The Endless European & The Longest Putt Ever

Views back down the 16th (tee to the left)

There's a part of me that says if you're going to play The European Club, at Brittas Bay, you should be doing it with a Frenchman, a German and an Englishman... but I guess a Scot and a Northern Irishman are more than sufficient.

This is the links that Pat built. That's Pat Ruddy, in case you've been living under
a rock.

Playing The European Club is always an event - although clearly I had missed the memo as the apple pie and ice cream were being polished off when I arrived. Our tee time beckoned but that didn't stop my stomach rumbling as we made our way to the 1st tee. There are few things worth missing a tee time for, but the apple pie is one.

Either Or

When you ask someone what they think of the course (and assuming they've played it) you tend to get one of two answers:

The par four 17th at The European - a picture perfect hole

Either
a) It's an incredible course... maybe the best I've ever played/it's up there in the world's best.
Or
b) I don't like those railway sleepers in the bunkers.

That's about it. And answer b) doesn't mean answer a) doesn't still apply; it probably just means you visited the bunkers and found the railway sleepers an extremely intimidating proposition... sometimes they rise up higher than your head.

Views up to the 15th green from the 13th green

I love the place. So many good holes, so many terrifying/thrilling shots. Find the fairway on the Index 1 par four 7th and it's a cause for celebration. Make par and rejoice. The European has its quirks - namely the two extra par three holes (we played both), the huge green on the 12th (see below) and, of course, the bunkering, but it is always challenging and intriguing.

Hole 7a - the first of the 'extra' holes at The European Club

The Longest Putt Ever

There's nothing worse than a golfer who bores you to tears with a blow by blow account of their day. But... there are moments worth retelling!

Mark lines up his putt on the 12th green

What's the world record for the longest putt ever holed? And, to qualify, does the ball have to be on the green? Michael Phelps sank a putt from off the green in 2012, which was measured at 159 feet. I would so like to tell you that the video below shows Mark sinking a putt of 195 feet on the 12th green at The European... but sadly I didn't have the video switched on. Still, you get to see how long the putt was on this 2nd attempt. And he wasn't far away, either! It had to move at least 10 feet, left to right, as well as encountering some ups and downs along the way. You can see where I was standing, and with about 10 yards to go, Ally made the comment that the line was good. I was thinking that the pace was good... turns out we were both right!

But I have a question: would you rather hole one putt of 195 feet... or your next 39 putts of 5 feet? The former would stay with you forever, but the latter could win you countless competitions. You decide.

The European Club Photos
The European Club Website