Course Development/The European Club: Joe Culleyon another labour of love from the creator of The European Club, Pat Ruddy.

Most Irish golfers will have some association with Pat Ruddy, though they may not realise it. It could be through his long career as a golf writer/editor, or they may have played one of the more than 30 courses on which Ruddy has worked as a designer/architect, either on his own or in tandem with the likes of Tom Craddock, such as Druids Glen, Ballyliffen and St Margaret's.

But, as we discover in this new book, all of that work was really just a backdrop to his one true ambition: "creating a place for one's own golf where friends would be made welcome".

This dream first crystalised in Ruddy's eye when he was a lad in Co Sligo in the 1950s, and certainly the greatest bit of fortune he had in realising that dream was meeting his wife, Bernardine, who not only put up with some of this apparent madness but was in fact a constant pillar of support, even a collaborator.

It is, by any standards, a remarkable story. After two false starts in the 1970s, on land that, it soon became clear, was unsuitable, a helicopter tour of the Irish coastline uncovered the dunes of Brittas Bay in Co Wicklow, where Ruddy could finally embark on the monumental work of creating his links.

And he did it, literally, with his bare hands, initially on his own and with the help of a large and loyal family, later aided by a handful of staff and friends.

He writes: "The family album has pictures of Bernardine and Gerald, devoted wife and oldest son, on their hands and knees weeding the 11th green one Sunday morning . . . It was gratifying to see them all play their part and one can never forget the images of Gerard, at age 13 or 14, learning to operate a big excavator and drive a big dump-truck."

This book is not unlike the course: another labour of love from Ruddy. And though it is not intended to be an autobiography, there are fine tales of growing up in a very different Ireland, and examples of how the lessons learned throughout a lifetime in golf went into the creation of The European Club.

The book is full of interesting insights into how the course developed, how the layout presented itself, how - and why - it is continuously being reviewed.

For instance, the tale of why the two "extra" holes, the short 7a and 12a, were built is intriguing.

"People ask why do we have two extra holes? The quick answer to that is - why not? The first of two longer answers is that two beautiful greensites sat out there begging to be used. They could not be fitted into a route for 18 holes so why not go to 20 holes? The second long answer is that those who like to play golf like to play lots of it so why stop at 18 holes?"

The also have some practical benefits. It allows them to keep 18 holes in play while still working on one or two, and they help to make two nice loops of 10 holes. "A fun outcome is that we have holes with handicap indexes of 19 and 20 and this goes down well with lower handicapped players as they have fewer holes on which to concede two strokes."

And why is the 12th green a monstrous 127 yards front to back? Well, the hole was originally a classic par four, but when it was extended to over 500 yards, Ruddy hated to see the lovely old green disappear. So why not just attach it to the new green?

"A visit was paid to St Andrews to double-check the widths of their double greens and the decision taken to make our new single 12th green seven yards longer than their widest double. No point in being second in a fun-filled world."

We first visited The European Club not long after it opened late in 1992, and all agreed it was a fine course with potential. We have visited each year since and have watched as that potential has been carefully and dramatically realised, to the point where it is unquestionably one of the finest courses in Ireland, a real test of golf but still a pleasure to play.

The European Club has become the venue for the top amateur and professional competitions in the country, and it is only a matter of time before a full tour event is held there.

Pat Ruddy has left a tremendous legacy.

FIFTY YEARS IN A BUNKER: The Creation of a World Top-100 Golf Links at The European Club, by Pat Ruddy, €25 from The European Club plus €7.50 postage and packing.