The European Club, Ireland   

10^th hole, 395 yards: Strong start to the inward half with much strategic merit. To be afforded a view of the green on the approach, the tee shot must be within eight yards of the center of the fairway. Otherwise, the flanking dunes leave a blind shot. Furthermore, the angled, right-to-left sloping green is especially difficult to hold from the right side of the fairway.

12^th hole, 400 yards: This par four plays along the Irish Sea. From high above the fairway, the tee is perched on a dune giving the golfer sweeping views down the coast. Ruddy preserved the natural tumbling aspects of the fairway. His real trick was leaving a ridge thirty yards short of the green; golfers are forever fooled into thinking the green is much closer than it actually is.

13^th hole, 530 yards: An example of a hole Ruddy has improved over time. Originally the tee was to the right of the 12^th green, making for a straightforward hole of no great merit.

Ruddy subsequently moved the tee one hundred yards to the left. Now, the player plays his tee shot out toward the sea before turning left and following the shore to the green. Obviously, it is always appealing to have the sea as a backdrop to a full shot. More importantly, the dogleg allows the better player to seek a shorter way home. The last 100 yards is at it should be on a hole of this length, with deep bunkers on either side of the fairway.

15^th hole, 370 yards: This uphill, dogleg left is one of the few holes where the player would consider not playing driver off the tee as the landing area is tightly pinched by a bunker on the left and the sea on the right. Given the right wind conditions, the better players can risk carrying the bunker off the tee. The green is perched on the edge of a 50-foot cliff, with the sea on the player's right. This is a most dramatic green site but it comes with a price - the green is exposed and so close to the sea that it is difficult to keep healthy turf. Yet, the authors contend that the course is better for the green being perched on the Irish Sea than perhaps a more cautious selection.

Any description of The European Club must mention its one controversial hole: the 18^th. There is a small pond that guards the front and left side of the green. Like most pairs who play the course, the authors are divided on the hole. One considers the pond an aberration as it is not consistent with the rest of the course and out of character with links golf in general. The other author believes the pond does belong, as the area had been a small bog. The pond does not look artificial and its edges are soft, with weeds growing out of the water. You decide, but don't spend too much time; many other of the holes deserve the real attention.

A final point deserves mention: two new short holes (between the 7^th and 8^th and the 12^th and 13^th holes) have been built to serve as relief holes when other holes need to be closed for maintenance purposes. This concept is strangely overlooked these days. Having one or two extra holes that can be easily worked into the routing is a tremendous luxury, ensuring that necessary work can be done to the course while still allowing golfers to play eighteen quality holes. The two extra holes at The European Club are simple in that only the tee and green need to be maintained -- no bunkers or maintained rough to worry about. As the original course has only three short holes, the player will not feel 'cheated' at having to play one or two others. In fact, the holes look so interesting when walking by them that the player is tempted to play all 20 holes!

The European Club has been a win-win since its inception. From a design point of view, Ruddy took his time and maximised what the land had to offer while at the same time getting the little points right. But in addition, The European Club has been a financial wonder as well. Since purchasing the property in 1987, building the course, opening the course in 1992 and maintaining it through 1998, the entire outlay has been a modest 4.5 million Irish pounds or roughly US$7,000,000. Compare that to some architects' fees or the new 5^th hole at Pebble Beach!

Ruddy almost goes out of his way to keep you from taking your round too seriously. The score card is peppered with admonitions such as 'Stay awake -- get around in 4-hours - you are an athlete!' to ' Do not be a links lawyer. Play the ball as it lies when possible.' and a box reserved for 'What my score should have been.' After all, golf is a game to be enjoyed. And there are few more enjoyable spots than among the dunes of Brittas Bay.

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