DAY FOUR — The European Club • Brittas Bay • Ireland
The rest of our stay was in and around Dublin, and you can’t have a golf trip to Dublin without tackling the world-famous European Club. The European is what alpinists would tag as a “steep, technical climb.” You have to have courage and carefully think your way around Pat Ruddy’s globally acclaimed 20-hole links Valhalla.
“If you are an unthinking golfer, you will suffer,” says Ruddy, who most definitely IS The European Club.
With a course now ranked among the top-50 in the world, Ruddy is on a par with Robert Trent Jones, David McLay Kidd and perhaps even Old Tom Morris himself. Of course, when we travel to review the courses designed by the world’s leading golf architects, it’s rare that the designer himself will come out to meet us. We had hardly stepped through the door of the clubhouse, however, when we encountered Ruddy.
“What do you want?” he quietly commanded.
I wasn’t sure what would happen next, as this man is not just the course designer, but also owner, operator, chief cook and bottle washer — doing it all with his lovely wife and daughter at his side. In that moment, I was both excited and intimidated to be meeting the man I had read so much about.
What we encountered, however, was a person who is sure of himself, his course and the experience we were about to have. He never made us feel small or unworthy of the course, instead acting as a gracious host, wanting us to feel welcome — but prepared for the test that was to come.
He set the table perfectly.
Discovered in the 1980s via a helicopter quest to find the perfect piece of linksland (reminiscent of the boat journey taken by The Island’s founders more than a century prior) The European is partly made by Ruddy and partly by God. Having played many of the world’s finest links courses in Scotland, Ireland and the U.S., The European is the “linksiest,” in my opinion. If you were to pick just one track that is quintessential links golf, this is the place.
I hit driver only four times here and posted a mere three pars. The deceptively simple looks Ruddy gave us off the tee lulled us into this beast’s trance, thinking David could beat Goliath. No, no, no. Here in County Wicklow, Goliath easily snatched the stone we slung at his head, smiled, and threw it back at us twice as hard. This place will bring a man to question himself and his game. I have known Kirk almost 20 years and I have never seen him so frustrated as I did during his bout with the beast.
I hit the ball well, putted decent and fired a 97. That’s The European — it’s fair, but takes courage. It is an absolute masterpiece and Ruddy’s obsession with and respect for the game is all over the course, with stone plaques honoring greats such as Sam Snead and others. The game honors The European right back, with many of the world’s top-100 holes found among the 20 that Ruddy created.
“Why 20 holes?” I asked.
Ruddy responded privately into my ear: “We like the game here enough that we wanted to offer a little extra.” It was as if he didn’t want anyone else to hear my question about holes 7a/7b and 12a/12b. This was my favorite moment on the day, as Ruddy made me feel truly welcome. I was in the presence of greatness and having an honest, personal conversation with a man whose legacy will live on forever.
Following our visit, he served us the best beef stew that I have ever set a spoon to (sorry, Mom), telling us, “Enjoy your meal now and allow your mind, body and soul to reunite a bit.”
Which was exactly what happened. Please, make it part of your life’s mission to play this place and meet this man. You’ll be glad you did.
DAY FIVE — The Links AND Hotel at Portmarnock, Portmarnock • Ireland
Needing to find a place to repair our bodies and restore faith in our swing following our day at The European, Kirk and I headed to the world-renowned hotel and links located in the beachcomber’s haven of Portmarnock, just 15 minutes from Dublin. If you like your links with a side of sun, fun and sand, this four-star resort hotel — converted from a 19th-century home — is your place.
The Links at Portmarnock was originally the private course for the Jameson family (of Jameson whisky) and has a golfing record that dates back to 1858. Bernhard Langer was tapped to take the old Jameson layout and turn it into a championship course, weaving some of the old design into a new one featuring elevated tees and greens, dozens of pot bunkers, blind tee shots and sand dunes at every glance, making this a memorable test, to say the least.
The golfing experience for Kirk and I while on The Links course was accentuated by one element that we will never forget – the wind, which blew relentlessly throughout the day. There were gusts at Ardglass and Royal County Down as well, but this Portmarnock wind was a completely different animal. The combination of Langer’s championship layout and the shot-changing wind actually improved our games, forcing us to develop new shots we had never hit before, but will have in our arsenals ever more.
The rugged sand dunes and seascapes on nearly every hole seemed to be on both your right and left – especially on the inward nine. In a weird way, it was like playing golf in a half-pipe, with fescue-covered hills high on both sides.
The 400-yard, par-4 18th hole was the final accent on a fantastic day in the wind and sun. With the hotel in the background and the beach just over the dunes, it reminded me of the final holes one might see watching the British Open. The tee was tucked high above the hole and our drives had to thread a chute of fescue and sand knolls. It played like 460, but the par I made there was one of my favorite feats of the week.
The hotel rooms, food and spa experiences were rich in service and taste, while the staff — particularly the master masseuse who eased our weather-beaten backs and bodies with a pair of “golfer’s massages” — made us feel like Donald Trump on a VIP visit.
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