Designer: Pat Ruddy (1992)
Location: Brittas Bay, Wicklow, Ireland
History: The European Club is the vision of Pat Ruddy, legendary Irish golf writer and architect, who yearned to build a personal course to own and operate. He discovered suitable land along the Wicklow coastline to achieve this goal in 1986 and his course, boldly named The European Club, opened in 1992. Prior to selling the course in 2025, Ruddy frequently greeted visitors at the 1st tee and continued to tinker on his design over a thirty year period. Tiger Woods holds the course record at 67. The European Club has received much acclaim, hosting the 2021 Irish Amateur and earning numerous awards:
- #181 Best Course in the World – Golf Digest (2018)
- #42 Best Course in the UK and Ireland – Top100golfcourses.com (2025)
- #11 Best Modern Course in Great Britain and Ireland – Golfweek (2025)
- #10 Best Course in Ireland – Golf Digest (2024)
- #5 Best Course in Ireland – Top100golfcourses.com (2025)
- #1 Best Course in Wicklow – Top100golfcourses.com (2022)
Conditions: 8/10, The European Club is in good condition but was much softer and less firm than the other links courses we saw that week.
Value: 3/10, The European Club will set you back, with peak prices around £400 for guests.
Scorecard:
Tee* Par Yardage Rating Slope
Blue 77 7758 75.9 135
White 77 7029 72.9 132
Yellow 77 6468 70.2 130
Red 77 5642 72.9 128
*Including the 20 hole routing with 7a and 12a, Slope/Rating for par 71 routing
Hole Descriptions: Ever since playing The European Club on a golf trip to Ireland several years ago, I’ve looked forward to writing this review as it is one of the most fascinating (and polarizing) courses I’ve seen. For starters, this is not your typical golf course, with 20 holes set along a large hilly property on the Irish Sea. On the positive side, the course features inspiring views and is one of the most visually attractive courses in the World. It also contains numerous world-class holes like the par 4 12th that simply have to be seen to be believed. These two factors were enough to propel The European into the World Top 100 for some time, but there are some things about the course I did not like as much.
With softer conditions, bunkers lined by railroad ties, and a modern, manufactured feel, The European feels more akin to an American resort course such as Whistling Straits than Irish links. The fact that the course is unwalkable and buggies are compulsory does not help this fact. While others might not see this as a negative, it did take away some of the charm for me. The European Club is also a brutally difficult test that can quickly become unplayable for higher handicaps. With its elevation changes and soft conditions, the course plays long with plenty of gorse and deep potbunkers throughout. The European was too difficult for two well-travelled golfers in our group in tame conditions and I can’t imagine what a monster this place must be in true Irish conditions. Lastly, as good as the seaside holes are, there are a number of inland holes that are quite bland and simply feel like placeholders until you reach the Sea again. I’m very happy I got the chance to play this beautiful and unique course, but it’s unlikely I play here again on future trips as there is lots more in Ireland to see and other courses in the Dublin area I’d rather play again.
While The European is a stern test, it opens with some gentler holes beginning with the 368 yard 1st. This par 4 runs uphill the entire way with a decent forced carry to reach a fairway lined by potbunkers on the left at 160 yards and right at 200 and 225 yards. This approach continues uphill towards a severely back-to-front sloped green defended by deep bunkers short and right.
The 2nd hole is the shortest true hole on the course playing back the other direction as an 146 yard par 3. This 18 handicap plays slightly downhill to a green sloping back-to-front off a ridge and defended by numerous deep potbunkers short.
The 3rd hole provides you with your first views of the Irish Sea as a stunning par 5 and is one of my favorite holes at The European Club. At only 485 yards, this is a short, risk/reward par 5 playing straightaway and downhill the entire way. While easily reachable for even moderately long hitters, the initial fairway is narrow and becomes even narrower at around 265 yards. Menacing bunkers defend the right at 225 yards and left at 270 yards and will almost certainly necessitate a lay-up. The second portion of fairway is a bit wider for a lay-up but again is lined by bunkers and fescue. This narrow, large green slopes both back-to-front and left-to-right with penal bunkers short on either side and right.
The course ratchets up the difficulty at the 4th hole, a 428 yard par 4 that plays even longer running uphill the entire way. Featuring a semi-blind teeshot, this fairway is initially generous but narrows significantly around 215 yards with a pair of bunkers down the right and fescue lining either side. The approach continues uphill to yet another back-to-front sloped green defended by potbunkers short and right.
At 401 yards, the 5th hole plays in the opposite direction as an interesting dogleg left par 4. With its teeshot playing over thick gorse, this hole’s fairway begins to turn left nearly as soon as it begins with mounds of rough down the right and bunkers on the left at 170, 245, and 270 yards. This elevated green slopes back-to-front with bunkers on either side.
The 6th hole is a challenging 177 yard par 3 with a narrow, right-to-left sloped green defended by a large bunker short right and creek down the left. Playing downhill with the ever-present wind, hitting this small target is a tough endeavor.
The 7th hole is one of several holes at The European adorning “World’s 500 Greatest Holes” plaques and is the longest par 4 on the course at 449 yards. Playing straightaway and towards the beach, this number 1 handicap begins with an 180 yard forced carry to a narrower fairway lined by OB down the right the entire way. At about 295 yards, marshland creeps in down the left and narrows the fairway significantly for the next 100 yards. This green is on the flatter side and is defended by OB right and long and several bunkers on the left. I found this to be a difficult hole but truthfully don’t understand why it is considered one of the best holes on the course, let alone the world.
As mentioned earlier, The European Club has 20 holes and we were fortunate to play all of them as we mostly had the course to ourselves. The first of these alternate holes is found between 7 and 8 and is a lovely little 114 yard par 3. This visually striking one-shotter plays uphill to a severely back-to-front sloped green set in a natural amphitheater and surrounded by tall dunes.
The 8th hole gets my vote for “most Irish” hole at The European and is an absolutely stellar 407 yard par 4. This is an intimidating hole with a semi-blind teeshot to a fairway that bends to the left and is lined by mountainous mounds of fescue. At about 270 yards, the fairway ends and narrows even further, forcing you into a longer uphill approach to another green completely surrounded by dunes and demanding of accuracy. This putting surface slopes both back-to-front and left-to-right with a false front short.
The 9th hole takes you back to the clubhouse as a 407 yard dogleg left par 4. This fairway is notable for significant bunkering, with a prominent left bunker at 210 yards and numerous bunkers down the right at 235, 250, and 275 yards. This approach is rather straightforward into a large, flatter green. While a perfectly fine hole, this is one of the inland holes that feels quite bland compared to some of the world-class holes near the Sea here.
The 10th hole is another mediocre hole playing directly adjacent and very similar to the 1st. This medium-length 397 yard par 4 runs uphill and straightaway the entire way with an initially generous fairway that narrows around 200 yards with numerous bunkers and mounds of fescue down either side. This approach continues uphill between mounds towards an elevated, back-to-front sloped green defended by a bunker short left.
The best stretch on the course begins on the 11th hole, an interesting 375 yard par 4 with gorgeous views of the Irish Sea. This slight dogleg left is not a long hole but requires accuracy with an initially wide fairway narrowing significantly around 245 yards with a pair of right bunkers. Tall mounds of fescue line the left the entire way and balls missed right will likely be lost in fescue as well. This approach is absolutely stunning, playing slightly downhill to a back-to-front sloped green surrounded by mounds of fescue and a short bunker.
Almost certainly the signature hole at The European, the 12th is a truly unique hole and one of my favorites in Ireland. Occupying an impressive amount of coastline, this 438 yard monstrous par 4 begins with a severely downhill teeshot to a fairway that moves to the left. The beach lines the fairway down the right the entire way, while thick fescue defends the left. Like many holes here, the fairway is pretty generous to start but narrows around 220 yards with two well-placed bunkers down the left and an additional bunker on the right around 265 yards. This hole is notable for having the single longest green in the world, playing 127 yards from back-to-front, making this approach wildly different depending on the pin position. The putting surface itself narrows the further it goes, with several tiers, and an overall left-to-right slope. Tiny potbunkers defend the green short on either side and down the right near its rear.
The second alternate hole on the course can be found between the 12th and 13th holes and is a gorgeous 160 yard par 3. Running uphill over plenty of trouble, this one-shotter contains a back-to-front sloped, two-tiered green sitting in an unbelievable setting with two tall mountains of fescue lining it long and right. Like 7a, I really loved this hole and think it is comfortably better than any of the actual par threes on the course.
At 503 yards, the 13th is the other fantastic par 5 at The European Club and the only one of the three “World’s 500 Greatest” holes on the course worthy of its award in my opinion. This marathon par 5 begins with another downhill teeshot to an initially straight fairway lined by gorse for the first 230 yards. At this point, the fairway essentially ends and a new, hidden slab of fairway begins down the right. There are bunkers at 250 yards straightaway for unsuspecting golfers and those trying to reach the second fairway off the tee will need to carry the ball at least 240 yards over numerous bunkers and fescue. This second slab of fairway is lined by thick gorse down the left, beach down the right, and numerous bunkers beginning in the lay-up area about 120 yards from the green. The green itself is another where pin position matters greatly, with a horseshoe shape, plenty of undulations, and bunkers lining short and in between the two sides like an inverted Lion’s Mouth. The strategy, views, and difficulty here make this a world-class par 5 and one of the best holes on the course.
The 14th hole is the final par 3 at The European and is a difficult hole playing uphill at 165 yards. With mounds of fescue left and long, this green plays as almost a Redan with a severe slope from back right-to-front left and bunkers surrounding it on nearly all sides. This is a solid hole, but another head-scratcher as to how this is considered one of the “World’s 500 Greatest.”
The 15th is the last of the seaside holes and is another stellar offering as a 386 yard par 4. With steep cliffs down the right and fescue left, this fairway turns left around 250 yards with numerous bunkers on the left at this point. This approach runs uphill towards a back-to-front sloped green set directly on the cliffs with bunkers short right and left.
The 16th hole turns away from the sea and back towards the clubhouse as a 410 yard par 4. This is a dogleg right that plays uphill the entire way with a wide fairway lined by a right bunker at 225 yards and bunkers down either side around 265 yards. This approach continues uphill to a right-to-left sloped green defended by bunkers short, left, and long.
While it feels more Caribbean than Irish, the 17th hole is another one of my favorites at The European Club as a 382 yard par 4. This is a fascinating hole playing severely downhill from an elevated teebox to a corridor of fairway lined by thick, lush mounds. The approach runs a bit back uphill to a back-to-front sloped, bunkerless green. I like how this hole offers a bit of a different feel and is a nice reprieve after so many difficult holes.
The European Club closes with a difficult 431 yard par 4 that leads you back to the clubhouse. Playing level as a dogleg left, this fairway begins to turn to the left around 225 yards with bunkers down either side and additional bunkers up ahead on the right. At one time, there was a pond short of this green but it was converted into a serpentine creek after complaints and I am not a fan of this either. Your approach must carry this creek to reach a large, back-to-front sloped green containing several mounds and defended by a bunker long.
General Comments: Golf is the priority at The European Club, as the clubhouse is little more than a glorified shack with basic food and merchandise. Practice facilities include a large grass range and short game area. Unlike most links in Ireland, most golfers here take a cart, or “buggy”, and this is not surprising as it would be a very difficult walk. The European Club is in the running for possibly the worst logo in golf.
Verdict: The European Club is an absolutely fascinating course with 20 holes set along the Irish Sea just south of Dublin. While the course features inspiring visuals and several world-class holes, it is brutally difficult and feels a bit too modern and manufactured for me. This is definitely a course worth experiencing, but there are other classic Irish courses I prefer.
