Dooks Golf Club, situated in a panoramic setting in a corner of Dingle Bay, was founded in 1889 and is one of the ten oldest Golf Clubs in Ireland.  Golf was first played on this particular stretch of true sea-side links by soldiers from The Curragh (where golf came to Ireland in 1883), who were billeted in nearby Glenbeigh for artillery practice on the Rossbeigh dunes.

For many years Dooks was a 9 hole course whose original members were from the titled residents of Caragh Lake or active and retired members of the Army.  Over the years business and professional people from Killorglin and mid-Kerry tried their hands at golf and became enraptured by the magic of Dooks and intrigued by the game of golf.

The 9 hole golf course at Dooks was played on land that was part of the Besford McGregor Estate and from whom Dooks had a 75 year lease. When this lease was up in 1965 the owners were anxious to sell the land to a third party (believed to be interested in building a hotel in the area). The members ran a national Press Campaign - including a Press Conference in the Gresham Hotel, Dublin - and eventually the owners agreed to sell the land to Dooks Members for £7,000.

This might sound like a small sum but at the time the club had only about 20 active members and the annual income was £1,000.  Bord Failte gave a very generous grant of £3,500 and the members raised the rest by a Development Bond Scheme, costing £5 per bond.  Current members are eternally grateful to the members and subscribers who organised this magnificent effort and saved Dooks for the future enjoyment of generations to come.

Having obtained ownership of the land, the members set about extending the 9 holes.  They designed and physically built the "new 9" themselves for a total expenditure of £3,500.  A magificent achievement which would not have been possible without the commitment and generosity of the members at that time.

The 18 Holes were opened in 1970 by the President of the GUI, Mr Gerry Owens and over the next 30 years the reputation of Dooks as an honest test of traditional links golf spread worldwide.  The clubhouse, which was just a tin shack in the 1960's went through 5 different "makeovers" before the present magnificent building was opened in 2005.

In 2002, the committee felt that the layout of Dooks' course needed to be upgraded and renowned architect Martin Hawtree was asked to "have a look" and come up with suggestions.  This resulted in a complete overhaul and the revamped Dooks was opened in 2006.  The new Hawtree design has put Dooks in the forefront of Links Golf and its' reputation for excellent golf in a magical setting with a renowned friendly atmosphere is the envy of golf clubs worldwide and remains to this day one of Ireland's leading golf links.