In September 1887, 4 men rowed across the channel, which separates the North County Dublin village of Malahide from the spur of land to the north known locally as "The Island". Their mission was to survey this "wilderness" and assess its suitability as a golf course. The four men - a brewery proprietor, a solicitor and 2 bankers viewed the location for the afternoon and made their decision. It was from these humble beginnings, that the Island Golf Club was formed in 1890 and from then, it has gone from strength to strength.

Due to the demands of modern golf, the course underwent a redesign some years ago. Fred Hawtree and Eddie Hackett set out with the goal of increasing the course length and cutting blind shots and they achieved magnificent results. The course still retains all the character and charm that was inherent at The Island.