academy (featuring Trackman 4 indoor technology), a Pro Shop, the Natterjack Bar & Restaurant, and equipment hire services.

The core product is the championship-quality 18-hole links course, originally laid out by soldiers from The Curragh in 1889, extended to 18 holes under Eddie Hackett in the 1970s, and redesigned by Martin Hawtree between 2003 and 2006 at a cost of approximately €2.5 million. Course technology is limited to third-party platforms: Trackman 4 for instruction, BRS Golf for tee-time bookings, intelligentgolf.co.uk for member reservations, and MailChimp for email marketing. The 1000+ members collectively own the land and facilities, with an elected Management Committee (Chairperson, President, Captain, Lady Captain) overseeing governance and a small staff of 11 headed by Manager Graham Spring.

Revenue is generated across five streams: green fees (€200–€280 per round, seasonal), tiered membership subscriptions (Adult, Student at €90, Junior), Pro Shop retail, food and beverage through the Natterjack Bar & Restaurant, and PGA professional instruction. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the dooks.com website, phone reservations, and third-party platforms such as BRS Golf, with referral traffic from IGTOA, Golf Ireland, and Wild Atlantic Way affiliations. The club does not publicly disclose financials and has no parent company, venture capital, or private equity involvement.

Name

Dooks Golf Club

Legal name

Dooks Golf Club

Website

https://dooks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1889

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dooks Golf Club is a member-owned private golf club founded in 1889 in Glenbeigh, County Kerry, Ireland, operating an 18-hole seaside links course on the Wild Atlantic Way. It serves 1000+ members, visiting golfers, golf societies, and competitive players through green fees, tiered memberships, instruction, and on-site hospitality.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Golf Club & Links Golf Course

NAICS

Golf Courses and Country Clubs (713910)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Golf Courses & Golf Facilities (MPAKAEAD)

Keywords

• Links golf course
• Golf club membership
• Pga golf instruction
• Golf pro shop
• Clubhouse restaurant

Headquarters

HQ city

Glenbeigh

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Green Fees: Visitor green fees charged based on season and day of week. Peak season (April-October) commands higher rates. Winter months (October-December) members only with no green fees for visitors.
2. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees for Adult, Student (18-24 years), and Junior (8-18 years) categories. Payment plans available for adult membership.
3. Pro Shop Sales: Retail sales of golf apparel, accessories, and branded merchandise. Equipment hire including clubs, buggies, trolleys, and caddies.
4. Food & Beverage: Natterjack Bar & Restaurant serving food and beverages throughout the day. Catering for societies and groups.
5. Golf Instruction: PGA Professional Dan Sugrue provides private lessons and golf clinics. Additional revenue from junior golf clinics.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Dooks Golf Club operates an 18-hole traditional seaside links golf course in Glenbeigh, County Kerry, on Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way. The club sells visitor green fees, tiered annual memberships (Adult, Student, Junior), PGA-led golf instruction through the Dan Sugrue Golf Academy (with Trackman 4 indoor facility), Pro Shop retail and equipment hire, and the Natterjack Bar & Restaurant.

Product overview

Dooks Golf Club operates as a traditional golf links course offering a single unified facility centered on its 18-hole golf course founded in 1889. The product portfolio comprises the core golf course itself, enhanced by supporting services including the Dan Sugrue Golf Academy (with Trackman 4 indoor technology), an on-site Pro Shop, and the Natterjack Bar & Restaurant. The club offers tiered membership programs (Adult, Student, and Junior) and welcomes visitors through green fee bookings and open competitions. Equipment hire services and caddy services provide additional revenue streams. The club's online presence integrates with external platforms including BRS Golf for tee time bookings, intelligentgolf.co.uk for member reservations, and MailChimp for communications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 18-Hole Links Golf Course An 18-hole traditional seaside links golf course in Glenbeigh, County Kerry, on the Wild Atlantic Way, playable year-round with views of Dingle Bay and the McGillycuddy Reeks. Targets visiting golfers, golf societies, and members seeking an authentic links experience.
• Membership Program (Adult, Student, Junior) Annual club membership subscription with three tiers: Adult (with payment plan option, weekly competitions, interclub teams, seniors section, buddy system), Student aged 18-24 (€90/year, dedicated course times, golf clinics, exchange days), and Junior aged 8-18 (dedicated course times, junior clinics, mentorship for handicap acquisition, junior competitions). Targets local and regional amateur golfers who collectively own the club.
• Dan Sugrue Golf Academy PGA professional golf instruction at Dooks Golf Club led by Daniel Sugrue, offering private lessons and golf clinics for golfers of all ages and abilities, delivered in an indoor facility using Trackman 4 technology and supported by a state-of-the-art short game area. Targets members, visitors, juniors, and competitive golfers seeking structured coaching.
• Pro Shop Fully equipped golf retail shop at the Dooks clubhouse selling branded Ladies and Gents clothing, golf accessories, and Dooks Golf Links branded merchandise. Also offers equipment hire including clubs, buggies, trolleys, and caddies. Targets members, visiting golfers, and gift purchasers.
• Natterjack Bar & Restaurant On-site bar and restaurant at Dooks Golf Club offering traditional Irish pub atmosphere, serving Irish beer, whiskey, and gin alongside locally sourced home-cooked food from light snacks to full meals throughout the day, with catering for societies and groups. Targets members, visiting golfers, and walk-in trade.
• Open Competitions Scheduled open day fixtures at Dooks including Ladies Open Days (€50 entry), the Kerry Scratch Cup, and Junior/Intermediate Scratch Cups with various handicap requirements. Targets competitive visiting golfers looking for tournament play on a championship links layout.

Quantifiable outcome

• Voted Ireland's Most Scenic Golf Course 2020

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IGTOA (Irish Golf Tour Operator Association)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerDooks Golf Club is affiliated with IGTOA, which helps drive golf tourism to the club through tour operator partnerships.
• Golf IrelandcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliated with Golf Ireland, the governing body for amateur golf in Ireland, supporting handicap systems and competition structures.
• Wild Atlantic WaycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLocated on the Wild Atlantic Way tourism route, one of Ireland's premier scenic drives, driving tourism visibility and visitor traffic.
• Swing Golf IrelandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliated with Swing Golf Ireland for additional marketing and booking platform exposure.
• Ardfert QuarryminorOthersBusiness sponsor providing materials or support for club operations and maintenance.
• Boyles of KillorglinminorOthersSponsor for Ladies Charity Open Day. Local business supporting club fundraising events.
• BRS GolfcoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party tee time booking platform enabling visitors to reserve tee times online.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Doonbeg Golf Club: Premium Irish links resort in County Clare, owned by Trump Organization. Comparable to Dooks in Irish links golf offering but competes with capital-backed investment and resort-style amenities.
• Royal Dublin Golf Club: Historic links course in Dublin, also designed by Martin Hawtree. Shares the same architect pedigree as Dooks and competes for premium Irish golf tourists.
• Ballybunion Golf Club: Iconic Irish links golf club on the Wild Atlantic Way, located adjacent to Dooks. Competes for the same golf tourism market and shares a similar old-club heritage and member-owned structure.
• Lahinch Golf Club: Old Irish links course in County Clare, also founded in the 1890s. Direct competitor in the Irish links golf tourism market with similar visitor pricing, member structure, and course-design pedigree (also Alister MacKenzie-influenced).
• Royal Portrush Golf Club: Premier links golf club in Northern Ireland, host of The Open Championship. Direct competitor for international golf tourism with significantly larger brand recognition and membership scale.
• Royal County Down Golf Club: One of the world's most highly-ranked links courses in Northern Ireland. Competes for the same premium golf tourist, with similar member-owned structure and heritage positioning.
• Tralee Golf Club: Arnold Palmer-designed links course in County Kerry, Ireland. Competes for the same southwest Ireland golf tourism bucket-list segment with similar visitor pricing and scenery-driven marketing.
• Waterville Golf Links: Seaside links course on the Ring of Kerry in Ireland, situated between Dooks and the Atlantic coast. Direct competitor for Wild Atlantic Way golf tourists and similar in premium positioning.
• Carne Golf Links: Wild Atlantic Way links course in County Mayo, Ireland. Competes in the same value-tier of 'undiscovered' Irish links courses seeking to attract golf tourists.

Broad incumbents

• St Andrews Links: The Home of Golf in Scotland, the world's most iconic links destination. While operating at vastly larger scale, it represents the ultimate peer for member-owned links clubs with deep heritage and global tourism appeal.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dooksgolfclub
• Facebookfacebook.com/dooksgolflinks
• Instagraminstagram.com/dooksgolflinks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dooks-golf-club

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dooks Golf Club