Stepaside at Stepaside Golf Course

Stepaside Golf Course occupies elevated ground in Kilternan, in the foothills of the Dublin Mountains on the southern edge of the Irish capital. Designed by Eddie Hackett and opened in the 1970s, the course reflects the architect's characteristic approach to working with natural terrain and creating accessible golf on modest budgets. Hackett, who designed or redesigned more than a hundred courses across Ireland during his long career, typically routed layouts that followed the land's contours rather than requiring extensive earthmoving.

The course sits at a higher elevation than much of suburban Dublin, offering views across the city and toward Dublin Bay. The terrain features the rolling, sometimes uneven ground typical of this transitional zone between the coastal plain and the mountains. Hackett's routing makes use of the natural slopes and ridges, producing a mix of uphill, downhill, and sidehill lies that require thoughtful club selection and course management.

Stepaside serves primarily as a members' club with a local community character, drawing golfers from the surrounding suburbs and nearby villages. The course provides a relatively compact test that emphasizes accuracy and local knowledge over length. Like many Hackett designs, it offers straightforward golf without elaborate features, shaped by the landscape and the practical constraints of the site rather than dramatic architectural statements.