the club decided to carry out a renovation of the Colt design. Martin Hawtree was engaged to modernise the classic out-and-back layout. Hawtree's work, delivered between 2004 and 2006 saw the creation of two new holes, the significant raising of the majority of green sites and the addition of around 450 yards to the length of the course, bringing it to 7,268 yards. In 2019 the firm of Clayton, de Vries and Pont (CDP) was engaged to audit the course bunkering scheme. The audit investigated the possibility of returning the overall bunker style to something more fitting with the clubs Colt design heritage. In 2022 club members voted to approve the CDP recommendations, works are due to commence in November 2022 lasting several months. Location The club is on Bull Island in Dublin Bay. Accessed at one end via an old wooden bridge, or via a modern causeway mid-way along, Bull Island is a sand bank formed as a result of the construction of a sea wall in the 19th century. The club occupies lands from the causeway to the centre of Bull Island to the Bull Wall, running from Clontarf to Raheny. The clubhouse and main entrance are at the Clontarf end, and a service entrance at the Raheny end. The club owns its grounds, while the rest of the island is city property, including the Wooden Bridge and Bull Wall, which previously belonged to Dublin Port. Events The Royal Dublin has held the Irish Open six times - in 1931, 1936, 1951, 1983, 1984, and 1985. The Royal Dublin hosted the Irish Amateur Open for the first time in 1894, when it was won by J. Ball Jr. of Royal Liverpool and on many occasions since including continuously since 1998 with the exception of three years when the course was undergoing reconstruction. The club regularly welcomes participants in GUI cups and shields. The club has won the Barton Cup, the most prestigious competition in Leinster golf, on five occasions: for the first time in 1946 and again in 1951, 1967, 1979 and 2006. Famous visitors In 1890, just five years after its inception, the Club moved to its current home on Bull Island in Dublin Bay. The links made an immediate impact on the golfing world. Perhaps the greatest pioneer in the history of the game, Old Tom Morris, came to Royal Dublin and played two matches here