July 22nd...
Day 6 started with blazing sunshine through my window at Ballyliffin Hotel at 5am-ish. Not good. The (too many) Smithwick's from the previous evening combined with a light (almost non-) dinner hurt my head. A lot. I crawled out of bed wishing I could throw up. Yes, you've been there too.
By the time I got ready to leave, almost 2 hours later than I had planned, the weather turned nasty with rain and wind. Oh joy, a 2+hour drive on the wrong side of the road from the passenger seat.. with rain. What fun.
The drive wasn't so bad after all. The rain cleared after about 45 minutes or so. The GPS took me through Glenveagh National Park.. beautiful scenery. I stopped and took some pictures of a castle/cathedral on a lake at an overlook.
Got to Cruit Island Golf Club late morning. The road to the course was... well, let me say, I've driven on cart paths wider than the road in. When I got there, the weather was outstanding - almost-clear skies with high clouds and warm temps.
I had heard about Cruit Island on the HiddenLinksGolf.com Website. To the West of Cruit Island is land.. about 3,000 miles away! Cruit Island is a 9-hole course. It truly is one of the neatest places I've ever played. The view from the #1 tee alone is worth the trip.
Some of my favorite holes at Cruit Island - #5, Par 4 - only 256m, the green is on a cliff. Go over and bye-bye; #6, Par 3 - only 137m, across a huge (I mean HUGE) gully, don't be short and don't be long into the ocean... thank goodness there was no wind; #8, Par 3 - 195m brute.
Only played 9-holes as the Smithwick's effect from the night before was rearing its ugly head.
Since this was the only night I hadn't made lodging arrangements in advance I asked the course owner for recommendations. He recommended a B&B that was located at the turn-off to Cruit Island (Logue's B&B). The owners, Dermont and Mary Logue, were some of the nicest people I have ever met. The accomodations were outstanding. They recommended Danny Minnie's in Annagary for Dinner.. I had the lamp chops (baaaaaaa!!).. outstanding. A good dinner helped with the Smithwick OD. :)
Tomorrow? Narin and Portnoo. Just down the road.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Day 5, Ballyliffin
July 21st..
Left Groarty House at 6:30am.. only about 25 miles to Ballyliffin. Took about 45 minutes.. we're not talking major highways here.. all 2-lane roads through farming country... goats in every field. Lots of goats.
Teed off at 8am. Very cool morning with a very strong breeze off the North Atlantic. Had to bundle up and use hand warmers. Temps (maybe) in the mid-50s with a 20mph wind. Temps did get to mid-60s by later afternoon. Locals said it was a great day.. dry and warm. Right.
Let me tell you. Ballyliffin Golf Club is outstanding. There are 2 courses - The Old Links and Glashedy. Glashedy is much newer. I played the Old Links. Nick Faldo assisted in tweaking The Old Links. Supossedly, he expanded the greens. Right. They were still small.. and very fast.
You can see the North Atlantic from every hole.. #15 runs right along the shore separated by a stone wall. Neatest hole was defintely #5, an long uphill Par 3 named 'The Tank". The green sits in a bowl. #18 was 550 yards.. uphill.. into the wind. No shit. The wind was very strong. Brutal. I hit 3 very good shots.. all from the fairway and was still 90 yards away.. 4th shot found the left bunker.
I believe they must have buried VWs in all the fairways.. never an even or flat lie.
The neat thing was (most times) the ball would roll forever.. unless it rolled through the fairway or into a bunker.
The Old Links at Ballyliffin is a GREAT course. I simply cannot explain how great it is... well worth the trip to play the most northern course in Ireland... see http://www.ballyliffingolfclub.com/. Also, I'm glad I purchased the course guide.. helped immensely. I played alone and there were many holes where you couldn't see *any* fairway and had to trust what the hole layout in the guide.
I had thought about playing Glashedy in the afternoon taking a buggy.. no way was I going to walk another 18 holes. I had just finished walking 36 holes in less than 24 hours plus about 7 hours of driving. Wind picked up and was decidely cooler (wind chill effect). Decided to head to Ballyliffin Hotel for several Smithwick's.. a very good Irish Ale.
Tomorrow.. a drive to Cruit ("critch") Island to play a 9-hole course that sits atop the cliffs overlooking the North Atlantic. Highly, highly recommended.
Left Groarty House at 6:30am.. only about 25 miles to Ballyliffin. Took about 45 minutes.. we're not talking major highways here.. all 2-lane roads through farming country... goats in every field. Lots of goats.
Teed off at 8am. Very cool morning with a very strong breeze off the North Atlantic. Had to bundle up and use hand warmers. Temps (maybe) in the mid-50s with a 20mph wind. Temps did get to mid-60s by later afternoon. Locals said it was a great day.. dry and warm. Right.
Let me tell you. Ballyliffin Golf Club is outstanding. There are 2 courses - The Old Links and Glashedy. Glashedy is much newer. I played the Old Links. Nick Faldo assisted in tweaking The Old Links. Supossedly, he expanded the greens. Right. They were still small.. and very fast.
You can see the North Atlantic from every hole.. #15 runs right along the shore separated by a stone wall. Neatest hole was defintely #5, an long uphill Par 3 named 'The Tank". The green sits in a bowl. #18 was 550 yards.. uphill.. into the wind. No shit. The wind was very strong. Brutal. I hit 3 very good shots.. all from the fairway and was still 90 yards away.. 4th shot found the left bunker.
I believe they must have buried VWs in all the fairways.. never an even or flat lie.
The neat thing was (most times) the ball would roll forever.. unless it rolled through the fairway or into a bunker.
The Old Links at Ballyliffin is a GREAT course. I simply cannot explain how great it is... well worth the trip to play the most northern course in Ireland... see http://www.ballyliffingolfclub.com/. Also, I'm glad I purchased the course guide.. helped immensely. I played alone and there were many holes where you couldn't see *any* fairway and had to trust what the hole layout in the guide.
I had thought about playing Glashedy in the afternoon taking a buggy.. no way was I going to walk another 18 holes. I had just finished walking 36 holes in less than 24 hours plus about 7 hours of driving. Wind picked up and was decidely cooler (wind chill effect). Decided to head to Ballyliffin Hotel for several Smithwick's.. a very good Irish Ale.
Tomorrow.. a drive to Cruit ("critch") Island to play a 9-hole course that sits atop the cliffs overlooking the North Atlantic. Highly, highly recommended.
Day 4, Ardglass Golf Club. Driving to Londonderry.
July 20th..
Ardglass sits right on the water well above the coast. The Clubhouse is a former castle that has been renovated. I almost had to duck in the entranceway leading to the toilets... and I'm a tall 5'4". Quit laughing.
Went off at 11:40 as a Single following a 4-ball. Told them not to worry. I didn't mind because from what I could see, the course was not as flat as St. Andrews and I wasn't about to set any speed records.
#1 was uphill to a green set in a bowl. The course flattened out at the top. Sorta... except for about 4-5 holes. The hike from #11 (real near the shore) to #12 (back at the top) was brutal. I'd say #12 was the most impressive hole. Par 3 down towards the shore. #14 to #17 was all climbing.. not bad, but a steady climb. #18 was all downhill back to the clubhouse. Kept up with the 4-ball all day although never felt rushed or upset with pace of play.. finished in 4:15.
Beautiful day. No rain. A strong breeze, though.
Ardglass has some stunning views of the village of Ardglass and the coast along the Irish Sea. See http://www.ardglassgolf.com/.
I liked Ardglass. A lot. Small fast greens. I had chosen it because it was reasonably close to Dublin, was on my way North and highly recommended. I also recommend Ardglass. Neat golf course.
After a snack/Dinner, I started my trek North towards Londonderry. Ballyliffin beckoned for Day 5.
Did I say GPS was a saver? It is if you follow it and don't miss a turn as I did in downtown Belfast. It kept "recalculating". I finally got on the Expressway west towards Londonderry. Almost 30 minutes lost.
I stopped to refuel and (apparently) pressed the wrong button. Returned to the petrol station 2x and (finally) got sorted out. Another 20 minutes lost. Then, sat in traffic in a town (where?) because of an accident. Another 20 minutes or so lost.
Finally got to the B&B in Londonderry (Groarty House) after almost 4 hours of driving. The Groarty House is in the middle of the farming country outside of Londonderry. Very nice owners. Quiet.
Next - Ballyliffin.
Ardglass sits right on the water well above the coast. The Clubhouse is a former castle that has been renovated. I almost had to duck in the entranceway leading to the toilets... and I'm a tall 5'4". Quit laughing.
Went off at 11:40 as a Single following a 4-ball. Told them not to worry. I didn't mind because from what I could see, the course was not as flat as St. Andrews and I wasn't about to set any speed records.
#1 was uphill to a green set in a bowl. The course flattened out at the top. Sorta... except for about 4-5 holes. The hike from #11 (real near the shore) to #12 (back at the top) was brutal. I'd say #12 was the most impressive hole. Par 3 down towards the shore. #14 to #17 was all climbing.. not bad, but a steady climb. #18 was all downhill back to the clubhouse. Kept up with the 4-ball all day although never felt rushed or upset with pace of play.. finished in 4:15.
Beautiful day. No rain. A strong breeze, though.
Ardglass has some stunning views of the village of Ardglass and the coast along the Irish Sea. See http://www.ardglassgolf.com/.
I liked Ardglass. A lot. Small fast greens. I had chosen it because it was reasonably close to Dublin, was on my way North and highly recommended. I also recommend Ardglass. Neat golf course.
After a snack/Dinner, I started my trek North towards Londonderry. Ballyliffin beckoned for Day 5.
Did I say GPS was a saver? It is if you follow it and don't miss a turn as I did in downtown Belfast. It kept "recalculating". I finally got on the Expressway west towards Londonderry. Almost 30 minutes lost.
I stopped to refuel and (apparently) pressed the wrong button. Returned to the petrol station 2x and (finally) got sorted out. Another 20 minutes lost. Then, sat in traffic in a town (where?) because of an accident. Another 20 minutes or so lost.
Finally got to the B&B in Londonderry (Groarty House) after almost 4 hours of driving. The Groarty House is in the middle of the farming country outside of Londonderry. Very nice owners. Quiet.
Next - Ballyliffin.
Day 4, Driving in Ireland/Northern Ireland
July 20th..
Left the Hotel at 7:30am for a (supposedly) 2-hour drive to Ardglass in Northern Ireland. For the first hour all went swimmingly well as it was on the Expressway. Took an exit I thought would lead me to the scenic route to Ardglass.. got hopelessly lost and finally got back to the Expressway. Took the correct exit.. unfortunately got lost again.
I had tried to program my GPS before I left Dublin but couldn't get the coordinates entered. Not sure what town I was in when I finally got smart and called Ardglass Golf Course and got the street address. Now, we're cooking!
Two things.. #1 I'm living proof you MUST get GPS. #2 The streets in the small towns and villages are damn narrow! The roads outside the towns and villages are even more narrow!!
There are times when you have to almost stop because an approaching car has decided to cross the center line on a curve. There were NO shoulders on most of the roads I traveled today. I saw either hedges or stone walls. Hedges would have been OK to hit... stone walls not so much.
Followed a tractor for several miles.. farmer and his dog.. just like you would expect to see in a movie.
Finally got to Ardglass after a 3-hour drive. Would tee off in an hour at 11:40. That's good. I needed to calm down after my stressful drive.
Left the Hotel at 7:30am for a (supposedly) 2-hour drive to Ardglass in Northern Ireland. For the first hour all went swimmingly well as it was on the Expressway. Took an exit I thought would lead me to the scenic route to Ardglass.. got hopelessly lost and finally got back to the Expressway. Took the correct exit.. unfortunately got lost again.
I had tried to program my GPS before I left Dublin but couldn't get the coordinates entered. Not sure what town I was in when I finally got smart and called Ardglass Golf Course and got the street address. Now, we're cooking!
Two things.. #1 I'm living proof you MUST get GPS. #2 The streets in the small towns and villages are damn narrow! The roads outside the towns and villages are even more narrow!!
There are times when you have to almost stop because an approaching car has decided to cross the center line on a curve. There were NO shoulders on most of the roads I traveled today. I saw either hedges or stone walls. Hedges would have been OK to hit... stone walls not so much.
Followed a tractor for several miles.. farmer and his dog.. just like you would expect to see in a movie.
Finally got to Ardglass after a 3-hour drive. Would tee off in an hour at 11:40. That's good. I needed to calm down after my stressful drive.
Day 3, St. Andrews
July 19th..
Decided to play the Old Course again. You were surprised? Alarm went off at 3am.. got to the starters building at 3:40am.. #3 in line again. Much cooler than yesterday.. had to put ear muff headband on plus opening a pack of handwarmers.. 2 hours before the starter arrives!
Looked like I was going to go at 7:20am with a 2-ball as the first 2 guys would get the available openings at 6:40. Then an unbelievable thing happened.. the 2-ball said they didn't want anyone to join them! Essentially screwed 2 guys from going earlier (one of them me!) That's OK. The 7:30 was a 2-ball.
The 2-ball was a guy celebrating his 70th Birthday and his wife. Great guy.. hit the ball very well. Our 4th was a guy from FL... good golfer. My caddieywas Willie.. a veteran of 23 years. Willie was everything you have ever envisioned as a Scottish caddie... thick accent. Apparently, he has caddied for some well known Pros. Hands down, much better than Phil (although Phil was outstanding).
Parred #1 . You can't par 'em all if you don't par the 1st. A slightly more diffficult day than the 1st because Willie had me putting from as far away as 100 yards from the green.. no chipping allowed! He could read the greens incredibly well and was definitely spot-on. Still hit the ball solid, though. Willie said we were going to play The Old Course as one should. I loved it. Had 4 or 5 pars and lots of bogeys.
Hit #18 in regulation for 2nd day... almost in exact same spot above the hole at back of green. Yes. I 3-putted again. 1st putt was, once again, woefully short. I will say the greens were much slower than they looked.
The sun was out all day.. an absolute beautiful day.. warmed up a little. We played in 4 hours again. Not bad... we were on the heels of the 2-ball most of the day (they were behind a 4-ball as all the groups were a 4-ball except them).
Went to the pub at 1 Golf Place to wait for my taxi for the 1-hour ride to Edinburgh Airport. Had a few Belham Best.. a very good Scottish Ale.
Flight to Dublin was uneventful. First experience of driving on the wrong side of the road.. from the passenger seat! Luckily, my Hotel was only 3-4 miles from the Enterprise rental location and the streets were wide. Got to my Hotel in Dublin by 9:30pm. Small bite to eat.. then crashed hard at 10:30pm as I'd been up since 3am.
Decided to play the Old Course again. You were surprised? Alarm went off at 3am.. got to the starters building at 3:40am.. #3 in line again. Much cooler than yesterday.. had to put ear muff headband on plus opening a pack of handwarmers.. 2 hours before the starter arrives!
Looked like I was going to go at 7:20am with a 2-ball as the first 2 guys would get the available openings at 6:40. Then an unbelievable thing happened.. the 2-ball said they didn't want anyone to join them! Essentially screwed 2 guys from going earlier (one of them me!) That's OK. The 7:30 was a 2-ball.
The 2-ball was a guy celebrating his 70th Birthday and his wife. Great guy.. hit the ball very well. Our 4th was a guy from FL... good golfer. My caddieywas Willie.. a veteran of 23 years. Willie was everything you have ever envisioned as a Scottish caddie... thick accent. Apparently, he has caddied for some well known Pros. Hands down, much better than Phil (although Phil was outstanding).
Parred #1 . You can't par 'em all if you don't par the 1st. A slightly more diffficult day than the 1st because Willie had me putting from as far away as 100 yards from the green.. no chipping allowed! He could read the greens incredibly well and was definitely spot-on. Still hit the ball solid, though. Willie said we were going to play The Old Course as one should. I loved it. Had 4 or 5 pars and lots of bogeys.
Hit #18 in regulation for 2nd day... almost in exact same spot above the hole at back of green. Yes. I 3-putted again. 1st putt was, once again, woefully short. I will say the greens were much slower than they looked.
The sun was out all day.. an absolute beautiful day.. warmed up a little. We played in 4 hours again. Not bad... we were on the heels of the 2-ball most of the day (they were behind a 4-ball as all the groups were a 4-ball except them).
Went to the pub at 1 Golf Place to wait for my taxi for the 1-hour ride to Edinburgh Airport. Had a few Belham Best.. a very good Scottish Ale.
Flight to Dublin was uneventful. First experience of driving on the wrong side of the road.. from the passenger seat! Luckily, my Hotel was only 3-4 miles from the Enterprise rental location and the streets were wide. Got to my Hotel in Dublin by 9:30pm. Small bite to eat.. then crashed hard at 10:30pm as I'd been up since 3am.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Pictures
I will post pictures.. it's just that I learning this bog posting thingy. Patience... pictures will come.
Day 2, St. Andrews
July 18th..
Couldn't really sleep even though I crashed early and hard. Awake at at 3am... got up and headed to the Old Course to see if I could get a chance to play.
My Hotel is literally a 2-minute walk away. When I got there at 3:45am, I was #3 in the queue. The 1st player got there 10 minutes earlier, the 2nd player 5 minutes. Another player showed up about 20-25 minutes later.. then more.
St. Andrews posts the Daily Sheet on a screen display at the Caddie Pavilion. The sheet showed 2 available slots at 6:40 and 1 at 6:50. The next available slots were at 8:30 (2), 8:40 (1) and 8:50 (1). I was in!!!! I figured 6:50am.
Then, the 6:40 2-ball did *not* show. Unbelievable. The first four of us (singles) went out as a 4-ball.
Two of us got a caddy, two did not. Let me tell you right now. Spring for a caddy. Drink cheap beer for a week, but *get a caddie*.
I won't bore you with my round, but I played quite good except for 3 holes. One word of advice. Stay OUT of the bunkers. Your only shot may be backwards. Yes. I did that once. Plus 2 times going sideways.. only 4-5 yards out. :)
The day started quite nice.. cool, but pleasant. On the 6th hole someone, may have been me, said something about the weather and how it wouldn't be a bad thing if it turned nasty. We didn't come here to sit in the pub (except afterwards!). Then, then rain started. Not a hard rain, though.. just steady.. with a litte wind. Woohoo!
I had a great caddie (Phil). Very personable and supportive. I would have struggled without him.. some of the lines of play were simply unbelievable... as in, "You want me to go where??" Trust the caddie.
As we left the tee on #18 (after a great drive), Phil asked me if I had a camera so I could have my picture taken on The Swilican Bridge. Yes, I said! After he took my picture, I asked him to join me.. I truly believe he was honored.
Now, the neat thing.. great drive and great shot onto the #18 green. Phil simply said.. "Here's your putter. Enjoy the walk. You've earned it." (FYI. I 3-putted! 3-putted!!!!! Could be there were quite a few tourists standing behind #18.. not that the 1st putt was woefully short. Yeah. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.)
The Old Course is truly an experience. So much so, I may go out again tomorrow before I leave for Dublin and 7 days in Ireland. I could play here every day.
Until tomorrow.. keep it in the short grass. It is a lot more fun.
Couldn't really sleep even though I crashed early and hard. Awake at at 3am... got up and headed to the Old Course to see if I could get a chance to play.
My Hotel is literally a 2-minute walk away. When I got there at 3:45am, I was #3 in the queue. The 1st player got there 10 minutes earlier, the 2nd player 5 minutes. Another player showed up about 20-25 minutes later.. then more.
St. Andrews posts the Daily Sheet on a screen display at the Caddie Pavilion. The sheet showed 2 available slots at 6:40 and 1 at 6:50. The next available slots were at 8:30 (2), 8:40 (1) and 8:50 (1). I was in!!!! I figured 6:50am.
Then, the 6:40 2-ball did *not* show. Unbelievable. The first four of us (singles) went out as a 4-ball.
Two of us got a caddy, two did not. Let me tell you right now. Spring for a caddy. Drink cheap beer for a week, but *get a caddie*.
I won't bore you with my round, but I played quite good except for 3 holes. One word of advice. Stay OUT of the bunkers. Your only shot may be backwards. Yes. I did that once. Plus 2 times going sideways.. only 4-5 yards out. :)
The day started quite nice.. cool, but pleasant. On the 6th hole someone, may have been me, said something about the weather and how it wouldn't be a bad thing if it turned nasty. We didn't come here to sit in the pub (except afterwards!). Then, then rain started. Not a hard rain, though.. just steady.. with a litte wind. Woohoo!
I had a great caddie (Phil). Very personable and supportive. I would have struggled without him.. some of the lines of play were simply unbelievable... as in, "You want me to go where??" Trust the caddie.
As we left the tee on #18 (after a great drive), Phil asked me if I had a camera so I could have my picture taken on The Swilican Bridge. Yes, I said! After he took my picture, I asked him to join me.. I truly believe he was honored.
Now, the neat thing.. great drive and great shot onto the #18 green. Phil simply said.. "Here's your putter. Enjoy the walk. You've earned it." (FYI. I 3-putted! 3-putted!!!!! Could be there were quite a few tourists standing behind #18.. not that the 1st putt was woefully short. Yeah. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.)
The Old Course is truly an experience. So much so, I may go out again tomorrow before I leave for Dublin and 7 days in Ireland. I could play here every day.
Until tomorrow.. keep it in the short grass. It is a lot more fun.
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