Photo: Wikimedia CommonsDruids Glen Golf Club
Newtownmountkennedy, Co. Wicklow · Designed by Pat Ruddy & Tom Craddock (1995) · Est. 1995
Druids Glen earned the nickname "the Augusta of Europe" almost as soon as it opened in 1995. Pat Ruddy and Tom Craddock routed it through a wooded glen in the Wicklow countryside, between the Irish Sea and the mountains, with water, granite outcrops and immaculate conditioning giving it the feel of a major-championship parkland. It hosted the Irish Open four years running, from 1996 to 1999, and was voted European Golf Course of the Year in 2000.
The course plays to par 71 over 7,026 yards. The stretch through the glen itself — the run of water holes around the 12th and 13th, played among the trees and granite that give the course its name and its Augusta comparison — is the most celebrated and most photographed part of the round.
Druids Glen sits within a hotel and golf resort that also includes the more rugged, exposed Druids Heath course, half an hour south of Dublin in the heart of the Garden County.
Holes worth knowing
- 113th (par-3) — the signature hole, played across water in the wooded glen that gives the course its name and its "Augusta of Europe" reputation.
Highlights
- "Augusta of Europe" — Ruddy & Craddock design
- Four-time Irish Open host (1996–99)
- European Golf Course of the Year 2000
Good to know
- →The resort has two courses — Druids Glen (the championship parkland) and the more exposed Druids Heath. Glen is the one to play if you have a single round.
- →Wicklow is the Garden County: Powerscourt, Glendalough and the Sally Gap drive are all within reach for a non-golf day from the resort.
- →Druids Glen is about 45 minutes south of Dublin and Dublin Airport — a practical first or last round paired with the Dublin links.
- →Sea and mountains frame the course; an easterly off the Irish Sea can make the water holes around the glen play a club or two longer.
Visitor Information
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Common questions
Why is Druids Glen called the "Augusta of Europe"?
The nickname stuck almost from the day it opened in 1995. Pat Ruddy and Tom Craddock routed it through a wooded glen with water, granite outcrops and immaculate conditioning, giving it the polished, major-championship feel of Augusta National. It was voted European Golf Course of the Year in 2000.
Has Druids Glen hosted the Irish Open?
Yes — four years running, from 1996 to 1999. It was the leading championship parkland venue in Ireland through that period and remains one of the country's best-regarded inland courses.
Who designed Druids Glen and what are the other courses on site?
Pat Ruddy and Tom Craddock designed it; it opened in 1995 and plays to par 71 over 7,026 yards. The resort also has a second, more rugged and exposed course, Druids Heath — but the Glen is the one to play if you only have a single round.
Where is Druids Glen and what is nearby?
It is at Newtownmountkennedy in County Wicklow, about 45 minutes south of Dublin and Dublin Airport. Wicklow is the Garden County, so Powerscourt, Glendalough and the Sally Gap drive are all within easy reach for a non-golf day.
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