How to Play The European Club
Pat Ruddy's links at Brittas Bay is one of Ireland's modern masterpieces and, happily, one of its more accessible great courses. A par 71 with 20 greens, set in towering dunes an hour south of Dublin, it welcomes visitors all year. Here is exactly how to get on, what it costs, when to go and what to expect on one of the finest links built in the last century.
Photograph: The European Club, Brittas Bay, via Google
The short version
The European Club is the rare world ranked links you can simply book and play. There is no members ballot to clear and no introduction required, because Pat Ruddy designed, built and owned the course himself, and the family welcome to visitors has long been part of its character. The practical task is not gaining access but securing a tee time, especially across the busy summer, so book ahead and the round is yours.
Plan on Brittas Bay in County Wicklow, roughly an hour south of Dublin Airport, a par 71 of up to about 7,355 yards with the famous 20 greens, and an indicative peak visitor green fee near 320 euro in 2026 high season. Walk it, take a caddie if you can, and give yourself the morning, because this is a links to savor rather than rush, and the stretch of holes along the strand is among the best sequences in Irish golf.
Getting a tee time
Book directly with the club through its website or by phone, or let a golf travel specialist hold the time as part of a wider southeast Ireland trip. Summer mornings go first, so the earlier you commit the better, and midweek is quieter than weekends. The course stays open to visitors throughout the year apart from Christmas week, which means a crisp, quiet winter round is very much on the table for the hardy, at a lower rate.
Access, green fees and key facts
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | Open to visitors year round except Christmas week; no member ballot, tee times booked directly or through a specialist |
| Indicative green fee | Around 320 euro in 2026 peak season, lower in the shoulder and winter months (indicative, always confirm directly before booking) |
| Designer and year | Pat Ruddy, opened in the early 1990s and refined by the designer over decades |
| Par and length | Par 71, up to about 7,355 yards from the back tees, with 20 greens including the extra holes 7a and 12a |
| Booking | Reserve through the club or a golf travel planner; summer mornings fill first, so book well ahead |
| On the day | Walking links; caddies and trolleys available; smart golf attire expected, as at any championship club |
| Getting there | Brittas Bay, County Wicklow, about an hour south of Dublin and Dublin Airport by car |
| Best months | May to September for the warmest, driest links weather; spring and autumn for value and quiet tee sheets |
Designer, par, length and access verified indicatively June 2026 from the club and leading course databases; the peak visitor fee is a third party figure that moves with season and demand, so always confirm the current green fee and availability directly before booking. Check tee time availability.
What to expect on the course
The European Club is big, bold, modern links golf, laid through a vast dune system with wide fairways, deep revetted bunkering and greens that run firm and fast. Pat Ruddy built generous landing areas off the tee and then defended the greens fiercely, so the test is in the approach and the short game far more than in finding the fairway. The wind off the Irish Sea is the constant, and it can turn a benign card into a brute in an hour.
The heart of the round is the run of holes along the strand in the middle of the back nine, where the dunes part and the sea is in full view. The long par 4 13th, played the length of the beach, is the signature and one of the great two shot holes in Ireland, and the par 3s throughout are exacting. The two extra holes, 7a and 12a, fold into the round as Ruddy intended, so you play 20 greens in all, a quirk that has become part of the course's identity.
Take a caddie if one is available, because local knowledge on the firm greens and the wind is worth several shots, and play it as a walk in the morning when the light is best on the dunes. This is a links to study rather than attack, and it rewards the patient golfer who plots a way around the trouble and holds nerve on the run home by the sea.
Plan a round at The European Club
We hold the tee time at The European Club and build it into a southeast Ireland links trip, pairing it with the Dublin courses and the Wicklow and Wexford coast. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling, and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
The European Club questions
Can visitors play The European Club?
Yes. The European Club at Brittas Bay welcomes visitors throughout the year, with the exception of Christmas week, and tee times can be booked directly with the club or through a golf travel specialist. It is one of the more accessible of Ireland's great links, with no member ballot to navigate, so the main constraint is securing a tee time in the busy summer months rather than gaining access at all. Always confirm current availability and rates directly before booking.
How much does it cost to play The European Club?
The peak visitor green fee at The European Club is indicatively around 320 euro in 2026 high season, with lower rates in the shoulder and winter months. These are third party figures that change with season and demand, so always confirm the current green fee directly with the club before booking.
Why does The European Club have 20 holes?
Designer and owner Pat Ruddy built two extra short holes, numbered 7a and 12a, into the routing so the course has 20 greens in total. They are played as part of the round and are part of what makes The European Club distinctive, the work of a man who designed and owned the links himself and kept improving it for decades.
Where is The European Club and how do I get there?
The European Club is at Brittas Bay in County Wicklow, on the east coast of Ireland roughly an hour south of Dublin and Dublin Airport by car. It pairs naturally with the Dublin links and with the County Wicklow and County Wexford coast for a southeast Ireland golf trip. Always confirm tee times and travel before booking.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Access rules and indicative green fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.