THE K CLUB TEES UP FOR THE RYDER CUP 2006
Ireland has no shortage of classic golf courses – but when it came to hosting the Ryder Cup, there surely was going to be only one winner.
If ever a golf course reflected the personality of its architect, it is surely the Arnold Palmer-designed Palmer Course at The K Club, Europe’s top resort as voted by the readers of the US Condé Nast Traveler magazine.
Now the Palmer Course has been joined by the equally demanding Smurfit Course, which offers a totally different golfing experience. Described as an inland links, its ingenious use of water features, especially on the last five holes, is the ultimate test of skill and nerve. |
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Together, they offer one of the world’s great golfing challenges, a fact golf aficionados will learn for themselves when battle commences in September between the US and Europe in the 2006 Ryder Cup on the Palmer Course.
But golf is also a sociable game, and few clubhouses are as sociable as the Palmer Clubhouse or the Smurfit Clubhouse. With impeccable locker-room facilities, great pro shops, handy snack bars, elegant restaurants, and bars to remind guests of a few of the other things Ireland is famous for, there is no need to stray any further than the course for a great day’s entertainment.
For those who want to improve their game, the on-site academy offers personal tuition – and for anyone who wants to turn a game of golf into a proper holiday, the K Club Hotel offers the ultimate in luxury and a new spa already gaining an international reputation for offering an unrivalled level of pampering.
The Palmer Course
It may seem odd to describe a golf course as charismatic and cavalier but, from the instant you arrive at the first tee on this Arnold Palmer-designed course, you are enveloped by a unique atmosphere.
You may have been forewarned that Ireland's first Ryder Cup venue is no ordinary golf course, and that it is widely acknowledged as the country's most challenging inland layout, but still you will be unprepared for the ensuing drama.
The Palmer Course is, quite simply, one of Europe's most spectacular courses. It charms, it entices and invariably, brings out the very best in your game. It is unlikely that you will be asked to tackle the course from the championship tees, but this should
in no way diminish the excitement of pitting your wits against Arnold Palmer, for, in a sense, this is precisely what you are about to do.
The Smurfit Course
The Smurfit Course at The K Club has already been described as probably the greatest inland golf course to be developed in Ireland. The construction has attracted attention throughout Europe because of its scale.
The philosophy in developing the course was to ensure that a comparison with the existing Palmer Course would be difficult and that the golfer’s experience would be completely different. When this brief was given to Palmer Course Design Company, they came up with a concept which was radical with regard to golf course developments throughout the world.
The best way to describe the Smurfit Course at The K Club is that of an inland links. However, its true attributes do not stop there. The course has many dramatic landscapes with dune-type mounding throughout. This assists in making it a true championship golf course with many vantage points for spectators to view the professionals at work.
Coupled with this point, some 14 acres of water have been worked into the design, especially through the final phase of holes number 13 to 18. A watery grave awaits many a golfer on the home stretch.
In essence, the course is entirely different from the Palmer Course located just across the River Liffey. From feedback to date, golfers state that it is almost impossible to make a comparison such is the difference in experience.
Even with regard to the landscaping, there is a significant difference. On the Palmer Course, there are specifically planted areas where cultivated plants presented in a formal fashion are the norm. On the Smurfit Course, wild species such as gorse and bracken have been used and have been planted in a highly random fashion, more or less as nature would have intended.
Also, four islands have been created within the lakes to promote the establishment of waterfowl.
The most significant golf hole on the Smurfit Course is the Par 5 7th, measuring some 606 yards. This hole will probably be regarded as the most dramatic in Europe. It has a series of water cascades and water features which are just some factors of this development.
In its construction, the fairway was dropped some sixty feet below its original height. A large man-made quarry/rockface has been developed along the entire length of the golf hole. This was done using technologies developed by a California-based company called Rock & Waterscape. While their primary work to date has included golf courses, their core business is working with the likes of the Disney organisation, Seaworld and Universal Studios. The result is entirely unique and has never been attempted before in Europe and this is obviously the signature hole for the golf course.
The Golf Academy at The K Club
To compliment this magnificent 36-hole golf complex, The K Club also offers comprehensive tailor-made tuition packages for all golfers, regardless of standard or age.
Our golf professional, Lynn McCool is on hand to offer some of her vast experience to improve the individual's game and enhancing their enjoyment of our wonderful golf courses.
Players can also view their tuition and swing progress on site or have the option to take home a video analysis of their game as a memento of their stay at The K Club.
The facilities and services at the academy include personalised tuition and training programmes; group clinics; corporate clinics; tournament green plus bunkers for short game tuition; practice ground targets for distance control; driving range; and tournament-style putting green.
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