Druids Glen Hotel & Golf Resort

Druids Glen — an Irish parkland course built as a sequence of scenes around water and mature trees

The course is situated in County Wicklow, known as the Garden of Ireland. It winds through mature woodlands, valleys, gardens, and several water features surrounding Woodstock House. The environment is distinctly more lush than a coastal links.

The Woodstock estate was acquired in 1990 by Irish investors who commissioned Pat Ruddy and Tom Craddock to create a championship course. Druids Glen opened in 1995 and hosted the Irish Open the following year. Colin Montgomerie won in 1996 and 1997, David Carter in 1998, and Sergio Garcia claimed his first major professional title there in 1999. The course later closed for a significant restoration led by Peter McEvoy, reopening in 2023.

Ruddy and Craddock crafted a highly visual parkland architecture, featuring greens framed by water, sculpted bunkers, trees used to define angles, and numerous transitions between open spaces and wooded corridors. The holes maintain sufficient variety to avoid the appearance of a purely decorative garden.

The course rapidly intensifies with several holes played around the lakes and river. The sequence of the 12th, 13th, and 14th holes is particularly renowned for its integration of water, elevations, and protected greens.

Druids Glen operates as a full resort with a hotel, restaurants, driving range, and a second course. The welcome is very structured, but the design retains the identity of a championship club thanks to its tournament history.

Opened in 1995; designed by Pat Ruddy and Tom Craddock; four consecutive Irish Opens from 1996 to 1999; major restoration and reopening in 2023.

Irish Open — Quatre éditions