The European Club is unlike any other. Designed, owned, and continually refined by Pat Ruddy, it sits on a stretch of rugged dunes in County Wicklow, 40 miles south of Dublin. Opened in 1993, the course was built with no committee and no compromise – just pure vision and a desire to create Ireland’s most exhilarating links. It delivers. The fairways are tight, the rough brutal, and the green complexes devilishly tricky. Ruddy added two extra par-3s, giving the course 20 holes – though most play the standard 18. The par-4 7th hugs the sea with a green cut into the dunes, while the 12th is a monstrous par-4 often into a gale. Tiger Woods once shot 67 here and called it “the best links course he’d ever played.” Wind is a near-constant factor, and the bunkers are steep, riveted, and ruthless. The course is constantly evolving – Ruddy still tweaks it. The atmosphere is purist, the views spectacular, and the challenge very real. It’s a course that bites, but leaves a lasting impression. Unique, tough, and essential.