When is the last time, and if there ever was a first occasion, when your game of golf was warmly interrupted when the son of the owner of the golf course you were in the process of tackling had the full Irish breakfast laid out for you on the bonnet of his car parked at the back of one of the golf holes?

It happened one day when legendary golf journalist Dai Davies and myself were playing the famed European Club in Ireland.

Dai, who wrote The Guardian newpaper and sadly passed away in 2008, and I teed-up one morning during an Irish Open week. We were out early and in making our way off the 13th hole, and this stunning hole that runs along the Irish Sea, and here was Jerry Ruddy, and son of the course owner waiting to greet us on the short climb to 14.  He had driven his car down to this part of the course and laid out on the bonnet of the car was a dinning table cloth and the most scrumptous-looking breakfast.

Woh! A never before moment on a golf course but this was Gerry such a great, long-time friend.

The European Club was founded, designed and is owned by Pat Ruddy and his wife Bernardine and is run with the help of his children, and in age order, Patrick, Gerry and Sidon.

Let me also say start, and with no disrespect to Bernadine and Sidon who I don’t know all that well, but Pat and Jerry have been two of the nicest persons I’ve known so well in over 30-years being involved in the golfing business.  I cannot recall how many occasions I have made the drive down from Dublin to Brittas Bay to visit them at the European Club.

Pat Ruddy at the stunning 12th hole laid out along the Irish Sea shoreline

To drive through the front gates with the European Club sign staring right in front of you, to get out of the car and be warmly greeted in a manner by Pat and/or Jerry and the like I’ve not experienced at any golf club I’ve visited now on five continents and then to be told: “Now, here’s a scorecard.  There’s the first tee, so get out of my sight and go an enjoy”.  It’s been a wonderful experience and one I’ve always cherished, look back on so fondly.

What a stunning backdrop – The European Club and the fourth hole leading to the Irish Sea (Image – European Club)

Looking down the 10th hole at the European Club. (Image – European Club)

Pat and Jerry. They are two of the more-likeable guys in golf.  There is nothing about them to dislike.

I attended my first Irish Open in 1993 at Mt. Juliet and it is where I got to know Pat and Jerry.  Pat had been a Dublin newspaper journalist before purchasing the land to build the European Club.

Pat also was a member of the Irish Golf Writers Association and since 1984 Pat has been a member also of the Association of Golf Writers (AGW), and then in 2017, and on my recommendation as then Secretary of the AGW, he was honoured with Life Membership of the AGW.

Pat Ruddy (r) being honoured by then AGW President Goran Zachrisson with Life Membership of the Association of Golf Writers (AGW) during the hosting of the 2017 Open Championship

The truly stunning links course, opened in 1992, is laid out along the Irish Sea at Brittas Bay, and to the south of Dublin.  The course is kind of unique, and this is the unique part of Pat, as it comprises 20 holes as there was so much land at Brittas Bay for Pat to design his lifelong dream that he had room for an extra two holes – 7A and 12A.

There’s another uniqueness on the scorecard, and if I can use this term, and there in the bottom right-hand corner of tthe card is a small box that you will never see on any other golf scorecard on the planet. The box reads: “What my score should have been”.

European club scorecard – Note the heading across the top, also the two extra holes 7A and 12A and the small box in the bottom right.

Tiger Woods visited the course in July 2002, a week before The Open Championship at Muirfield.  At the time he was the reigning Masters and US Open champion and having won eight majors including the coveted Grand Slam with his second Augusta triumph in 2001. He brought with him David Duval, at the time The Open champion, Mark O’Meara and Scott McCarron.

I remember Pat telling us afteawards that he was politely advised by Woods’ management that if the helicopter carrying everyone saw any resemblance of fans waiting for their arrival at the club then they would not be landing.  There was no crowd, only Pat his family and a few others. Woods went out and shot a 67 to this day remains the course record.

What a fourball – July 2002 with Scott McCarron, David Duval, Mark O’Meara and Tiger Woods, and not forgetting course owner, course designer Pat Ruddy. Image – European Club

Padraig Harrington won three Irish PGA Championships at the European Club in 2007, 2008 and 2009, the event having been scheduled in the week before the Open Championship.   The plan worked so well that he won the Irish title in a play-off the week before winning the ’07 Open at Carnoustie in a play-off; and retained the Irish PGA by four strokes at The European the week before retaining his ‘o8 Open title by four strokes at Royal Birkdale ahead of a first PGA Championship a few weeks later at Oakland Hills.

Harrington recalled: “There is no question that there were shots at The Open that I was better at because I had played links golf at The European Club the week before. I would specifically pick my 7-iron into the first hole of the playoff. The weather had turned, the temperature had dropped, and I had learned the week before to allow for this as I hit a 7-iron 162-yards as against my normal 180-yards. It must have won me The Open. The European Club is a great links that you have to think your way around.”

Rory McIlroy won the Irish Amateur Championship at the European Club n 2006 and said: “This is probably the best links course I have ever played and I include Royal St. George’s, Royal Portush and Royal County Down in that. Its just the definition to it with the sleepers in the bunkers. It is totally unbelievable. I love courses where you really have to think your way around. It gets me focussed much more.”

And in writing about ‘unique’ golf scorecards, there was also a sign, and not sure if it still there today, that was located very much in view as you excited the pro shop and towards the opening tee. The sign spoke volumes of Pat’s not-too-serious demeanour.  It read, and if I can remember: “Be warned! Death to those crossing over the 10th hole to get to the 1st tee!”.

Pat has written a number of books including must read about the creation of the European Club: Fifty Years in a Bunker: The Creation of a World Top-100 Golf Links at the European Club.

A must read Pat Ruddy book: “Fifty Years in a Bunker: The Creation of a World Top 100 Golf Links at the European Club”

To Pat and Jerry:  Where does one start in expressing their thanks to you both for so many great memories of so many wonderful visits to the European Club?

Though it’s not just the wonderful memories in visiting you at the clb but the warmth of our friendship now well over three decades I will forever treasure.

Keep well and I’m making a resolution that I’ll get off my backside and get back over to Ireland to visit you.

Bernie 

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