Really disapointing choice . . .

[Ted Kramer]

Is anyone else really bummed out about the fact that of all the courses in Ireland . . .

the K Club was chosen to host the Ryder Cup?


-Ted

[Brad Klein]

yeah, I mean like I was really hoping they'd go back to something classic and traditional, like The Belfry. At least next time around they'll be at The Monarch in Gleneagles.

Do you detect a pattern here?

[PThomas]

me thinks the pattern is "follow the money"

[Brian_Ewen]

Exactly .

Still I thought the choice of Royal Montreal for the 2007 Presidents Cup was equally consistent with the times .

I sure its an excellent track , but then again you cant expect Americans to travel nowadays , can you ? .

[Brad Klein]

Can you imagine how stunning the images would be on TV of the 2007 Presidents Cup if it were held at Cape Breton Highlands Links or Jasper Park! And the sense of camaraderie the players woud have staying in such locales?

[Marc Haring]

yeah, I mean like I was really hoping they'd go back to something classic and traditional, like The Belfry. At least next time around they'll be at The Monarch in Gleneagles.

Do you detect a pattern here?

Ah but then they go to that classical Welsh masterpiece Celtic Manor. It must be a classic, they spent about 300 million on it, and I'm talking GBP's here...

[ForkaB]

Marc and Brad

Those looking to see the Gleneagles ex-Monarch, now "PGA CENTENERARIUM!!!!" (or something of that ilk....) in all its "glory" will have to wait until 2014.  Celtic Manor has the 2010 cup, so we won't have to wait too long to see what $500 million+ can buy these days in terms of golf courses!

Vis a vis the K-Club, I played last year (elsewhere) with an Irishman who goes there often and he says the course is OK, but the fact that a large Powers is 20 Euros in the bar makes him visit only when fully comped....

[Tony_Muldoon]

Is it me but...

According to my reading of European media, for the last two months, European golfers have been playing for no other purpose than to accumulate Ryder Cup points.  Apparently somewhere in Spain last weekend, the boys got together and it was decided that McGinley and Montgomery are now 'practically' in the team.

A cursory following of the US media through Golfobserver.com reveals that in the rest of the world golf is being played in weekly tournaments for cash prises.

Is this a sign that 'we' take it far more seriously than 'you' do?

[Marc Haring]

Ludicrously seriously……

My only explanation is that it is a reaction to being systematically duffed up on a biannual basis for 60 odd years.

[Jim Nugent]

yeah, I mean like I was really hoping they'd go back to something classic and traditional, like The Belfry. At least next time around they'll be at The Monarch in Gleneagles.

Do you detect a pattern here?

Ah but then they go to that classical Welsh masterpiece Celtic Manor. It must be a classic, they spent about 300 million on it, and I'm talking GBP's here...

Are you serious?  Did they really spent that much?  On what?  Pins made of diamonds?

[RDecker]

I doubt they'll ever use any of the old interesting tracks for the big media events like Ryder Cups... because I doubt Jasper Park or Royal County Down have High speed internet access or the capability to use Shotlink...  Those events have little to do with or little interest in classic/good architecture.

[ForkaB]

I doubt they'll ever use any of the old interesting tracks for the big media events like Ryder Cups... because I doubt Jasper Park or Royal County Down have High speed internet access or the capability to use Shotlink...  Those events have little to do with or little interest in classic/good architecture.

Every course has the capability of using Shotlink (or equivalent).  It's getting the high rollers to the courses (and keeping them happy there) that is the problem.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

As they say in Philadelphia politics, "Money talks and BS walks"

[Robert Thompson]

A couple of things: The Celtic Manor, which is owned by Canadian tech entrepreneur Terry Matthews, never cost anything like 300 million GBP. Terry simply doesn't have that kind of money. He'd have been a paper billionaire at one point, but no long. But the course sounds like a disaster. Why take an event to a location where the course needs to be entirely gutted and rebuilt? Interestingly, don't they play the Euro Tour event there as a par 69?

Ah, the K Club. Why? That's all I can say about that. Having played it in September, I'll say the property is nice, but the course is awful. Terrifically terrible bunkering (like the cross bunker on the opening par five, ugh) and a strange mix of holes. Apparently they are flipping the nines, but it still isn't a good match play club. With the options in Ireland (Portmarnock would have been great, what about Portrush?) it is hard to imagine the decision to take the event to the K Club is about anything more than money.
Interestingly, in order to add "separation" to some of the holes, the K Club has gone about a massive tree planting exercise. Palmer/Seay simply pushed up some awful mounding to separate holes and that would have at least allowed spectators to get around the course. Now, even that will be tricky.

[Jack_Marr]

Marc and Brad

Those looking to see the Gleneagles ex-Monarch, now "PGA CENTENERARIUM!!!!" (or something of that ilk....) in all its "glory" will have to wait until 2014.  Celtic Manor has the 2010 cup, so we won't have to wait too long to see what $500 million+ can buy these days in terms of golf courses!

Vis a vis the K-Club, I played last year (elsewhere) with an Irishman who goes there often and he says the course is OK, but the fact that a large Powers is 20 Euros in the bar makes him visit only when fully comped....

One bottle of Powers is 25 euro in the shop. The 12 yr old is 35 for a full bottle (700 ml).

They have two courses there now, and I genuinely think the new Smurfit course is very good, even if it does have some fake rocks! They had an open week there this year (where you pay much reduced green fees), but this will not be repeated as the members complained. People with this much money do not want "poor" people to play their course.

[PThomas]

of course Redanman is correct, we should expect this type of behavior...

but wouldn't it be nice if it didn't occur?  Golf's professional participants usually are, on the hole, classier than other sports...it would be nice if the game's administrators would be to when it comes to choosing venues for some of the most important competitions, and international ones at that..and, usually, it's not like these are borderline choices where you can give them the benefit of the doubt...really, the BELFRY?? and how many times has it been picked now?

and exactly where does all the revenue go anyway???

talk about selling out

[Dan Herrmann]

I actually attended a Saturday at the European Open about 7 years ago at the K Club.

I found the course to be pretty ordinary, especially considering all the awesome Irish links on which it could have been played.

The K club is a typical Palmer middle-of-the road course.  The closest I've seen to the K Club in the USA is The Carolina in Sand Pines, NC.  It's OK, but certainly nothing special.

[Gene Greco]

How does the K Club compare with the European Club? I have not played either.

[Marc Haring]

Jim

Well ok, not on the course but add in the hotel and the clubhouse and yeah they did.

[Don Dinkmeyer]

Apologies if I have missed it in this thread, but -

the infrastructure for spectators, vendors, etc is spectacularly bad at many of the great Irish courses, yes?

that doesn't forgive the K Club, though.

I've been fortunate to play RCD, Portrush, Ballybunion, Carne, Lahinch, Waterville, et al and i don't see any of them having the logistics for 25k spectators...

[Robert Thompson]

Don: Portmarnock, like many of the great courses in Ireland, has nine more holes attached to it, making it easy for tents, range, etc. The same is true for Portrush. Portmarnock's access to Dublin would have made it a good fit, but Portrush doesn't have the hotels and such needed to support the number of people who would attend.

Gene: There is no comparison between the K Club and the European Club. One is a modern links and a labour of love. The European Club is also, in my estimation, a really good, though slightly flawed course with some of the most spectacular holes in the world on it. The K Club, on the other hand, is a marginal Palmer/Seay design that you wouldn't go out of your way to play if it were in North America.

[Gene Greco]

Thanks, Robert.

How does K Club compare to Tralee, another Arnold Palmer design which I have played? Anyone?

[Don Dinkmeyer]

Robert - thanks for the info, tho it still seems challenging to get all the people into that space!

btw, saw your blog and have to agree on Castlerock as a hidden gem in the shadow of giants!

[David_Tepper]

Ted & everyone else -

The answer to your question is very simple (unless I am totally mistaken!).

The K-Club is owned by Mr. Smurfit of the Smurfit group (paper/packing company). The Smurfit group has been one of the leading financial backers/sponsors of the European Tour for many, many years.

The K-Club was awarded the Ryder Cup as payback for all of that support. IT IS AS PLAIN AND SIMPLE AS THAT!

Obviously, the fact that is a decent golf course that has hosted Euro Tour events and is a first class facility is what makes it possible to stage the event there.

The quality of the golf course is pretty for down on the list of considerations. Get used to it. Get over it!

DT
   
 

[Robert Thompson]

David: Why exactly should golf fans simply accept that one of the game's great events is going to be held at a very marginal golf course? I understand why it is the case, but I don't have to like or accept it.