Epic Ireland Trip

mightymal

Aloha Just came back from 15 days of golf in Ireland. We played 22 rounds. Rented a motorhome in Shannon and went around the island. It was the best golf trip yet.

We played Galway Bay, Ballinrobe, Wesport, Carne (2x), Enniscrone, Strandhill, County Sligo, Rosapenna (Old Tom Morris ), Portsalon. Letterkenny, Concra Wood, Headfort (New), Rathcore, Druids Glen, Greystones, Ring of Kerry, Skellig bay, Dooks, Ballybunion (old and Cashen), and finished at Shannnon.

Great weather, Wonderful scenery. Lots of wonderful experiences. Best part was the people we met and the Guiness. Trying to talk the lads in to doing this again in 2 years with different courses.

Just thanking everyone for the hospitality we were shown.

m r c

That sounds like a brilliant holiday in fairness, I'm living here 31 years and have played 6 of those :-)
Do any of the courses deserve special mention?
I'd be interested to hear.

TrapperChamonix

MM, You deserve a special prize for driving a motor home down country lanes to access half those courses. Bad enough for a local, but assuming you are from US, twice as difficult.

Kevinmarkham

TrapperChamonix wrote: »

MM, You deserve a special prize for driving a motor home down country lanes to access half those courses. Bad enough for a local, but assuming you are from US, twice as difficult.

Well, *cough*, we won't mention the little scrape on the camper's right hand side!

Four of us played with MM and his friends at Greystones - when said scrape was spotted - in sunshine. Still enjoying the fact that the lads said our greens were the best of the 22 courses they played on.

TrapperChamonix

Kevinmarkham wrote: »

Well, *cough*, we won't mention the little scrape on the camper's right hand side!

Four of us played with MM and his friends at Greystones - when said scrape was spotted - in sunshine. Still enjoying the fact that the lads said our greens were the best of the 22 courses they played on.

If anyone can give him an alternative list for his next trip, its you Kevin.

Some that I'd put on the list are
Murvagh (Donegal), The Island, Killarney, Portstewart, Connemara (Ballyconneely)

mike12

Super Trip, thing about Ireland is you could do 5/6 of those trips just to play all the top courses. There are 4 more courses in Donegal that could have been thrown in. Imagine the trip starting in Shannon and heading to Donegal just sticking to the coast.
Ballinrobe was a super course to throw in there.
Mike

slave1

Most impressive and we've another list of courses that you could play next time and not have to repeat, glad you enjoyed your break!

John Divney

I love how you even snook a round in Shannon in, what a golf junkie lol. Can see you running for the plane from the 18th.

I find myself a bit embarrassed reading this when I struggle to think of places to go for the yearly golf long weekend-5dayer. Although I thinks that's more to do with the consensus involved (pubs, food, nightlife etc), and not wanting to go to the same areas so soon.

FixdePitchmark

mightymal,

Happy to hear you had a great time, always a curiosity how tourists find the golf in Ireland.
Have friends from US over in 2015, planning a trip for them.

What courses did you rate highest ?

PARlance

Delighted to hear it went well MM, and thanks for bringing the sun as promised.

If you make it over again, you'll be able to write a book and give Kevin a run for his money.

It would be great to get some more detail on some of the highlights.

mightymal

Kevin Markham helped us plan the trip from the beginning and was a great inspiration. I was glad I was only doing the navigating. Some of those roads were NARROW. A lady at Ballinrobe wished us luck driving to Westport--she said it was the narrowest of roads with a high accident rate. After the drive I agree with her.

All four of us have different opinions on the courses we played. My favorites in order. Links--Enniscrone, Portsalon, Ballybunion, Dooks. Parkland--Druids Glen, Headfort (New), Ballinrobe, Concra Wood and Shannon.

Some highlights. The fox coming out on number 11 at Headfort new. The late night singing Irish songs at the Headfort clubhouse. My first Guiness with breakfast at Galway Bay the day we arrived. Playing with Kevin Markham's dad and friend--and getting our as*es kicked. Pouring rain all night at Ballinrobe---getting to the first tee-the rain stops and the sun comes out. Meeting some of the ladies who booked our tee times, finding out they were novice golfers, giving them a ball marker from our home course in Volcano Hawaii and watching their faces light up with a huge smile.

The great chats we had with the folks who started us off at all the courses. Irish stew and Guiness in Donegal town. The 40 ladies from Northern Ireland visiting Rosapenna who joined me in singing a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday to my best friend who turned 71 on the trip.
Meeting Kevin and his wife Fiona and dining with them.

And most importantly playing all the wonderful golf courses and meeting such great folks.

Thanks to all again.

FixdePitchmark

Ah lads , that's class.

Who said boards doesn't have happy endings.

Fair play Kevin , beyond the call of " The Gathering. "

So when do we hit Volcano, joking.
Some trip from there. A trip before a trip.

bigtimecharlie

Great to hear you had a wonderful trip. Its probably something us Irish "Should" do.

Ilik Urgee

Stuff of dreams.
Fair play Kevin-as mal says, inspirational and a brilliant ambassador for the irish game not just online but off too it seems.

ForeRight

This is an amazing thread and I am green with envy reading it.

I can only hope that some day I'll be in a position to go and do a trip like that.

Well done to all involved.

It's the stuff of dreams!

thewobbler

Kevin was telling me about this trip when we went Inside the Ropes at Baltray. It was the greenest with envy I think I have ever been.

Mightymal, tell me, was there a day in amongst it all when you had to force yourselves onto the course?

enniscrone

Wow, that's allot travelling and allot of golf over two weeks! Talking about getting the most out your holiday :-)

mike12

I think i would have been in bits by day 5. 2 round in a day i have only done once and it is tough.
The trip i took to Donegal where we played 4 courses in 4 days with only a few drinks in the evening left me wrecked.
The driving on strange Irish roads in a camper van playing twice a day some days sound tough but it is still a trip we would all love to do.
Heading to play Ballyliffin, Portrush and Portstewart in a couple of weeks and i feel like a whimp for not fitting in around on the way up and back.

Mike

mightymal

ALOHA. the original plan was 26 rounds in 15 days. We ended with 22. Day 6 at Rosapenna we hit the wall and only played the Old Tom Morris course. On day 8 we were supposed to play Concra Woods 2 times but decided one was enough. Day 11 we skipped Luttrellstown and the last day we skipped Castleroy. The rest of the time we were ready to go.

Pulling in to the parking lot and seeing the golf course got the blood flowing so that helped a lot.

it helped a lot that we had buggies at every course except Ballybunion. When we were younger the mantra was "Ride one, Walk one". Funny how that has changed as we have gotten older.

And I will say it takes a special golfer want to play this much golf. My 3 friends are great. I have done this kind of trek before in New Zealand 6 times, Melbourne Australia, and Scotland. Also a few times on the US mainland. But the best so far has been Ireland

FixdePitchmark

Very unusual to hear Ireland win out over Australia and New Zealand.

mightymal

I thought overall the courses in Ireland were in better shape. Greens in NZ, Australia, Ireland and Scotland were all great.

Loved the beer in New Zealand and thought I could not do better. WELL I have to say Guiness stole my heart. Problem is I came back to Hawaii and tried one and almost spit it out. Guess I will have to come back to Ireland again.

I am a single malt drinker and Scotland was really good. I was surprised how good the Irish whiskey. Enjoyed the Powers, Paddy's, Jamiesons and really liked Middleton--but cant afford it.

Golfers everywhere I have traveled have been wonderful to talk to and we have LOTS of great memories.

ForeRight

mightymal wrote: »

Enjoyed the Powers, Paddy's, Jamiesons and really liked Middleton--but cant afford.

Says your man jet setting around the world playing golf haha

Living the dream is putting it lightly!

FixdePitchmark

ForeRight wrote: »

Says your man jet setting around the world playing golf haha

Living the dream is putting it lightly!

But as the Irish would say.

"Yes , but is he happy".

mightymal

As happy as an Irishman sitting in a pub, draining his Guiness, and asking for another one---with a Paddys on the side.

bennyineire

ForeRight wrote: »

This is an amazing thread and I am green with envy reading it.

I can only hope that some day I'll be in a position to go and do a trip like that.

Well done to all involved.

It's the stuff of dreams!

mightymal wrote: »

As happy as an Irishman sitting in a pub, draining his Guiness, and asking for another one---with a Paddys on the side.

Yep Guinness is never the same outside of Ireland, but you should try get your hands on Guinness Draught cans in you local liquor store in Hawaii if you can or better still Murphys Draught cans, I prefer Guinness in a pub but I find the Murphys can to be creamier

ForeRight

Isn't it something to do with something they need to put into the Guinness to preserve it when travelling abroad.

Can't imagine there's a Guinness brewery in Hawaii

However isn't the biggest one in the world in Nigeria!!!!


Mal I was in Hawaii couple of years ago for a month but never played 1 game
When I'm over again on holiday I'll look you up and we will go for a game. I'll bring the whiskey

FixdePitchmark

ForeRight wrote: »

Isn't it something to do with something they need to put into the Guinness to preserve it when travelling abroad.

Can't imagine there's a Guinness brewery in Hawaii

However isn't the biggest one in the world in Nigeria!!!!


Mal I was in Hawaii couple of years ago for a month but never played 1 game
When I'm over again on holiday I'll look you up and we will go for a game. I'll bring the whiskey

Can I go, Ill bring ice

ForeRight

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

Can I go, Ill bring ice

No bother

Aloha