On Christmas Eve 1893, an insurance broker named W. C. Pickeman and his friend George Ross rowed over from Sutton to Portmarnock peninsula to explore the possibility of creating a golf links.

[2] In 2003 the Equality Authority of Ireland brought a discrimination case in the Dublin District Court under which the club's drinks licence was suspended for 7 days.

[6] Portmarnock Golf Club’s men-only policy was legally enforceable due to its exemption under equal status legislation.

Section 9 of the Equal Status Act states that clubs whose main purpose is to serve the needs of only one gender may be considered nondiscriminatory.

In addition, Section 8 claims a club is considered to be discriminatory if there are different terms and conditions of membership for different individuals.