Gentlemen
Thank you for your consideration over the last few days.
I see that Mr Bernhardt has now opened a new thread relating to The European Club and says there what he found himself unable to say on this thread ...... he paid his visit (presumably his only visit) to The European Club in 1999 .
This means that he knows little about the links, one round doesn't qualify even an expert to assess a complex work of art, and I know nothing of his expertise or otherwise as a judge of golf design.
It means that he knows even less (much,much less) about our links as it is today and failed to keep informed that we follow the Holy Grail of excellence as avidly as anyone on the planet with constant improvements and movements to keep pace with the evolution of golf.
If he wishes to promote some places and causes, for whatever reasons of his own, he is free to do so but I would suggest that this should not include character and reputation assassination of innocent others.
After all, it is no good trying to reach a pinnacle by climbing over foothills.... you can only be best if you acknowledge that the competition is good and that it was worth doing it if you match it.
I hope his stalking of me has ended and that he is pleased as a lawyer that I have not considered his application of the word "CON" to me or my work in the context of defamation and libel.
I see that there have been what seems to be a record 5,500 visits to this thread, a record exceeding that held by a Donald Ross debate sometime ago, and this is astounding. I think I should quit before I am accused of hype!
Warmest regards to all including Mr Bernhardt who will be most welcome at The European Club should he ever wish to return. Just let me know if you are coming and I will make the tea and have someone bake a nice cake.
Sincerely In Golf
PAT RUDDY
P.S. I love golfing in Scotland and in the U.S.A. My only problem with the U.S.A. is that you are building too many wonderful new courses and my time is running out and I am frustrated that I can never see more than a fraction of the new wonders of our world. We have a pretty darn great place in Ireland, too, and play golf everyday of the year with no snow on our eastern links (well, maybe for two mornings since we opened in 1992...but we golfed in the afternoon) and never boiling in Summer. Every Irish golf course welcomes visitors with no need to adopt friends to get in for a game. We have improved everything from our golf courses to our roads (the motorway from Belfast to Rosslare by-passing Dublin is almost complete and gets within 5-miles of our gate now....so much for those who have been advising others that The European Club is remote) and just take all but a few States and see how we compete with this list..... Ballybunion, Royal Portrush,Royal Co.Down, Portmarnock, Lahinch,The European Club, County Sligo, County Louth, Waterville, Doonbeg, Tralee, Rosapenna, Portsalon, Royal Dublin, Ballyliffin, Portstewart, Castlerock, The Island, Connemara, Carne .....just some of our true linksland tests ....the unique Old Head and inland at places like Mount Juliet, Killarney, Druids Glen, The K-Club, Carton and Adare. We should be grateful we live a priviliged life and be a little kinder to each other while, by all means, enjoying the intellectual challenge of discerning better from good, and best from better. There is no such place as a bad golf place and if you think otherwise ....leave me alone.