The Kildare Hotel, Spa & Country Club

Straffan Demesne,

Straffan, Co. Kildare

  • Office

    +353 (0)1 601 7200
  • Pro shop

    +353 (0)1 601 7321
  • Fax

    +353 (0)1 601 7297
  • Golf pro

    Gary Murphy (PGA Head Professional).

About the course

  • The Course:

    18 holes. Tree-lined & open parkland. Gently undulating terrain - easy to walk.

  • Surroundings:

    Woodland and open countryside.

  • Designer:

    Palmer North course: designed by Arnold Palmer & Ed Seay (1991).
    Palmer South course: Arnold Palmer Design Company (2003; lead designer Harrison Minchew).

Back
tees
Club
tees
Front
tees
Yards
7337
6244
5459
Par
72
72
73
SSS or slope
76
72
72

At the same location:

Above distances are for the Palmer North course. Also at the K Club is the 18-hole Palmer South course (par-72; 7277 yards from back tees; rating 75.0).

Location

Latitude:

53.311826

Longitude:

-6.626665

How to get there:

30 km W of Dublin

Leave M4 motorway at exit 3 and follow R406 direction Naas (keep left at roundabout) and then follow signs to Straffan. After 6.5 km (go through Straffan village) entrance to K Club and Kildare House is on your right.

The K Club (Palmer North course)

4-PLUS: Must play course - excellent standard; worthy of 4½ stars.

Est. 1991

The K Club (Palmer North course): From the moment it opened in 1991, the fame of the K Club spread far and wide, much assisted by the excellence of the Palmer North course. This challenging parkland layout became firmly fixed in golfing legend when it hosted the initially very wet, but ultimately hugely successful Ryder Cup matches in 2006.

Originally known as the North Course, then the Palmer Course, then the Ryder Cup Course, and now the Palmer North, this wonderfully testing parkland layout has many memorable holes and features. Principal among these is the River Liffey. The gently flowing river, which eventually passes through Dublin, weaves its way alongside several holes. At the double-doglegging par-5 7th it hugs the hole's leftside before cutting across in front of the green; a delightful white-painted suspension bridge gives access to the green. The river also induces much knee-trembling at the right-to-left curving 8th - the course's signature par-4.

More water threatens in front of the clubhouse, with a fountain-adorned lake seriously in play on your approach to the par-5 18th green. As Tiger Woods discovered with his opening shot in the Ryder Cup, the lake is also reachable from the par-4 10th tee.

The elegant and tastefully extended Straffan House not only provides luxury accommodation for K Club's guests, but also a wonderful backdrop to several holes. With the original tree-planting now having matured, the Ryder Cup course provides an excellent golfing test, and the K Club itself a luxury Stay&Play opportunity just a stone's throw from Dublin.

Stay&Play at The K Club: luxury onsite accommodation available, see Where2Stay section below.

List of courses: Around Dublin

Visitors

Who can play and when?

Visitors welcome on weekdays and weekends.

Must book in advance. Handicap required.

Green fees

Visitor fee, 18-holes in high season (April thru' Oct): €200 (all days).

Contact club for full details, discounts, combination tickets, Stay&Play packages, etc. [Last updated: 2023].

Other information

Players generally walk this course. Non-metal spikes only in winter season (Nov thru' March). Caddies available.

Practice facilities

Excellent

Did you know?

Inspired and created by one of Ireland's leading businessmen, Dr Michael Smurfit, the K Club is Ireland's most famous inland golf venue. It was previously home to the European Open (a European Tour event) and most famously, hosted the 2006 Ryder Cup.

The K of K Club comes from the region in which it is located, County Kildare.

Published ranking

Palmer North course:
Ireland's 28th best course (Golf World, 2023).
Britain & Ireland's 182nd best course (Golf World, 2022).

Where2Stay

  • The Kildare Hotel, Spa & Country Club5-star

    Straffan, Co. Kildare

    +353 (0)1 601 7200

    Visit website

    At the world-renowned 5-star K Club Golf & Spa Resort you can enjoy two championship golf courses (including the Palmer North course of Ryder Cup fame), a luxury Spa, superb Irish cuisine and an idyllic and tranquil setting alongside the River Liffey. A member of the Preferred Hotels & Resorts group.

    • Golf at this hotel:

      K Club (Palmer North & Palmer South courses)

    • Golf within 10 km:

      Palmerstown House

    • Golf within 30 km:

      Carton House; Luttrellstown Castle; Tulfarris.

  • Barberstown Castle4-star

    Straffan, Co. Kildare

    +353 (0)1 628 8157

    Visit website

    Located just 25 minutes from Dublin city centre, this historic 13th-century castle and country house hotel occupies a quiet rural setting just outside Straffan, close to the famous golf courses of the K Club. The luxurious bedrooms are decorated to reflect the historic nature of the castle, and are complemented by the hotel's Garden Bar and Barton Rooms restaurant.

    • Golf at this hotel:

      No

    • Golf within 10 km:

      K Club (3 km); Palmerstown House.

    • Golf within 30 km:

      Carton House; Luttrellstown Castle; Tulfarris.

Find a course

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Tournaments

Ryder Cup: Rome plays host to the first ever Ryder Cup to be staged in Italy, with the USA defending golf’s greatest team trophy at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club (Sept 29-Oct 1).

Solheim Cup: also in September, also in southern Europe, the 18th Solheim Cup will be contested at Finca Cortesin on the Costa del Sol, with Europe defending after their surprise win in Toledo, Inverness Club (Ohio) in 2021 (Sept 22-24). 

Who's Who

Céline Boutier: with many successes as both an amateur and professional golfer, Boutier added a major championship title to her impressive résumé at this year’s Evian Championship.

Alex Cejka: buffeted by rain and high winds, especially on the high-scoring final day, Čejka prevailed over Pádraig Harrington in a playoff at Royal Porthcawl, to scoop the Senior Open Championship title.

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club: With a clubhouse that might befit a Roman Emperor, and a golf course to match, you can be sure of a memorable outing at Rome's most talked about golf facility.

Jim Fazio's original layout was much changed to create a modern Ryder Cup course ... now one of the Eternal City's (and Italy's) most revered.

Prince's Golf Club, Kent (UK)

Here at Prince’s Golf Club you'll find 27 excellent holes of links golf. Just over the fence and sharing similar terrain is Royal St George’s; but Prince’s is far from overshadowed by its venerable neighbour. The three nine-hole loops at Prince's, laid out over gently undulating terrain, are sure to bring a smile of satisfaction to all lovers of links golf.

Stay&Play at Prince's: excellent onsite Lodge accommodation available

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