Druids Glen | Golf's most Beautiful

It's been described as Europe's answer to Augusta, such is the beauty that is, a vast garden that my mother would love to have as a back garden. Druids Glen is rather different to Augusta for playability, Carton House (O'Meara) probably is a little closer around the back 9 where it has its very own Amen corner, but I like this course, I like it a lot. Thank you Pat Ruddy of the European club and Tom Craddock for designing it. I've now had the priviledge to play it twice, and for the porpuse of this blog, i'll concentrate on the 2nd attempt, as the first is a little blurred in my hazy memory.


First 9,

You start of with a relatively straight forward par 4 and par 3, I got a par on each, and this really set the tone for my putting for the day, it became lethal at times. These first few holes wouldn't count among my favourites, but they are quite nice.

The 4th is the first hole i have a lot of feelings for, Dog leg right par 4. Absale that drive over the bunkers on the inner corner of the turn, and you set yourself up for a nice approach. Its about 230yards to clear, so only attempt it if you can carry it confortably, getting into a bunker here as my buddy did makes par a struggle, in his case, making a double bogey became the struggle, thats what these bunkers can do. My approach swung left, i think im resolving this pull these days, but it certainly has been a hindrence in the past, and was so here.. my ball landed beside a big tree in the rough, I played a full swing flop shot, and gave myself an opportunity for a par. putt sank, im happy.

The 5th will be your first par 5, I belted a drive down the middle, and screamed a 3w to the green, bad kick and a left turn at the lights, and im in the rough. chip n putt, and i pocketed a birdie. I'd imagine if i were to play this hole again in a competition, or with a couple of pennies on the line, id probably lay up short of the bunkers in front of and lef of the green. But with bragging rights, and romantic ideas of seeking out eagles, I was happy to take a pot at the green with the fairway wood, and it nearly paid off.

Number 7 requires a drive from heaven, thats what i wanted anyway, my first drop shot(s) came here, A shambles of an attempt to play a safe 3 wood down the middle resulted in a pulled drive into the trees. This hole is a wonderful dogleg left, The drive is very important, and you should be aiming left of the 3 sister bunkers to open up the green for your 2nd. I always know how to play a hole, i just dont often send the ball where my brain says it should go! to be fair though, on my backswing the base of my club bounced off an uneven surface, but i was commited to the shot, i wish i was able to pull out, but i couldn't. I got a 6, and i was not happy.

Wow, the 8th!! This is a lovely par 3, very Americanised, very much the 16th at Augusta, not traditional Irish Golf architecture, but having something thats quite rare can be a thing of beauty, and this hole is dazzling. Hold on your britches though, This is not my favourite par 3, there are 2 others that make this course a delight for your short game. This green is about 140 yards from the Tee, and its all over water to the smooth putting surface, If there is any room for error here, its on the right, and thats where i found laid my ball to rest. My short game is my strength, so a chip and a putt again, a scrambled par. you have a bit of a hike ahead to the next tee box, but dont worry, you can take a deep breath when you get to the top! :)

Back 9, 

I always seem to favour the back 9 in courses, in many places the back 9 can be more fascinating, sometimes more challenging, and often more beautiful, perhaps course architects are aware that its the last few holes you will remember the most, and want you to finish on a high. I tend to play a better back 9 than a front, I play to a handicap of 9, and its often 7 over on the turn and a further 2 over heading to the 19th.

This is without doubt Druids Glens signature hole, and without doubt its best par 3. I'm talking about the 12th here, Everything about this hole is mesmerising, steeped in history and wonder. I first set eyes upon it with my dad when we attended the Murphys Irish open in the mid 90's, from seeing the 12th that day, it has been a dream to play it ever since. The Tee box is embedded near the top of a hill, surrounded by towering trees and above a remarkable flowerbed designed as and insignia of a Celtic cross. At the foot of the hill is a river, and beyond this the green which slopes forward. You have 168 yards downhill to think about, and let me tell you that you will feel magical on the Teebox. There is a pre christian Alter that overlooks the green from the right, the course/resort takes its name from this historical relic.

Walking up to the 13th is a bit of a treck, and you will need a short rest. If only the 13th wasn't such an epic hole you might be still thinking about the 12th that preceeded it. Where do i begin to describe this? In simple terms, its a dog leg right with a lot of water, I'll expand a little and say you will have to drive your ball alongside a cliff, cross over a river which lines the entire right side of the fairway, this river then expands before and left of the green. There is quite a bit of fairway before the green, so pack plenty of club. From the Teebox, big hitters can probably avoid the driver, as there is a danger of driving too far and running out of fairway. Everytime i play this hole, I really wreck a scorecard, I think ive carded a 5 and a 6 if my memory is right. There are some lovely bridges that span the river, and a nice little waterfall under the first bridge.. This is a beautiful hole, and its the only other one I remember from the Irish Open many years ago.

The 14th and 15th are really good holes, but I want to fastrack up to the 17th, the 3rd of the epic par 3's, this one isnt designed like the approach to the road hole at St Andrews like the 2nd hole on this course, I guess its pretty similar to its respective number at TPC Sawgrass. The Tee is almost in the front garden of a little cottage, and the green appears to be floating inside the small lake with one long continues bunker protecting the front, left and right like a big white beard beard, and the rear ispropped up by a smaller specimen of the sand variety. Quick note, the strokesaver is not accurate for this hole, you can clearly see the layout of the Teeboxes is not as it appears on print. This proved to be a confusing few moments, we chose to allow whoever hits first the opportunity to hit again if the distance distance we estimated was way off.. It turned out we didnt need to use this option, but maybe its something to consider.

And Finally, the 18th.. A lovely closing hole, thought a little tiring on the legs to be walking up to the last green, and then onwards and upwards to the clubhouse. But as golf holes go, its challenging and visually very appealing as most are at the Glen. I dont think the drive is too important on the last, as I would assume most people choose to layup short of the fabulous water feature. I layed up, and pitched a 56 degree to within 2foot, walked away a happy man with a strategicly earned par.

If you ever get the chance to play the Glen, I can assure you that you will not be dissapointed. I dont find it particularly difficult if you can hit the ball consistantly and straight, the greens I find are accessible and not baraccaded behind a frontline of bunkers, the greens tend not to be raised like other American orientated parkland courses in Ireland. I really believe this course is one of the finest places you could wish to enjoy a round of golf.

website:
Druids Glen Website/

Location:
Right between Kilcoole and Newtown Mount Kennedy, which is in Wicklow, just south of County Dublin.

Carton house, (O'Meara) Fantastic back 9.

Carton house, home of the GUI and National Academy, lots of prestige here, and I dont think i could have played the front 9 any worse! To begin, when you pay for a round here, you are entitled to use the range for free, although in our case we had to collect the balls from the range first!! It wasnt so bad, gave me a few more mins to warm up! The first tee is a bit of a trek away, so either drive your car up there, or wait for the pickup van.. The 18th finishes by the same carpark, so thats rather convenient..


So lets begin...

Front 9,

The 1st is a nice hole, its fairly straight forward, and doesn't present too much danger. Just keep your drives on the straight and narrow, clear the bunkers which gaurd the front of the green, and a par should be straight forward.

The 2nd was a little tougher, and I made a mess of it! Sliced drive into the rough and trees, hashed attempt to escape, and and overkill on the next shot over the back of the green and into more rough... I'll save the embarrassment and stop right there!

The pic below is the tower which dominates the opening 9 in particular, you will play around this quite a few times, and is quite simply a fantastic feature to the open landscape, perched up on the hill and overlooking everything.

I liked the 3rd hole, it has a lot of character, and is a dog left right par 5. There is a bunker community right on the turn, Its best to avoid these if you know whats good for you, hitting over them shouldnt be too much bother for many players, playing left is the next best choice. If you chose to sail high over these bunkers, you would probably be left with the guts of 250 yards slightly uphill to the green, the green itself is barracaded to the front and left with sand, sand and more sand. A wise choice would be to ping a ball a little right of the green, and pitch on for 3. I should have done this myself, but i was too busy searching for my wayward second shot in the long rough along the left. Beautiful hole none the less, looking forward to tackling it a little better next time.

The 8th had me a little perplexed, as the society Tee's appeared to be at an unfair dissadvantage to almost every other Teebox that day. Sure i prefer to play from the members Tee's, but when in Rome and all that... Yea, the societies Teebox was tucked away on the left, with a gigantic Tree absolutley in your way, I had to play a high draw to dodge it, was probably the best draw I ever hit, and i doubt i could pull it off often. I played a 3w for that shot, and that left me a 6i to the green, missed it, chip and putt, par. happy memories.

Back 9, 

Now this is what I came here to play, and this is what will have me want to play it again. Really, this 9 is a totally different kettle of fish to the previous, Spectacular, exciting, and challenging.

The 10th hole is a long downhill par 4, 427 from the members, however if you can hit 270 yards with your driver, then you can drive this green.. We all took aim, and it sure took an eternity for the ball to descend from the heavens. A slight draw will favour your attempt, but the fairway does become tighter the closer your ball bears down on the green. This is a birdie hole, I say go for it! All 3 of us did, and 2 of us were just shy of the green. Short par 4's really raise the excitement on a golf course, everyone wants a crack at them. Just so much fun, and this one in particular made my day.

From here on in, the course is nothing short of spectacular, Ive heard it mentioned as Irelands own Amen corner. It begins on number 14, 185 yard severe downhill par 3, where the green sits periously on the inside curve of a great bend in the river. The approach shot is massively downhill, id say 2 clubs shorter than the distance reads, and you don't want to be short, left, or long. I found the green on this occasion, pin high, 15ft putt and made par. Was fairly pleased with that.

The 15th is a par 5, dogleg right and over a few more bunkers. There are bunkers all over this course, very American feel I must admit, but then again it was designed by American great Mark O'Meara. So, this hole probably requires a 3w off the tee, 6/7i lay up short of the river and a short approach to the green, I lipped out a birdie putt, and accepted par. I think both scores are equally obtainable for most.

The walk to the green and then onto the par 3 16th hole is wonderful, you must walk alongside the river, then cross it along the wooden bridge pictured above and below. I remember crossing this bridge and looking at the next green, I remember saying to myself, this green has a nice slope along the middle, and the pin is at the front, "I will take an extra club and safely use the slope"... Did I remember my own wise words just a few mintures later? not at all, forgotten them like a good Saturday night. I took a 9i out from my bag, and hit it sweet as could be, i reckon it fell short by an inch or 2, dissapointing as it was only when the ball was in mid air did i remember my veteran like words on the bridge. anyway, this hole which is is a lofted club over a lovely lake is something we should be looking to score well on, but i hobbled away with a double bogey, my only blemish on an otherwise par-fect back 9.

The 18th is a tough finishing hole, The drive is fairly straight forward, the bunkers on the left should pose no threat to anyones launch. It is the approach to the green that is difficult, steep incline all the way, and a sheer tall rock fact protects the front and left of the green, a crafty bunker rests above the rocks, and for us the flag jeerfully taunted us to be bold and take it on. We had mixed results, One of my playing partners fell prey to the rocks, and another to the rough. I made the green again, my iron play was spot on the the last 3rd at least, and again just missed out on birdie.

I will remember the closing 9 fondly, but thought the opening 9 was a little bland at times, lacking charisma, and charm. Bunkers galore, but they become a little monotonous after a while. I'm glad the water came into play later on in the round, It was a welcome break from the mundane, but it excelled, and I feel honoured to have played those closing holes. Fantastic stuff!

Farnham estate, There's 2 sides to every coin..

The Farnham estate is a new course, doesn't have a clubhouse on the way, but I'm sure when growth returns to Irish society, then like Macreddin, Farnham will have a new clubhouse, and also a state of the art Academy. Right now, as of simmer 2010 in the place of the clubhouse is a prefab with  a small shop, some basic showers and so forth.Graeme McDowell is the tour pro associated with this up and coming project, however I know little about his level of involvement. I've attached a course map to the bottom of this blog, so you get a feel for the spacious layout of the front 9, and the enclosed back 9.

Front 9,

The first is a decent opener, but lets cut to the chase, the 2nd what I would consider the signature hole. So, the view is spectacular, The Teebox is partnered by a large Oak tree, and down at the base of the hill is the green which is raised up on a fancy stone wall. Take the driver out, unless you are a particularly big hitter.
you could probably attack the green with a wedge, and not always a full shot if you can get the ball down to the bottom of the hill from your drive. You must clear the River in front of the green though, and dont be right either, as again the river awaits unpolished shots. You wont forget this hole in a hurry, so feel free to take it all in.

The 3rd is a tricky par 4, The lake Marshy pond you must hit over should ignite the warnings inside you to avoid hitting the ball right or having any sort of a fade attached, but what isn't so obvious from the starting blocks is that the left side of the fairway is by now means kinder. The same river that surrounded the 2nd green splits in 2 and becomes a border to each side of the fairway on the 3rd, on the left there are 2-3 small kettle like ponds which most closely resemble the shape and form of pot bunkers, but there simply is no way out. If you successfully find the fairway, then the sweat beads will retreat, as this hole softens once the water is avoided. A par is a good score here, you simply gotta know where to aim.

Step on up #4, This my friends is a tough hole, index 1, the crest of the hill separates the take-off from the approach, so you will not know where to aim. A cluster of trees splits the fairway, and thus presents you 2 routes to the green. The best and safest way to play this hole is to aim to the right of the trees, this will open up the green, and give you more protection from the water which borders the right and back of the green. If you take the more direct route to the left of the trees, you must ensure you are very accurate, as anywhere left of the fairway and you will need to reload. I assure you, a par is well earned.
see pic of the 4th below from behind the green, the large trees on the left will block the water from stray shots if you are approaching from the right, and the smaller bunch of trees in the middle are those which split the fairway.

The par 5 6th follows the previous par 3, and this par 5 is reachable in 2. The Tee sits atop a hill, and down below you see not only its own fairway, but for the first time you get to see a few other holes, namely the 7th, 8th & 9th. So, Your drive here is crucial, there is a large ridge in the centre of the fairway, catch this on the downslope as your ball lands, and you can get a great kick forward. I have over hit this green a couple of times with a 5 wood, so pick your weapon wisely.. This is a definite birdie opportunity, so give it your best shot! After his is a dogleg left par 4 7th, would take about 250yards to clear the bunkers on the left, if you prefer to aim a little right and you will need no more than a 9i to the green.

Let me tell you a little about the 8th, its a par 3, and it really has the teeth to bite! How can i describe its design? maybe it resembles a percentage sign (%), with the diagonal solidus representing a river, the Teebox on one end, and the green on the other.. 5w or Hybrid here, its not easy. Be happy with a par. I know id be delighted! The final hole on this 9 ofcourse is the 9th, its a short par 5, you can and will hit the green with an iron, but get your yardage right, as the bunkers 50 yards in front of the green can really confuse our perception of distance.

Back 9, 

Ok, first of all, you gotta find it, and its a bit of a trek to get up to it. You see, This next hole is the first of a very different Farnham Estate, From here on in, Accuracy is your friend, as you play through a forest about 75% of the time. This 9 is certainly the harder of the 2, Its much longer, and with length most of us lose accuracy, If you are wild off the tee or with any longer club in hand, then its advised to park those clubs for a while.

Hole #10, Once you climb up to it, you will love it, how different is it to everything which has preceeded? It bares no resemblance at all. the drive is straightforward, but like all drives on the closing 9, keep it down the middle. Its the approach shot on this hole you gotta be careful about. Anyone who has played this course will tell you the same thing, dont go left, dont go right, and dont go long. If you do, not even the Squirrels could tell you how far down you ball could roll into the surrounding forest. So if you are straight, you can take a par easy. Roll up your sleeves for number 11, and be sure to aim left off the Tee.

The 14th is a 277yard par 4, The final stretch is a constant incline so you would want to be exceptionally long off the tee to attempt to drive it, but for the vast majority of us, Its not near our range. That said, you should still be thinking of birdie here, and this doesn't happen often after hole number 10.

The 15th is another beast, 606 yards from the back Tee's, Another hole carved entirely out of the forest. You must hit a long straight drive, and a long straight 3w to get near the green, the good news is, you can hit this in 2, which makes this hole soft at times, but I emphasise straight again, as you cannot afford to be offline much at all here.. The 2nd shot is downhill, and quite enticing.. You can take a birdie here, but be careful, a 6 or a 7 is also a reality.

Number 16 is a sweet par 3, much easier than the 12th which would probably be a 5wood for most. But the 16th is fairly straightforward, bunkers line the left side, so play it simple and take your par. 7-8 iron would be about right, but you have to cross a small road to get to the Tee.

Lastly, but by no means least, Another par 5, dogleg right over a large pond.This is the closing hole, the 18th, and certainly a hole that will seperate the men from the boys, when the nerves are twitching on a pretty decent round and you need that par to grasp a victory, this is exactly the sort of hole you don't want to be playing. The drive here is similar to the 3rd, Take out the driver if you must, and I think you should, but any cut/fade on this, and you are swimming with the fishies. Be careful, and be safe with your first shot. There is an emergency life ring that you should aim to keep left of. Your second shot will have to be aimed between the trees that provide a gaurd of honour for the waiting green, a small stream ensures the right side is a constant danger.. you can par this, but you must find the fairway with your first shot.

I have a couple of criticisms, but they are not at the golf holes which I believe are terrific. I always like a closing hole to be next to the clubhouse, but this wont be exactly so, you wont be far off, but there will be a road seperating the velvet green from the plush carpets. These small roads are a nuisance, you must cross a road 3 times in all, but to be fair they are not that busy, just a nuisance on what is a fabulous course. A few benches and ball cleaners wouldnt go a miss either, but im sure they will come in time... So if you get the chance to play the Farnham Estate, take it, and feel free to take a pitstop in the Radisson blu hotel/retreat, it really is fantastic!

http://www.farnhamestategolf.com/Golf-Course
http://www.farnhamestate.ie

How do i find it?
From Dublin - just keep on the main road all the way. which basically is straight through the small roundabout beside the bus station, and simply keep driving, you will mostly be taking left turns, but you never get off the main road per se.

M'incredible Macreddin!

Where do i begin? what can i say about this course that paints a picture as majestic as these fields of dreams that McGinley rose from a remote region of the Wicklow hills. I knew little about this place when we visited, but i had read a few reviews that paints this course in a particularly positive light, Kevin Markham's book being prime example. So off i set with my brother in tow. The first challenge about Macreddin, is finding it. First off, its not easy, and the roads are rather bendy. Trust your GPS, it should get you there. Ill add the co-ords below for your reference.

So, Macreddin village, well its not really a village is it? Its more of a country retreat with all the facilities of a village, and nice facilities at that.. Don't get me wrong, i do like it.
The First Tee box and starters cabin is located across the road from the village gates, I say cabin as the clubhouse has not been built yet due to the woes of the recession, but stay tuned, hopefully we wont have to wait too long for one.

Golf is a game of 2 nines, and on this occasion, the 2 nines were rather contrasting. Separated by a road, a downpour and a lot of hills. Ill set the precedent right now, and divide my blogs in 2. So, let us begin.

Front 9,

An easy opener followed by a cracker of a par 5, and let me just say this now, All the par 5's are Beasts!
The par 5 2nd, its a dogleg right, a raised tee box to a landing plane sandwiched between OOB on the left and a Tree lined right. My bro sailed over the white sticks on the left, and I found position A, right down the middle. Did this do me any good? not really, I attempted to layup with a soft hybrid, but what a load of good that was, pulled left, behind a tree, nested behind a root.. My God, if I ever try to play safe again, shoot me! I got a 7, where a par should have been within reach. It Was a shocker, anyway, roll on.. It was a fantastic hole.
(see pic)

The 4th is my next fav hole, and these fav holes do add up. Par 3, Downhill, Way Way Way downhill. We played from the back tee, into a slight wind, took aim for the target with an 8 iron, pin high, landed just over the bunker 30yards left of the bulls eye. My brother found the green, and we both managed par.. We were happy. but we wanted to play it again, wouldn't dare do it though, the walk back up the hill would have been unbearable, took us a few minutes to get down in the first place.

Next on my list is the 6th, a drivable par 4 which i made a mess of. :) I pulled my drive and found the trees and tall rough, didn't find the ball however. The hole itself is fantastic, a little stream plays havoc to a safe knock-down drive, and the green nested within a haven of trees makes targeting from long range rather delicate. I say go for it, Its worth a punt, but only if you can hit long and straight and about 270 mtrs downhill.
(see pic)

A sweet par 3 leads us on to the next brute of a par 5 8th. Smash a drive to the pinnacle of the hill, and a 3 wood could get you close to the green, but you would do well to hit this in 2. best again to lay up, these par 5's are a risk to adopt a brutish attitude, with a small pond right of the green, i chose to layup, then i chose the wrong club, over hit the green with my 3rd, chip and putt. Ill take a par.

A stitch in time saves 9, and its a dog leg left par 4. There are a lot of dogleg lefts, a shade more than dogleg rights, 6 versus 5 on my count. So, the 9th requires an accurate Drive, take a 3w is my advice, and take more club than you would guess for your second, or simply trust the yardage, the bunkers in front of the green provide a deceptive illusion of length, its further away than you would imagine. Actually, it took a long time to play this hole, as we cowered under the tree on the apex of the turn as the rain began belting down, this was also the time i realised i left my umbrella at home, my wet suit trousers and wetsoft gloves. silly me, my game took a turn for the worst because of this. Let it be-known, i did have my sun cream!! I forgot to check met.ie for the weather report that morning, and this was my critical error, most bag carriers like to travel light when at all possible, cutting corners though bears its brunt on the unprepared.

 Back 9,

Where is it? I can't see it.., alright, lets snoop about, and cross the road, take a right as you walk in the gates of the village and head straight for a couple of minutes, you should find it up there somewhere :) The initial thing that stood out for me was the huge wooden cabins built adjacent to the 10th, I never really approved of building homes on golf courses, but these ones seemed to fit in.

The first hole I really admired was the 12th, it is sublime, amazing, and really intimidating, I've attached some pics to help you visualise it, and to play it out in your mind, which is better than our experience, as this is when the serious downpours started. Its a shame really, as there are few holes in golf that can pose such serious threats to your scorecard whilst maintaining an royal elegance that requires even the audacious to humbly bow down. My advice to play this masterpiece, is to take a 3wood, and target the middle of the fairway, that should be enough to clear the stream in front and hopefully avoid the gorse, stream and rough on the right, and the large trees on the left. A daunting Iron approach over all the danger would be your second if you want to attack the green, but there is a safer route up the left, to take this route, you will rely on your short game to earn a par, and indeed a par here should bring a smile most faces. I carded a bogey, but id welcome another shot at it in fairer weather.
(see pics)

Number 13, a delicious double dogleg par 5. Take a 5w here if you don't know where to aim, Draw a 3wood if you can. This safe drive should position  you at the end of the fairway, which indeed is the end of the turf, as a stepped drop below follows. From the end of this fairway, you can see the beautifully protected green very far away, and many metres below. If you can carry the 5 bunkers with a 3w and stop the ball dead, then by all means take the green on, but the best advice should be to lay up and play the rest of the hole as a short par 3. I chose the former and lost my ball in the long rough, stumbled across the line with a 6.. I must read this blog before I play it again!!
(see pics)

The 15th and 16th are very tough holes, the drives are fairly straight forward, long and straight is best, but with greens cosied up between the trees, and the run-off the hills place the premium on accuracy, a par 5 and a par 4, again, id happily take a par, but the birdies are on if you can dial in the approach shots.

The 17th is a downhill par 3, we played a 6 and 7 iron respectively, this green hides behind the same stream that we have seen countless times before, which in turn leads us to the 18th, which is rather pretty. 3w/Driver here, don't hit the stream on the right, and don't hit it too far into the stream as it crosses in front. Aim between the big tree and the bunker is my suggestion, this should leave you anywhere between a 6 & 8 Iron to the green. nice finishing hole which brings us back to the village.. I do prefer a closing hole where the clubhouse is your gallery, but that's just my preference.

____________________________________________

Macreddin is well worth the bendy, twisty journey through the backroads of Wicklow, so pack your bags, your satnav and dont forget to check the weather forecast. €40 is a steal for a round of golf at a course like this. This is one of those courses where as you stand on each Teebox, look at the preceeding hole as a puzzle and a piece of art, we just have to decide if its logic or brilliance that we hope should get us through.

http://www.macreddingolfclub.com/
Geo coordinates are 52° 52' 55" North, 6° 19' 47" West

I couldnt putt to save my life at The European club!

The European Club,

One of Irelands and the worlds finest links golf courses. a certain mr Pat Ruddy scowered the country looking for suitable links land (by definition: A coastal zone of topsoil-covered sand between the beach sand and mainland soil). He found such a place 40mins drive south of Dublin, our capital city. This Links course would be the 61st Links in Ireland, out of a world total of 150. The first 3 golf courses ever built were Links, and all in Scotland (Prestwick, St Andrews, Royal Troon), these courses in addition to Augusta, Pine Valley and some of the top American courses would provide an inspiration for the course designer. The designer, owner, golf writer and fanatic is the same person, the aforementioned.


It was on Saturday in April that I first drove into this club to compete with our society, The unassuming Pat Ruddy welcomes us as we entered his humble pro shop, a proud man he is, and an accommodating welcoming person too.

I showed a few of you some pictures of this course in the Niblick thread, namely the insanely difficult bunkers, I think there are 110 in total, or a sum near enough that figure. As he owns the course, he does not need to seek approval from the commitee to approve new expensions, bunkers, greens, ponds or anything, recently he added 2 additional holes. (I can think of one other club with more than 18 holes, and thats the prestigious London club in the UK). The European club has been a top 7 club for all its lifetime in the Irish course rankings, as high as #1 on a few occasions or so i believe, and minimum of #25 in the Britain and Ireland rankings. Padraig Harrington practices here a lot, especially prior to the Open championships, Infact Pat redisigned this course to reflect the conditions found at the Open, thus enabling Padraig to better prepare for those Major wins. Tiger Woods shot the course record of 67, Duval, O'Meara and McCarron completed the 4ball that day, and all 4 have been made honourary members. The PLP video with Padraig Harrington and Stephanie Sparks was filmed here too. Its a great vid if you havent seen it before, have a look online for it. Rory McIlroy won the Irish Amateur championships in 2006 here,

The European club is said to be one of the most difficult courses in the world to play, this is due to a few factors, the extremely fast and imaginative greens, the terribly high rough & gorse, the 80ft sand dunes and 40ft troughs, it could be said that the wind is the most challenging factor, and a challenging factor it can be.

So, my round. Well, it wasnt pretty ;)
The signs were good, No wind, a beautifully rare and sunny day, and the rough was cut back to allow it to grow, so 3-4 ft rough was standing a mere 1ft at its highest. The stage was set, my game in relatively good shape, playing from the society tees, the course was there for the taking. I didn't fall victim to any of the bunkers. Some of my playing partners may as well have brought a bucket and spade. I was driving powerfully, but not always staying on the fairway, 10 degrees left, and you are need to call in the detectives to help locate your ball, but none the less, i played rather well from the forgiving rough. My greatest flaw on my first outing here, was the greens, i simply couldnt putt. My first Singular putt came on the last hole, the 18th. Everything else was a 2 or 3 putt, I simply havent ever played on greens this fast. The greens themselves have yet to be cut to their shortest length, that will happen in a month or so.

I scored 27 points, which was the 4th highest in my society, 22 players in total. This course is a monster, it really is. It gobbels up society golfers whole, and spits them out with their head bowed, and their eyes enlightened. The bunkers you see are supported by railway sleepers, they make the bunkers empower many a player, and the greens were created with the effect of an optical illusion at times, making distances difficult to guage, or said distances difficult to trust. One of the greens (the 12th) which runs adjacent to the beautiful Irish sea measures 127 yards in length (longest in the world), It was this very green that Tiger wanted to have a few putting competitions from one end to the other with his playing partners to see who could get the ball closest, Golf at its finest, there to make people happy and excited, challenging and fun.

The 7th hole is listed in the top 100 holes in the world, and voted top 18 built since 1970. A river/stream runs in front of the tees as does a load of heather, the river then runs along the right hand side of the fairway all the way to the green. I took a 3w from the bag and cracked a drive about 15yards short of a marsh/pond just left of the fairway (this marsh is 300yards from the championship tees which i didnt play from), people take this route of safety as there appears to be a thin landing aread to play a driver, this again is a misconception, as when I walked the fairway, there was plenty of room within the landing zone, so a driver could have been used, if hit fairly straight. I played i believe a 7i to the front pin position from the left, tough shot aiming back at the stream pretty much.Fantastic hole, fantastic shotmaking decisions.

The 12th and 13th were 2 of my favourite holes, both playing alongside the beach, both have their out of bounds line on the beach, so plenty a person would have the play their 2nd shot from the sandy shore. On the 13th, a par 5 I had a screamer of a Drive, measured about 260yards (the ball travels shorter in a temperate irish climate). I hit a bullet of a 3 wood to the cusp of the green, but it wasnt enough, the ball rolled back down the hill from whence it came, I had a 3rd shot of about 20-30 yards.. I didnt mind, 2 well hit beauties and im still short, well thats a complement to the tenacity of the hole i suppose. When Tiger woods played here, he played into a fierce wind, starting up high in the dunes he smashed the driver way down to the fairway, then again took the driver out and hit another beauty from the fairway to the front edge of the green. Seems like he played it in a similar fashion to me, 2 great shots, but he with wind in his face from and from the championship tees. anyway, another beaut of a hole I must say.

Actually, the 15th was terrific too, I was considering a 7i second shot uphill to the green which was enclosed by a mix of bush and reeds, another deceptive read the 7i would have been, One of my playing partners hit an 8i to the front of the green, he normally hits a little shorther than i, so an 8i I decided upon with a little friendly encouragement. 6ft from the pin, missed the putt. Another example of the perpetual story of my day right there! :D

I won the closest the pin award for my shot on the par 3 14th, Ive included some pictures of the double tiered bunker, Was a lot of fun, missed the put as usual, but you can see my ball in the pic. If only i didnt leave my putting head in the boot of the car. Some of the stories I have pieced together in this article, have been sourced from the book i won for that close approach. "Fifty years in a bunker", Its the book that Pat Ruddy wrote on his adventures of creating this masterpiece of a course. If you are coming to Ireland or link to play true Links courses, you should buy this book. Anyone interested in Golf and how one person through imagination and percierverance raised a Golf club from the sandy dunes into one of the finest in the world.

I hope you enjoyed my cameo story of my adventures, thoughts, and insight into my game, It was a delight to play such a terrific course, and if ever you are in Ireland, this is one of the places you must visit. Any true links really you should visit, from Portmarnock, Baltray, Royal County Down and Royal Portrush to Rosses Point, Lahinch, Ballybunion, the Island and Strandhill. Links in Ireland and indeed Scotland are unrivaled.

Here are some of my pics for you to chew on.. I wish i cropped them first, but hey... the bigger the better, eh! :D

 This is the 3rd hole from where my drive landed. way Offline i know, its a slight dogleg right, the apex of the hole is very narrow, obviously my drive didnt find it.

 The 3rd again, a bit closer to the green.

This sits before the 7th Teebox.

The 10th, i played it rather well and picked up a nice par, missing my birdie putt again.

The Beautiful 12th, the first hole to play along side the beach, our prevailing wind "the south easterlies" push drives toward the sea, standing on an elevated tee in the dunes, its not easy to play under the wind either. great hole though.

The 2 tiered bunker on the par 3 14th.

 My ball on the green prior to its missed putt, and my playing partner in a bit of a tricky spot.

 nice view from the 15th green.

The 17th i thought from the society tees was an easy enough par 4. beautiful hole none the less.

and finally, the 18th. The sleepers this time hold not sand, but water. that wasnt to be known until i approached the green, prior to this hole, every bunker was supported by these sleepers (wood from railway tracks), but this was a pleasant surprise.



Ta

washed out at the K Club (smurfit)

Yardage: 6224 (from societies tee's)
par: 72
Location: Straffan, Co Kildare (just outide Dublin, Ireland)
Greenfees: €185-€230
I paid: €60 to my society to play at a winter rate.
weather conditions: you dont wana know!! :P

Described by many as the greatest inland course in Ireland, I think this glowing complement might well apply to both K Club courses, as there is a parkland and a heath / inland links course. This is the largest golf course (from the back tees) on the European tour, it has hosted the smurfit European Open many times, and has seen Tomas Bjórn quit in frustration during his round there a few years ago. Its big brother "the Palmer Ryder course" hosted the Ryder cup in 2006, the first time Ireland has staged such a huge competition..There is water in play on 11holes, although not always a in dangerous areas.

Anyway, enough about the course, lets get to how i fared in my attempt to tame it. My society kicked off at 9.50am after complementary bacon sandwiches and tea/coffee, My group going at 10:50am, i was the lowest handicap in our group, playing off 13 (gui 10)for the society. I had a nice drive, straight down the middle, a little fade.. but i caught the second thick, and this set the tone for the opening 5 holes, battling to straighten up the drive and find some consistency. but i managed it on the 6th, a slight weakening of my grip and i was booming drives 250-260 yards straight down the middle of the fairway, plugging on impact such was the dampness of the course (after the torrential rain we had all week)..

The most consistent feature i would say on this course is the high placement of most greens, It was tricky for me to gauge which club to use a lot of times having not been used to playing this type of course. These greens are be held up high and protected by some huge bunkers. It was quite a challenge to choose the correct club, and then get the high angle of approach to hold the greens. The greens themselves were very fast, but quite a true roll, It was not easy i must admit trying out my new putter the Gel Sapphire, also my new putting grip was being eased into my game

The most significant golf hole on The Palmer Smurfit Course is the Par 5 7th measuring some 606 yards (see pic below paragraph). In its construction, the fairway was dropped some sixty feet below its original height. A large man made quarry / rock face has been developed along the entire length of the golf hole. This was a hole to be respected, so i was delighted to clear one set of bunkers at the front of the green, and avoid the green side left set to hit the green with my 3 wood second shot. I got a birdie, and was fairly chuffed.. I averaged an 7-8 iron approach shot all day, oh oh... i birdied the 3rd par 5 also ;) hehe

The 7th

Did i mention the wind?? oh there was a ferocious wind to contend with all day.. but this was nothing in comparison with what was yet to come. When we stood to the tee box on the 12th, there was a huge downpour, we got soaked, absolutley saturated, thunder and lightning lasting 15mins, downpour after downpour for hours, i have never played golf in rain like this, and i play in rain a fair bit, we all do on the Emerald Isle.. but this gave me a chance to try out the Footjoy Wintersof gloves, yea, ive been testing new kit and new everything recently.. the problem with the gloves was that i bought the wrong size, I have since re ordered a medium ..

So from 12 -18 we suffered a relentless bashing from the rain, and a savage beating by the wind. The fairways held up well in the rain, but it proved very difficult to get good contact on the ball. Despite my best efforts to stay calm and accept the rain, it was not easy. I was barely able to see the island green on the 18th for my approach shot, and subsequently got my ball a little more wet that it had been all afternoon, so my first water hazard had been found.. :P ... I finished with a 16 over par score, but Im thirsty to return and manage a 10over or less, I felt like i was oncourse to do it yesterday, but that attempt turned sour when mother nature had a hissy fit.

all in all, a great day was had, the 3 winners scored 37points, but were approaching their final hole(s) when the rain began, Oh what I would have given to start an hour earlier .. I think i'll try to play Dun Laoghaire next, but the weather better be fair to me !! :/

If you get the opportunity to play the K club by the way, i would encourage it, there are 2 fantastic courses, but the price of green fees are unholy.. fetching as high as €380 last summer.. so, do your best to play on a mild winter seasons day.

This is my first course review, i hope its not too long :P

The 18th

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