Tag Archives: Golf

Corporate golf at The Castle

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Played in the Mercury (www.mercury.ie) Golf Outing at the Castle last Friday.  Format was a three person team, two to count.  A most enjoyable afternoon, great company, on a thinking person’s golf course.  Seems to me the trees on the course encroach more each year – presenting more challenges or problems to the golfer. 

As a regular links golfer I have often thought that inland courses produce straighter drivers of the ball – being used to having to hit the ball between tunnels of trees, as against links players who may benefit from playing from the adjoining fairway.  And then in the summer time, with significant run on the ball, the links player may hit irons from many tees – there being a very real premium on hitting the fairway and benefiting from up to 100m of run, depending on specific conditions.

Any keen golfer visiting Dublin should try to play The Castle – beautiful mature golf course, lots of decisions to be made, rewards good shot making.  And the catering has always be excellent whenever I’ve played there.

Westport’s Centenary Year

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Played Westport twice over the weekend.  Played in strong winds and light drizzle on Saturday – rain gear required; then played Sunday in the Sunshine – teeshirt weather.  The same course but two completely different challenges: on saturday driver and rescue wood to the 6th off the forward tee; on sunday driver and 6 iron off the back tee.  Played a threeball 18 holes on Sunday in three hours 10 minutes – courtesy of my partners and being waved through by a a fourball that started before us.  Not bad, 18 holes and home by 11am!  And great to experience traditional courtesy on the golf course.

If you get the chance play Westport in its centenary year.  Wonderful golf course with outstanding scenery.  And the elements will provide a different challenge every day, if not every hour!

What a great format – fourball

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Without doubt golf is primarily an individual game – leaving the player with memories of something fleeting which may have had some temporary importance to the player himself/herself – and most often provided the basis for boring dialogue with those not involved.  Played a most enjoyabel fourball at the weekend – neither of us played particularly well but it made the ‘dovetailing’ all the more important and all the more enjoyable.

Golf does not have to be a slow game

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Teed off at 7am in St. Anne’s this morning.  Course in great nick.  Temperatures and wind much more manageable than a week previously.  Completed our round in three hours – if only amateurs would leave the slow golf to the professionals playing tournaments and get on with it.  What a pleasure to complete 18 holes, have breakfast and leave the club by 11.

St. Annes in the wind

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Played 18 holes in St. Anne’s this morning.  Spectacular greens on 6th April.  Exciting new course developments – great changes at 1 (tee box), 5 (green),9 (green), 10( green) and 11 (tee).  Weather allowing should all be in play in a month’s time.  Today was one of those days when the wind beat me – the cross wind in St. Anne’s is often the most challenging one.  But cannot wait to get out on the links when all of these changes are in play later this month or early May.  Great Open beef sandwich post golf.

Golf in Ireland

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What an outstanding destination for golfers!  For those of us golfers lucky enough to live here we are spoilt for choice.  We have traditional golf courses and links, a variety of public courses and an increasing number of resort type facilities.

Golf is a great form of relaxation – so long as not played behind the increasing number of unnecessarily slow players.

I will use this blog http://barryjogorman.typepad.com/golfing_in_ireland to comment occasionally on courses played in Ireland.