Powerscourt Golf Club (West Course)

Kidd's West Course Strategy

The West Course at Powerscourt Golf Club opened in 2003, seven years after the East Course, giving the estate a second layout with a noticeably different shape. David McLay Kidd used the foothill ground to create wider landing areas and larger greens, allowing room from the tee while placing more pressure on the approach. The course moves through mature trees and rolling ground cut by ravines and streams, with the Wicklow Mountains rising beyond the estate.

The early holes establish its rhythm quickly. The opening par five asks golfers to avoid fairway bunkers before choosing a lay-up position, while the short 6th can leave a difficult putt when the tee shot finishes on the wrong section of its green. Water tightens the 9th, where a straight drive can remove the carry from the approach.

The inward half keeps changing the required line. At the par-five 16th, several fairway bunkers divide the route to the green. The short 17th rewards accuracy, and the closing par five runs between two large trees before returning towards the clubhouse.