DAYS SIX & SEVEN — The K Club • County Kildare • Ireland
The K Club is the cherry on top, the icing on the cake, everything AND the kitchen sink. Ireland’s only five-star hotel and resort, The K Club is a golf hideaway that takes golf, elegance, service, cuisine and panache to an entirely new level. I have stayed and played at some unbelievable places during a 20-year journalistic career, but this place wins the blue ribbon.
Wanting to make sure we went out in style, Kirk and I booked a Garden Apartment. After the steward showed us to our two-bedroom dojo, equipped with full kitchen, two baths, dining room, living room, foyer and a full complement of electronics, I must admit — an afternoon nap, a glass of Pimm’s, some Windam Hill and good book would have been enough to put me in heaven, but we had a job to do.
The Palmer Course — along with the Smurfit Course, one of two 18-hole tracks at The K Club — is the Augusta National of Europe, and like nothing like the links courses we played all week long. After seeing nary a tree on the links we’d been playing the five previous days, we were suddenly surrounded by old growth at every turn, accentuated by an Irish landmark that dates back centuries — the River Liffey, which winds through Ireland and dances through the K Club’s layout.
Designed by Arnold Palmer, the track is not punishing, rewarding most managed safe shots and some risk-reward attempts — indeed, many holes feature small bailout areas that will save you if you choose to put your foot on the gas. Most greens offer thin approach areas, veiled by bunkers or steep grass slopes cut down for speed. The greens are pure butter and every read is true.
Our gracious host Bill Donald, an Irish gentleman for sure, told us that some 30,000 came daily to the Ryder Cup while millions more TV viewers made it the most-watched match play in history. Having been glued to the television myself, I was particularly keen to take a crack at the par-5 fourth, called “Arnold’s Pick,” as it was his favorite hole of the design.
At 568 yards, this double dogleg gave the Americans fits during Ryder Cup week and I could hardly wait to give it a go myself. After hitting my biggest drive of the week, I sat in the “A” position, just right of center on the fairway. The strokesaver book says to lay up just before the second dogleg, but I wanted nothing to do with the conventional approach. I wanted to see if I could do what Irishmen Paul McGinley and Padraig Harrington did to Jim Furyk and Tiger Woods … go for it in two and putt for eagle.
With the feisty McGinley firmly in my mind, I hammed my 15-degree 3-wood as hard as I could, flushing it but fading the ball slightly into the trap, pin-high to the right. Then I exploded and checked a decent out from the bunker before dropping an eight-footer for birdie. There it was — my personal highlight for the trip, a birdie on the hole that mattered the most to me, and to Arnie. Not as cool as Kirk’s albatross earlier in the week, but sweet for sure to me.
We were sad to see the 18th, but all good things must come to an end. A great home hole was followed by a world-class meal and a dozen or so enthralling stories from Bill Donald. His insights into the club and help in choosing the perfect meal were spot-on.
After a wonderful night’s sleep and a full Irish breakfast made-to-order, they sent us on our way to play a bonus round on the Smurfit Course after checkout, which was entirely different than the Palmer.
Host of the European Open on the Euro PGA Tour, the Smurfit Course’s partial links layout was far more challenging, with some of the fastest greens on which I have ever putted. It was beautiful and had slightly more rugged characteristics — definitely enough to challenge any player in the world. Having two courses that played entirely different gave us, as guests, the ultimate Irish golfing experience.
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