Formerly The European Club — one of Ireland's most celebrated links — Brittas Bay is being reborn. A €45 million investment, a world-class redesign by Kyle Phillips (Kingsbarns, Dundonald Links), and one of Ireland's most spectacular coastal settings. The most exciting new golf story in Ireland. Opening Spring 2027.
The course is closed throughout 2026 for redesign. No tee times are available until Spring 2027. Follow brittasbayclub.ie for opening announcements.
In 2025–2026, Raymond and Nicky Conlan purchased The European Club — one of Ireland's most acclaimed links courses, founded in 1992 by Pat Ruddy — for approximately €29–30 million. The sale marked the end of a remarkable chapter: Ruddy had created a course of extraordinary ambition on the Brittas Bay coastline, eventually building 20 holes (all with Irish Sea views), and the course became a regular fixture in Top 10 Irish links rankings and Top 100 world lists.
The Conlans have committed a total investment of approximately €45 million — purchase price plus redesign — and appointed Kyle Phillips as the redesign architect. Phillips is one of golf's most respected contemporary designers, best known for creating Kingsbarns Golf Links in Scotland (ranked among the world's finest links courses) and Dundonald Links in Ayrshire. His appointment signals serious intent: this is not a cosmetic refresh but a ground-up reimagining of one of Ireland's most spectacular coastal sites.
The new routing will have 18 holes (the original European Club had 20), par 72, with five tee options from just over 5,000 yards to 7,350 yards — making it genuinely playable for golfers across a wide range of abilities while offering a true championship test from the tips. All 18 holes will retain sea views, one of the defining characteristics of the original course and of the Brittas Bay coastline itself.
Kyle Phillips is an American golf course architect with an exceptional portfolio of links design work in Britain and Ireland. His most celebrated creation is Kingsbarns Golf Links in Fife, Scotland — opened in 2000 on a historic coastal site overlooking the North Sea, and now consistently ranked among the top 20 courses in the world. He also designed Dundonald Links in Ayrshire, another acclaimed links layout. Phillips has a particular gift for reading coastal land and creating links courses that feel both ancient and contemporary — natural in their character but modern in their playability.
His appointment at Brittas Bay is the clearest signal yet of the Conlans' ambition: they are not simply buying a great course, they are commissioning a potentially world-class one.
The European Club was founded in 1992 by Pat Ruddy — Irish golf writer, designer and passionate champion of links golf — on a stretch of dunes at Brittas Bay in south Co. Wicklow. Ruddy built 20 holes over time, all with views of the Irish Sea, on land he described as among the finest links terrain in Ireland. The course became one of the most discussed and visited links courses in the country, regularly appearing in Top 10 Irish lists and occasionally in world Top 100 rankings.
Its reputation rested on its combination of raw, unspoiled links character — firm, fast fairways, intimidating rough, demanding carries, and constant sea wind — with an openness to visitors that made it accessible without being a resort. Pat Ruddy's personal involvement gave it an individuality that distinguished it from corporate golf destinations. The sale to the Conlans in 2025–2026 marks the end of that chapter and the beginning of something potentially even more significant.
Brittas Bay itself is one of the finest stretches of coastline on the east coast of Ireland. The adjacent Brittas Bay beach is a Blue Flag beach, regularly cited as one of Ireland's finest — wide, clean, backed by dunes, and popular with Dublin day-trippers throughout the summer. The golf course occupies the dune system above the beach, giving every hole an extraordinary natural framework of sand, marram grass and sea.
The wider south Wicklow coast — Arklow, the Vale of Avoca, Woodenbridge — offers excellent complementary golf and tourism for visitors planning a longer trip to the area. See our Arklow & South Wicklow area guide for more.
No — the course is fully closed throughout 2026 for the Kyle Phillips redesign. No tee times are available. The expected reopening is Spring 2027, subject to construction progress. Follow brittasbayclub.ie for official announcements.
The European Club was purchased in 2025–2026 by Raymond and Nicky Conlan for approximately €29–30 million. The new owners are investing a total of approximately €45 million (purchase plus redesign) and have rebranded the course as Brittas Bay Club. The redesign is being carried out by Kyle Phillips, architect of Kingsbarns and Dundonald Links.
Kyle Phillips — the American architect behind Kingsbarns Golf Links in Scotland (ranked in the world Top 20) and Dundonald Links. His appointment signals world-class ambition for the new course. Phillips specialises in links design and has a strong track record of creating courses that feel authentic to their coastal setting.
The new routing will have 18 holes at par 72, with five tee options ranging from just over 5,000 yards to 7,350 yards. The original European Club had 20 holes; the new design consolidates this into a single 18-hole layout. All 18 holes will retain sea views.
Brittas Bay beach is one of Ireland's finest — a Blue Flag beach backed by dunes, wide and clean, approximately 5km long. It is one of the most popular beaches on the east coast, particularly for Dublin visitors. Adjacent to the golf course site, the beach gives the area an exceptional combination of golf and coastal scenery.
Tee times will become available through brittasbayclub.ie ahead of the Spring 2027 opening. We recommend following the club's website and social channels for the first announcement of booking availability, which is expected to attract significant demand.
Classic links golf on the south Wicklow coast — the nearest alternative links experience, 15 minutes north.
River-valley parkland in the Vale of Avoca — a beautiful contrast to links golf, 20 minutes inland.
Irish Sea views from all 18 holes on the Wicklow clifftops — from €35, open to all, 30 minutes north.