A brief History

The Resort is located in Straffan Co. Kildare approximately 15 miles west of Dublin and set amongst 550 acres Irelands’ finest countryside. This elegantly restored country house was opened in 1991 as a luxurious hotel and country club and now offers you the highest standards of comfort, service and cuisine. Acquired by Dr. Michael Smurfit of the Jefferson Smurfit in 1988, the estate is rich in history and dates back to the 6 th century. The Smurfit European Open, which is ranked in the top 5 tournaments on the European Tour, has been held at the K Club since 1995, and this year of course the K Club is host to the 2006 Ryder Cup. There are two magnificent 18 hole championship golf courses, the Palmer Course, and the Smurfit Course. Both are designed by Arnold Palmer but each has its own characteristics and special set of challenges.

Arnold Palmer Course

If ever a golf course reflected the personality of its architect, it is surely this Arnold Palmer designed course. It may seem odd to describe a golf course as charismatic and cavalier but from the instant you arrive at the first tee, you are enveloped by a unique atmosphere.

Ireland 's First Ryder Cup Venue

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.

Below are the varying levels of difficulty for golfers of all standards.

The Smurfit Course

This 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 and the design.

Developing the Course

The philosophy in developing the course was to ensure that a comparison with the existing Palmer Course would be difficult and that the golfers 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 regards to golf course developments throughout the World.

An Inland Golf Links

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 the Course into a true Championship Golf Course with many vantage points for spectators to view the Golf Professional at work. Coupled with this point, some fourteen acres of water have been worked into the design especially through the final phase of Hole No's: 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.

Landscaping

Even with regard to the landscaping there is a significant difference, on the Palmer Course specifically planted areas using cultivated plants presented in a formal fashion are the norm. On the Smurfit Course wild species of plants have been used such as gorse, bracken etc. 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 7th Hole

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. An artificial quarry / rock face has been developed along the entire length of the golf hole. This was done using technologies developed by a company called Rock & Waterscape who are based in California. Whilst their primary work to date has included Golf Courses, their main core business is working with the likes of Disney, Seaworld, and Universal Studios. The result is entirely unique and has never been attempted before in Europe. This is obviously the signature hole for the golf course.