Wrap Up: Rating the Courses I Played & Some Final Recommendations

Wrap Up: Rating the Courses I Played & Some Final Recommendations

Overall, my trip to Southwest Ireland was a magical experience. Not only were the people every bit as friendly as I had heard, but the weather was unexpectedly pleasant. My playing partners at Dooks even took a picture of me without a jacket and raingear on because it actually got that warm during our round. “You can prove to your friends you played golf in Ireland in mid-October with no rain gear!” they joked. The following are my summary rankings of the courses I played, as well as some tips if you decide to plan your own Ireland golf adventure.

Best Greens:

Really, this could be a three way tie between Balllybunion, Dooks and Spanish Point, but if I have to split hairs, here is how I would rank the five courses I played.

1.       Ballybunion Old

2.       Tie: Spanish Point & Dooks

3.       Lahinch Old

4.       Doonbeg

Fastest Greens:

1.       Lahinch Old

2.       Three-way tie: Dooks, Ballybunion and Spanish Point

3.       Doonbeg

Friendliest Club:

I should preface this with the disclaimer that ALL the courses I played were very friendly, so it’s tough to make any real distinctions here. Points were deducted from Lahinch because their caddies were the only ones who made sucking sounds when we missed any putts they deemed makeable.

1.       Dooks

2.       Ballybunion Old

3.       Spanish Point

4.    Doonbeg

5.       Lahinch Old

Best Post-Round Meal: Fish Chowder and Soda Bread at Dooks

Friendliest Starter: PJ at Ballybunion

Coolest Pin Flags: Lahinch’s “back of the green” blue flags (sadly, they were out of stock of flags in their gift shop!)

Best Caddy:

Tie: Mike at Doonbeg and William at Ballybunion (though William was technically not my caddy!) Thanks to Mike for searching for balls for me around the course as we played to ensure I’d have enough extras for the duration of my trip. William was friendly, patient, did not give unwanted course instruction, and created an atmosphere for us to play our best.

My “must-have” list of things to pack:

·         eBags TLS Weekender Backpack (www.ebags.com). The undisputed MVP of my trip. I fit four days of clothes and a laptop in this suitcase disguised as a backpack. Awesome, good-looking, and carry-on friendly!

·         Under Armour “Cold Gear” long-sleeved mock turtle neck. The perfect under garment for cool to chilly weather. Just throw on any of your favorite golf shirts over it, and you’ve got a week of warm weather outfit made simple and easy. No need to excessively layer up.

·         TWO pairs of golf shoes. Thanks to Tom Coyne for the tip. No blame to my Addidas, they did their job just fine, but water is sure to get to your socks, which spreads down into your foot-bed, making your perfectly water-proof shoes damp. Enter my FootJoy Icons! Bring two pairs of shoes. You’ll be glad of it.

·         Knit hat. Forget those floppy ran hats, and don’t sacrifice a nice umbrella to the Wind Gods (it was funny how many broken umbrellas I saw abandoned in trash cans around the coursesI played). Just wear a good wool knit hat and you’ll be fine. Or, do what the caddies do and wear a knit hat over your favorite golf hat—combine the benefits of a visor paired with the warmth of a knit cap!

·         Sunice windproof/waterproof jacket. I bought one of the new windproof/waterproof jackets that is made of a soft, porous material on the outside (polyester) but waterproofed and tape sealed on the inside. It was like wearing a bullet proof vest against the elements, and the soft outer fabric made it a much better choice for a jacket I could wear off the course, versus older-style crinkly nylon rain gear.

·         Balls! Pack a lot of balls. Golf balls are very expensive in Europe. There are some courses (Doonbeg, for example) where a shot 5 yards off the fairway is irretrievable due to tall grass, electrical fences (save the snails!), etc. Bring two sleeves per round and you should have no worries.

 

Have fun!