The Palmer North Course (originally the Palmer Course) at the K Club is an 18-hole layout with tournament pedigree. 

 

Designed by the great Arnold Palmer, and host to the 2006 Ryder Cup, playing the Palmer North Course gives guests a chance to follow in the footsteps of golfing royalty. 

 

The K Club is lucky to also have a second stunning course – the Palmer South Course – which is the inland links layout at the County Kildare venue. 

 

 

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The estate dates to the 1830s, but golf was not brought to the K Club until 1991, following the purchasing of the land by the Jefferson Smurfit Group. 

 

The Palmer North Course and Palmer South Course were both designed by the great Arnold Palmer, opening following the purchase and the renovation in the early 1990s. 

 

The Palmer North has gone on to host some of the biggest tournaments in golf, including becoming the first Irish venue to play host to the Ryder Cup in 2006.  

 

The course was also the home of the Smurfit European Open through the 1990s and 2000s, with the likes of Bernhard Langer, Lee Westwood, Darren Clarke, and Philip Price all being victorious. 

 

The Dubai Duty Free Irish Open returned to the K Club in 2016, where Rory McIlroy was victorious. The tournament was hosted several times on the Palmer North Course through the 2020s. 

The Palmer North Course is the parkland offering at the K Club, that plays with the River Liffey never far away. It is fair to say this is no place for the novice, especially when played off the blue tees which stretch a daunting course to 7,337 yards. Nevertheless, a walk around the Palmer North will fill golf fans with memories of the 2006 Ryder Cup, and that incredible and emotional European victory. 

  

From the moment one stands on the elevated 1st tee, gazing down a corridor framed by towering pines there is an atmosphere about the course that belies its years, a feeling that you know you are playing something very special. The 2nd is another lengthy par 4, and followed by the first of the par 3s on the Palmer North. At 170 yards, the hole plays across water, with bunkers front and back of the green. 

 

14 bunkers line the 4th hole, a long par 5 which also features a water hazard. It is followed by three tough par 4s, all over 440 yards from the tips. Both the 6th and 7th feature water hazards by the greens, with the latter featuring water that almost surrounds the green. 8 is another short-ish par 3 at just 170 yards, but with water right and sand left, accuracy is key. Although water does not come into play on the 9th, it is still a tricky way to close out the front nine. Five bunkers are in play and there are trees in the middle of the fairway. 

 

The start of the back nine just sees hard holes come at you one after the other. It begins with the 580-yard par 5 10th, with the dog-leg left par 4 11th following. 12 and 14 are both par 3s, the latter of which is more than 210 yards. Both also play over water just to add to the difficulty of them! The 13th and 15th are both tough as well, with the former winding between two water hazards.  

  

The last three holes on the Palmer North are truly outstanding. The 16th is a monster of 570 yards with the Liffey running all the way down the left and across the front of the green. And there is no bail-out right, just three huge bunkers and more broadleaf trees. The Liffey continues its journey all along the 424-yard 17th where the ideal drive is down the left by the water rather than face being shut out by trees on the right-hand side of the narrowest of fairways. The last takes you home alongside the lake that Paul McGinley leapt into after the European triumph of 2006, and it is rightly known as ‘Hooker’s Graveyard’. Go left and you’re wet, right and huge sand traps are positioned to gobble up anything errant. Only long and straight will do. 

Where is The K Club located?  
The K Club is located just outside the village of Straffan in Ireland, on the banks of the River Liffey. The resort is situated 20 miles west of Ireland’s capital city, Dublin, and just five miles from the M4 which runs west from the capital city. 

  

There has not been a train station in Straffan since the late 1940s. Instead, the nearest stations are Sallins & Naas or Hazelhatch and Celbridge, both of which are around five miles by road from the resort. Thanks to its proximity to the nation’s capital, Dublin Airport is therefore the closest international airport to The K Club. It is just over 20 miles from the resort and Dublin Airport is a base for Aer Lingus, Ryanair, and TUI Airways, with more than 25 million passengers travelling through each year.  

What golf facilities does The K Club offer?  
Along with two championship golf courses, The K Club also has K Club World, which provides the perfect indoor practice facilities via simulators. Practice, games and more are available on the indoor simulators, which can be booked out by the hour. 

What are the green fees at The K Club (Palmer North Course)?  
The price of a green fee at The K Club (Palmer North Course) changes throughout the year, depending on the season. It is also different depending on whether it is a weekday or weekend. There are also stay & play packages available at the resort.  

 

For more information on current green fees at The K Club (Palmer North Course), visit their website here. 

 

  

Visit The K Club website here. 

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