For Golfers

Challenge Cup Team Members play 6 rounds of golf including:

K Club (Palmer Course) – Sunday
Rathsallagh GC – Monday
Druids Glen GC – Tuesday
The Links Portmarnock – Wednesday
Portmarnock GC – Thursday (Round 1 of Challenge Cup)
Portmarnock GC – Friday (Round 2 of Challenge Cup)
 

Other golfers play 5 Rounds of golf including:

K Club (Palmer Course) – Sunday
Rathsallagh GC – Monday
Druids Glen GC – Tuesday
The Links Portmarnock – Wednesday
St. Anne’s GC – Thursday
Free day - Friday 

For Non Golfers

4 Tours Consisting Of:
Wicklow
Kildare
Malahide
Historic Dublin City

* Challenge Cup Tournament Portmarnock: 36 Golfers will play on final two days. Those not playing will have the option to play St. Anne’s on Thursday, September 18th, 2008.

Rates

Team Canada Golfers $8547 per person
Golfers $7547 per person
Non-Golfers $7147 per person

Based on 2 people sharing & round trip Economy flight from Toronto to Dublin. Taxes of $214 per person are extra.

Upgrades are available
Club Class flights from $550 per person round trip
K-Club (3 nights)
Superior Twin or Double Room $200 per person per night
Deluxe Room: $250 per person per night
Suite: $500 per person per night
Four Seasons (2 nights)
King Premium: $50 per person per night
Four Seasons Executive Suite: $100 per person per night
1 Bedroom King Deluxe Suite: $200 per person per night

Ask about low air add-ons from gateways across Canada.

EXCLUSIVE Team Canada Players Package
Each Team Canada Golfer will receive the following exclusive package, as a  logoed momento of the Challenge Cup:

• Premium Adidas Golf Stand Bag
• Waterproof Adidas Rain Jacket
• 2 high quality Adidas ClimaCool Polo-style Golf Shirts
• Adidas Duffle Bag
• Pro-style golf bag towel
• 2 dozen TaylorMade Golf Balls
• Challenge Cup clip-on Blazer Crest
• Adidas adjustablegolf cap
• Pro-style umbrella

Our VIP department is waiting for your call! Call now at:
1 800 941 6751

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Itinerary

Friday, September 12th
Depart Toronto at 11:40 PM. Air Transat Flight #TS232

Saturday, September 13th
Arrive Dublin Airport at 11:10 AM where you will be met by your driver, board your coach and transfer to the K Club.



From the moment you walk through the doors of Ireland’s luxurious K Club you will be met with the highest standards of warm Irish hospitality. This 5 Star hotel is located only 40 minutes from Ireland’s capital, Dublin. Decorated in opulent and classical surroundings, the K Club reflects elements of Ireland’s history and is the best in luxury accommodation. Set amongst 550 acres in the County Kildare countryside by the River Liffey, the K Club is an elegantly restored country house opened in 1991 as a luxury hotel. On site there are two championship golf courses, a luxury spa, delectable Irish cuisines and an idyllic river setting to complete this perfect picture.

7pm: Welcome cocktail party hosted by K Club, followed by dinner. Dress jacket is required. This evening you will stay at the K Club.

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Sunday, September 14th
After breakfast in your hotel, play the K Club’s Palmer Course
from 9 AM.



Designed by Arnold Palmer, the Palmer Course directly reflects the personality of its architect, charismatic and cavalier; you are instantly enveloped by its unique atmosphere. Home to the 2007 Ryder Cup between Europe and the USA, this wonderfully testing parklands layout has many memorable features, among these the River Liffey, weaving its way alongside several holes, including the knee-trembling par-4 8th, the K-Clubs most famous hole.

Today the non-golfers will rest from their trip and enjoy the grounds of the K Club including all of their top facilities.This evening you will have a choice of visiting a fun local pub such as Lawlors or Haydens,  for dinner in the village of Naas (20 minutes away via arranged transportation).

This evening you will be staying at the K Club.

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Monday, September 15th
After breakfast in your hotel, play Rathsallgh Golf Club from 9 AM.



Designed by Christy O’Connor Junior and Peter McEvoy this par-72 course measures 7,200 yards from the Medal Tees. Rathsallagh Golf Club rapidly took its place as one of the top courses in Ireland. The undulating countryside creates a perfect golfing terrain providing a great challenge for all golfers, especially the eighth hole, a wickedly testing, par-five that doglegs to the right where the emphasis is on a perfect tee shot placement, on an invariably immaculate putting green. 11:00 AM: Today, for the non golfers, there will be a tour of Wicklow.

10:45 – 11:45 AM: Your tour begins with Glendalough, whose name comes from the Gaelic, Gleann Da Locha, which translates to “The Valley of the Two Lakes”. It was here that St. Kevin founded a monastery in the sixth century; the settlement continued to expand for 600 years before being destroyed in 1398. The monastic buildings still survive and include a superb round tower, stone churches and decorated crosses dating between the 8th and 12th Century.



11:45 – 12:30 PM: After Glendalough visit Blessington Lakes, serenely set in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains. The lakes cover 5,000 acres of tranquil, clean water. Only 19 miles from Dublin, these lakes are a famous attraction for fishermen; coarse angling is available with abundant stocks of Roach, Perch and specimen pike being caught. The lakes cover an area where the Kings River and Liffey waters meet.



1:00 – 2:00 PM: Enjoy lunch at Russborough House.

2:00 – 3:30 PM: Take a tour of Russborough House. Near Blessington Lakes it is one of the finest 18th century houses in Ireland. Built of granite from a nearby quarry it is in the Palladian style with a central block containing colonnades and two wings. The front façade of the house has a fine flight of steps, adorned with heraldic lions and urns, where you are then met with a sweep of gracefully curved colonnades crowned on the skyline with baroque urns, and well-proportioned, solid flanking wings. The property is beautifully maintained containing fine furniture, tapestries, carpets, porcelain, silver and bronzes.



3:30 – 4:00 PM: Board your coach and transfer to Rathsallgh Golf Club, where you will meet the golfers and join them for cocktails and dinners at 5PM. This evening you will be staying at the K Club.

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Tuesday, September 16th
After breakfast and checking out of your hotel, transfer to and play Druids Glen from 8:50 AM.



Druids Glen Golf Course is often referred to as “The Augusta of Europe”, where the flora and fauna provide a colorful backdrop to a magnificent golf course, and the forests and streams are a haven for wildlife. This par-71 parkland course spans 7,046 yards and was home to the Irish Open for 4 years from 1996-1999.

9:30 AM: For non-golfers, transfer to Kildare, and take a tour of the Irish National Stud and Japanese Gardens.

10:30 – 12:30 AM: The Japanese Gardens are the symbolism of life, and trace the journey of the soul from Oblivion to Eternity. The gardens were laid out in their paths of beauty by Tassa Eida, and have been carefully preserved as one of the gems of Ireland’s Heritage. Their significance is not only their artistic and horticultural value, but also there religious, philosophical and historical value. There are 4 acres of woodland and lakeside walks. Also located at the Tully Estate is the Irish National Stud which is home to some of Ireland’s finest thoroughbreds.



12:30 – 1:30 PM: Lunch to be announced.

After a day of golf, board your coach and transfer to and check in to Portmarnock Hotel & Links.



The Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links is a relaxed and luxurious hotel where nothing is overlooked but the sea. From the very moment you arrive, the friendly staff takes care of your every need with a smile, leaving you free to walk the beach, play links golf, enjoy some pampering in the spa, or dine on delicious, locally sourced cuisine. This luxury hotel is decorated in a fashion of modern elegance with a twist of grandeur from a 19th century home once owned by members of the Jameson Whiskey dynasty. The clever designs of the hotel allow for every room to boast a fantastic panoramic view of the seaside, gardens and golf course. Only a 15 minute transfer to Dublin, the location is sublime as well, nestled between the picturesque, upmarket seaside villages of Malahide and Howth.

This evening you will stay at the Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links.7PM: Cocktails are hosted by the Portmarnock Hotel, followed by dinner.

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Wednesday, September 17th

After breakfast in your hotel, play Portmarnock Links from 8 AM



Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links opened for play in 1995 and was designed by Bernhard Langer. This 6,350 meter course has 98 strategically placed bunkers comprising only some of the challenges facing you after large fast greens. The use of dunes combined with natural terrains would please the most passionate links purists. Blind approaches and doglegs, typical links sea breezes, and elevated tees and greens keep you on your toes and thinking ahead through every round. The gently undulating luxuriously sprung fairways lead you on to hillocks, wild grasses and gorse.

10:30 AM: For non golfers, spend the day in the beautifully picturesque seaside village of Malahide.

10:45 – 12:00 PM: Stop at Malahide Castle, both a fortress and a private home for nearly eight hundred years. Set on 250 acres of park land the house is furnished with beautiful period furniture and an extensive collection of Irish portrait paintings, mainly from the National Gallery. The history of the castle’s owners, the Talbot family, is recorded in the Great Hall, with portraits of its members telling their own story of Ireland’s history. One of the more poignant legends concerns the morning of the Battle of the Boyne in 1960, when fourteen members of the family breakfasted together never to return.



12:00 – 1:00 PM: This afternoon lunch has been organised at Bon Appétit, a beautiful Georgian restaurant offering casual and fine dining menus to suit all tastes (subject to availability at time of confirmation).

1:00 – 2:00 PM: A vibrant village situated in the North County of Dublin, Malahide is a town best described as young, progressive and cosmopolitan, but has managed to retain a personal tone and a unique old world charm. Stop and see the ‘Velvet Strand’, one of the most beloved beaches in Malahide. The community is an active one, with many diverse cultures and origins and has an evident community spirit with beautiful boutiques, pubs and shops to visit.



This evening dinner and a show have been planned for you at Abbey Tavern.
This evening you will be staying at the Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links.

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Thursday, September 18th
After breakfast and checking out of your hotel, transfer to and play Portmarnock Golf Club from 7:30 AM Breakfast at club house for Team Canada. 8:30 AM Tee off.



At Portmarnock Golf Club, one of the biggest contributing factors is the wind. It is a course traditional in design, measuring over 7,300 yards from the back tees. Water hazards are situated on three sides, with breathtaking sea views, natural contours and open spaces. Regardless of your handicap, this par-75 course is a great mixture of long and short holes, although length is no indication as most holes are par 4’s. Portmarnock has also been home to many Major championships including the British Amateur Championship and Carrolls Irish Open.

Enjoy watching the first round of the Challenge Cup here at beautiful Portmarnock or you have the option to play a morning round of golf at St. Anne’s.

9:30 AM: For non-golfers enjoy the day exploring the cosmopolitan city of Dublin.

10:00 – 1:00 PM: The capital city of Ireland, Dublin is a large, cosmopolitan city brimming with things to do, people to meet, places to see, and adventures to embark on. A shopping mecca, Dublin is home to St. Stephen’s Green a bright and spacious shopping center. Take in the culture and history as well, with museums, galleries and cathedrals to visit. Don’t miss seeing Trinity College, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I, it resides on a 40-acre site which still retains its ancient seclusion of cobbled squares, gardens and parks. Trinity College is also home to the Book of Kells, a 9th century illuminated manuscript written around the year 800 AD and is one of the most beautifully illuminated manuscripts in the world. Also stop at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, founded in 1191, the only cathedral in Ireland to sing two services a day, and Dublin Castle, commissioned by King John of England in 1204 “for the safe custody of our treasure, for the administration of justice and for the defence of the city”.



1:30 – 2:30 AM: This afternoon, enjoy lunch at Nancy Hand’s, a classic bar and restaurant situated close to Dublin’s Phoenix Park, and a short stroll from Heuston train station (subject to availability at time of confirmation). Team Canada will be hosted by Team Ireland for pub refreshment at the club’s private pub.

This evening you will be staying in the Four Season Hotel in Dublin. (grab pics from www.fourseasons.com/dublin/)



The Four Seasons, Dublin is in a location which evokes cosmopolitan experience, and captures the magical character of the city. The architectural design evokes an atmosphere of traditional comfort and ease. The interior has wide open spaces, with large windows open to brilliant greenery and charming streetscapes of ivy-covered residences. Consisting of 197 elegant guest rooms and suites, the Four Seasons offers the most extensive selection of guest rooms. A six-storey handsome, red-brick building, the Four Seasons is situated on the showgrounds of the historic Royal Dublin Society, in the quiet community of Ballsbridge.

Tonight you will have a free night in Dublin City to enjoy the sights and fine cuisine.

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Friday, September 19th

After breakfast in your hotel, play Portmarnock Golf Club from 7 AM Breakfast at club house for Team Canada.



9:30 AM: After breakfast non golfers can head back into Dublin City, where after having acquainted yourself already, enjoy some shopping at St. Stephen’s Green. Spacious, comfortable and easy, walk the halls and window shop, or sample flavourful cafes and designer boutiques. Transfers will be available to take you to Portmarnock for the end of the Challenge Cup’s Final Round.

This evening, a cocktail hour has been planned prior to a four-course Farewell Awards Dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel. This evening you will be staying at the Four Seasons Hotel. Cocktails are hosted by Four Seasons Hotel and dinner is hosted by Tourism Ireland. Dress jacket and tie required.

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Saturday, September 20th
After breakfast in your hotel, transfer to Dublin Airport where you will depart at 12:45 PM on Air Transat Flight Number TS233. You will be arriving in Toronto at 3:05 PM, the same day.

Our VIP department is waiting for your call!
Call now at 1 800 941 6751