THE K CLUB

From the moment you walk through the doors of Ireland’s K Club, you are immediately struck by its sky-high standards.

From the moment you walk through the doors of Ireland’s K Club, you are met with the highest standards of gracious living in a 5 star hotel just 40 minutes from Ireland’s capital city and Dublin international airport.
Opulent, classical surroundings reflect elements of Ireland’s history and reveal the best of luxury accommodation.
You are assured of the warmest of welcomes from the most discretely helpful people you are ever likely to meet.
It’s two championship golf courses, a luxury spa, three restuarants offering the best of Irish cuisine and an idyllic river setting complete the picture – the perfect venue for a vacation, conference, wedding, weekend break or golfing holiday in Ireland.
Set amongst 550 acres of County Kildare countryside by the river Liffey, this elegantly restored country house was opened in 1991 as a luxurious hotel and country club and now offers you the highest standards of comfort and top quality golfing facilities.
THE GOLF COURSES
There are two courses, the Smurfit and the Palmer, both designed by the highly regarded American, Anold Palmer, and each considered among the best championship courses in Ireland
The Smurfit Course, where this week’s Smurfit European Open is to be played, can best be desribed as an inland links. However, its true attributes do not stop there.
The Course has many dramatic landscapes with dune type mounding throughout. This assists in making it a true Championship Golf Course with many vantage points for spectators to view the players at work.
Coupled with this, some fourteen acres of water have been worked into the design especially through the final stretch between Hole No’s 13 to 18.
A watery grave awaits many a golfer on intimidating home stretch.
In essence the Course is entirely different from the American-style Palmer Course located just across the River Liffey.
From feedback to date, golfers say that it is almost impossible to make any comparison such is the great difference between the two courses
Landscaping
Even the landscaping of the two courses is significant different.
Whereas the Palmer Course has specifically planted areas using cultivated plants presented in a formal fashion, the Smurfit Course contains wild species of plants such as gorse and bracken that have been planted in a highly random fashion, more or less as nature would have intended.
In addition four islands have been created within the lakes to promote the establishment of waterfowl.
The signture hole
The signiture hole on the Smurfit Course is the Par-5 7th measuring some 606 yards.
This hole will probably be regarded as the most dramatic in Europe. It has a series of water cascades and water features made possible by the fairway being dropped some sixty feet below its original height during construction.
A large man-made quarry-rockface has been developed along the entire length of the hole.
This was done using technologies developed by a company called Rock & Waterscape who are based in California. Whilst their primary work to date has included Golf Courses, their main core business is working with the likes of the Disney organisation, Seaworld, and Universal Studios.
The result at the K Club is entirely unique and has never been attempted before in Europe.
The stretch of finishing holes is equally impressive, particularly the 15th and the awesome 16th where the green is practically surrounded by water.
The final hole is a joy to play regardless of whether you’ve got a good score going or not.
Green Fees: £179
AMENITIES:
Apart froma first rate pro shop offering Golf clubs, trolleys, caddies, golf carts and golf shoes for hire and world class practice faciltiers with on-hand tuition available from highly experienced golf tutors, The K Club also offers:
– Fly fishing on the River Liffey
– Course fishing
– Clay pigeon shooting
– Horse riding
– The K Spa – this new state-of-the art health centre features an extensive new gym and swimming pool, saunas and a number of specialised treatments rooms.
MEMBERSHIP
As a genuine country club, members enjoy access to a wide range of first class facilities that include access to and the use of:
– both Arnold Palmer designed championship golf courses
– The K Spa
– River and Lake fishing
– Members may bring up to seven accompanied or eight unaccompanied guest per day at preferred rates
– Membership is assignable, inheritable or redeemable
– Members qualify for special rates on hotel, meeting and conference rooms
– Members are entitled to special ticket allocations for the Smurfit European Open each year
– Special rates for family golf
– Junior golf programmes and memberships
– Individually assigned members lockers
– Charge account facility throughout the resort

Each Country Club membership applicant is subject to the approval process of The K Club. Members are bound by the Constitution Rules and Bylaws of the Club. The K Club is an equal rights Club.
Joining Fee
Membership Term: 25 years
Prices (see under Joining Fee/Annual Subscription):
Individual ¿80,000/¿6,950
1 Nominee Corp ¿80,000/¿6,950
2 Nominees Corp. ¿120,000/¿13,900
3 Nominee Corp ¿160,000/¿20,850
4 Nominee Corp. ¿200,000/¿27,800
Golden (50 Years) ¿300,000/N/A
Spouse (Lady or Gent) ¿40,000/¿3,475/¿6,950
The above prices are net of VAT (Currently 13.5%)
LOCATION:
Kildare Hotel & Country Club, Straffan, County Kildare, Ireland
Tel: 00353 1 601 7200