We squished eight golf courses into an epic week in across three of the provinces of Ireland. The cards all happened to sum to 500, so it felt like a fitting way to sum it up.
Each course warrants an 18 word review:
- Ballybunion – Feels like primordial dunes, dramatic cuts on the ends of the earth. Just stay out of the cemetery.
- Lahinch – This is the coastal town, that they forgot to close down: Old Tom’s shots and tangled knots.
- Waterville – Technical architect’s test, wrought across panoramic views of water and mountains, a great closing sequence, logo, and mascot.
- County Sligo – Birthplace of poets and we can see why, few dunes but hearty heathland thrills, especially good part threes.
- Portstewart – The newer opening holes have pyrotechnics but the mellow back has keener tests. Draft Guinness at the turn.
- Royal Portrush – Opens with a bang, feels like a championship test, ends quietly but you still know when to clap.
- Royal County Down – A course of big shoulders, member’s blind shots, exhausting here and there. Visually balanced and a global template.
How was the trip? Well, my clubs never made it out of Heathrow airport. But the company, weather, food, and spirits were peerless.
