The European

The European Club situated at Brittas Bay has the classic links setting. The dune systems are in place and since 1992 Pat Ruddy and his family have been cultivating a real championship links. As each year passes the course is maturing at an astonishing rate. As Pat Ruddy says,he is trying to accelerate evolution – what took 400 years to do at the Old Course in St. Andrews – and he is succeeding.

This is the first major links to be crafted in the past 100 years on the east coast of Ireland. It will join its east coast counterparts at Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, Portmarnock and County Louth with ease.

From the first tee the course affords you a lot of the delights ahead and continues this trend throughout. With the railway sleepers present around the bunkers on many holes, the detail that has gone into the layout of the course lends itself to the shot maker with many of the holes forcing you to hit draws and fades from the tee. There are 20 holes constructed so there is always options and the conditioning is very high.

Tiger Woods came to visit in 2002 popping over the Wicklow mountains from his residence at The K Club. Shooting 68 the course did not reveal all its secrets to the superstar golfer but it was a great warm up for the Open.

With fantastic views of the ocean on the back nine the course really shows its teeth between the 7th hole and the 13th . With deep natural hazards and the fickle sea winds and the journey through one of the last dune systems that has been turned into a true test of golf. Watch out, Pat isn’t finished yet, this course will get better and better.