The Kildare Hotel and Golf Club
Encyclopedia
The Kildare Hotel and Golf Club (abbreviated The K Club) is a golf and leisure complex located at Straffan
, County Kildare
, Ireland
. It is built on the old grounds of Straffan House and at present is jointly owned by Gerry Gannon
and Michael Smurfit
.
The origins of Straffan House date back to around 550 AD, with the house being built in the 1830s by Hugh Barton, and remained in the Barton family until 1949. Following a succession of different owners, the house was purchased by the Jefferson Smurfit Group
in 1988 before its transformation into the K Club, which opened three years later. Gannon and Smurfit privately purchased the K Club in 2005, following the sale of Jefferson Smurfit to Madison Dearborn Partners and its subsequent merger with Kappa Packaging.
The K Club is one of only four Irish 5-red-star hotels (as rated by The Automobile Association
).
that was awarded one Michelin star in 1993 en 1994.
s, both designed by Arnold Palmer
. The Palmer Course was the venue for the 2006 Ryder Cup
, the first time the event had been staged in Ireland
. The course also hosted the Smurfit European Open on the European Tour
from 1995 to 2003 and again in 2005, with that tournament being played on the resort's "inland links
" K Club Course in 2004, 2006, and 2007.
53.302518°N 6.624584°W
Straffan
Sruthán was mistakenly cited by Thomas O'Connor in the Ordnance Survey Letters in 1837, and adopted as the Irish form of Straffan. Seosamh Laoide used it in his list of Irish names of post-offices published in Post-Sheanchas . An Sruthán gained currency among those involved in the Irish revival...
, County Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. It is built on the old grounds of Straffan House and at present is jointly owned by Gerry Gannon
Gerry Gannon
Gerry Gannon, so-called 'man in the hat', is an Irish builder and property developer since the 1980s. Gannon plays a significant and leading role in the build-up and demise of the Irish property bubble...
and Michael Smurfit
Michael Smurfit
Sir Michael Smurfit, KBE , is a businessman holding Irish citizenship. In the 2010 Irish Independent Rich List, he was listed at 25th, with a €368 million personal fortune.-Early life:...
.
The origins of Straffan House date back to around 550 AD, with the house being built in the 1830s by Hugh Barton, and remained in the Barton family until 1949. Following a succession of different owners, the house was purchased by the Jefferson Smurfit Group
Smurfit Kappa Group
The Smurfit Kappa Group is Europe's leading corrugated packaging company, following the merger of Jefferson Smurfit Group and Kappa Packaging. This merger was finalized by the end of 2005...
in 1988 before its transformation into the K Club, which opened three years later. Gannon and Smurfit privately purchased the K Club in 2005, following the sale of Jefferson Smurfit to Madison Dearborn Partners and its subsequent merger with Kappa Packaging.
The K Club is one of only four Irish 5-red-star hotels (as rated by The Automobile Association
The Automobile Association
The Automobile Association , a British motoring association founded in 1905 was demutualised in 1999 to become a private limited company which currently provides car insurance, driving lessons, breakdown cover, loans and motoring advice, and other services...
).
Restaurant
The K Club restaurant is a quality restaurantRestaurant rating
Restaurant ratings identify restaurants according to their quality, using various notations such as stars or other symbols, or numbers. Stars are a familiar and popular symbol, with ratings of one to four or five stars commonly used. Ratings appear in guidebooks as well as in the media, typically...
that was awarded one Michelin star in 1993 en 1994.
Golf
The hotel complex also contains two golf courseGolf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
s, both designed by Arnold Palmer
Arnold Palmer
Arnold Daniel Palmer is an American professional golfer, who is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men's professional golf. He has won numerous events on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, dating back to 1955...
. The Palmer Course was the venue for the 2006 Ryder Cup
2006 Ryder Cup
The 36th Ryder Cup Matches were held 22–24 September 2006 at the K Club, Straffan, Co. Kildare, Ireland. Team Europe won the competition by a score of 18½ to 9½ points, equalling their record winning margin of 2 years earlier. This was the first time Europe had achieved three successive victories...
, the first time the event had been staged in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. The course also hosted the Smurfit European Open on the European Tour
PGA European Tour
The PGA European Tour is an organization which operates the three leading men's professional golf tours in Europe: the elite European Tour, the European Seniors Tour and the developmental Challenge Tour. Its headquarters are at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England...
from 1995 to 2003 and again in 2005, with that tournament being played on the resort's "inland links
Links (golf)
A links is the oldest style of golf course, first developed in Scotland. The word "links" comes from the Scots language and refers to an area of coastal sand dunes and sometimes to open parkland. It also retains this more general meaning in the Scottish English dialect...
" K Club Course in 2004, 2006, and 2007.
External links
- The K Club - official site
53.302518°N 6.624584°W