Feature
Planes and trains yes, but easy on the automobiles
Getting there may be more than half the battle, writes Fiona Gartland
15/09/06: Travel light and early is the best advice we can offer to Ryder Cup ticket holders over the coming week. Organisers, Ryder Cup Europe LLP, have promised tight security and spectators have been warned that along with their tickets they must bring some form of photo ID.
If the organisers’ intention to individually check each ticket against ID is followed through, there will have to be an army of security staff and entry to the course is bound to be slow. Those who have bought tickets second hand do so at their own risk. Organisers are sticking to their initial pronouncement that tickets are not transferable. However this may prove difficult to police on the day.
By Car
A five-mile security cordon will be in place around the K Club operating from next Sunday (September 17th) at 11.59pm to Sunday week (September 24th) at 11.59pm. All of the roads within the cordon will be closed, except to residents. Those travelling to the event by car will be required to park at one of the two park and ride facilities – at Weston Airport, Leixlip, Co Kildare and at Palmerstown House, Johnstown, Naas, Co Kildare. There are 9,200 spaces available for cars. Drivers will require parking passes, which should have been applied for online when tickets were purchased. Parking costs €20 per day and includes the cost of the 25-minute bus journey from the car parks to the K Club.
It is understood that passengers will not be allowed on the shuttle buses without tickets and ID.
Driving to Weston Airport from Dublin: Take the N4 turning at the Leixlip exit. Then turn left onto the R403 to Celbridge. The airport is on the Celbridge Road. In light traffic it should take 25 minutes from the city centre. Driving to Palmerstown House from Dublin: Take the N7 past Newlands Cross, then look for the turning for Palmerstown Demense. In light traffic it should take 30 minutes from the city centre.
Public Transport
There will be a special train service from Connolly Station, Amiens Street, Dublin during the event. The 45-minute trip will cost ¤20 return. Users will be brought to Louisa Bridge Station in Leixlip where a shuttle bus service will take them on to the K Club. The trains will depart from 05.45 hrs and run every 30 minutes thereafter. Outbound trains should be pre-booked online on Iarnrod Eireann’s website, www.irishrail.ie.
Don’t plan on catching Bus Eireann’s regular Edenderry bus service, which normally passes through Straffan. For the duration of the event it will be diverted to Barberstown Cross, outside the security cordon. Taxis can be taken only as far as the designated park and ride facilities where connecting shuttle buses can be picked up. The trip is outside the Dublin taximeter area and so the fare will be negotiable and quotes may vary depending which union the driver is a member of. We were quoted around €40 from the city centre by a National Taxi Drivers’ Union member and around €50 by a Siptu union member.
By Helicopter
Some of the golf tournament’s busier and or wealthier spectators will travel to the event by helicopter. The K Club has space for 300 helicopters on the ground at any one time and organisers have said that they are expecting 600 movements a day during the event. Helicopter operators have already been asked by organisers to ensure that their passengers arriving at a Ryder Cup feeder site or at the main event are in possession of a valid ticket and photographic identification.
The flights will be run from feeder sites at Weston Aerodrome, Elm Green at Blanchardstown, Co Dublin, Leopardstown racecourse in South Dublin and Knocksedan, North Dublin. Many operators will run commercial shuttle services from the feeder sites. Privately hired helicopters will cost around €900 from Dublin. There are a number of operators including Celtic Helicopters, Gaelic Helicopters, Premier Helicopters, Irish Helicopters and Star Air.
Road Closures
Roads affected by security cordon: Some 13 road closure points will be manned 24 hours a day during the event. The closed roads will also become 24 hour tow-away zones. The roads affected include Ardgrass Road, Castledillon Road, Ardclogh Road, Whitechurch, Turnings, Sallins Road, Ovidstown Road, Baybush Road, Maynooth Road (from R403) and Kill Road.
What To Bring...
Do bring tickets, photo ID, a very small bag, a raincoat, lots and lots of cash and a parking pass if driving. A golf periscope and or binoculars are recommended as organisers are expecting 45,000 a day at the event. Cameras are permissible on practice days only. Sun cream is also recommended, especially for the follicly challenged – September can be surprisingly fine.
...And Not To Bring
Don’t bring a mobile phone, a camera on match days, a bag larger than eight by eight inches or your granny on someone else’s ticket. Food and drink is also banned.
To find out which roads will be closed off during competition click on the pdf link below. This will take you through to the Kildare County Council road layout plan around the K-Club, highlighting all the restrictions.
The second link will take you through to the Garda's plan for the week of the Ryder Cup and highlights key points for the general public travelling to the area.
When opening the pdf click on the view option from the toolbar, scroll down to rotate view, then click on counterclockwise to see road map in full and the correct way around.
Kildare County Council Road Map
Garda Event Management Plan Ryder Cup 2006