Pat Ruddy

Pat Ruddy is one of contemporary Irish golf’s most original personalities. Before becoming an architect he worked as a journalist, writer and passionate observer of the game. This critical culture led him to study the great Irish and British links, their history, dunes and the way wind transforms every hole. He moved gradually from writing into advice, design and construction. Ruddy frequently worked with leading Irish amateur Tom Craddock. Together they created Ballyliffin’s Glashedy Links and Druids Glen, host of several Irish Opens. Glashedy uses a spectacular dune landscape and provides a powerful championship examination. Druids Glen demonstrates that Ruddy could also work on parkland, using water and strong visual staging. His most important personal work is The European Club south of Dublin. Ruddy found the property, financed the project with his family, designed the course and participated directly in construction. He continued altering it for decades and even added two extra holes. Such a complete relationship between architect and site is rare in modern design. Rosapenna Sandy Hills, Portsalon and work at Donegal complete a strongly Irish portfolio. His style is demanding: large greens, deep bunkers, long holes among dunes and constant exposure to wind. Some golfers find his courses severe, but Ruddy openly pursues dramatic golf capable of remaining in memory. A living architect, he is also an author and historian. His practice is more personal than industrial. His legacy is a renaissance of contemporary Irish links that does not copy old courses but uses dunes with new scale and intensity. Projects completed with Tom Craddock should always retain shared attribution.