DAY ONE — The Island Golf Club • Dublin
Kirk and I chose to fly all night on a direct flight from Sea-Tac to London, and from there to Dublin. After a short, hair-raising drive on the opposite side of the road the next morning, we were hyperventilating from excitement on the tee at 118-year-old links at The Island, which was named appropriately. Four gents in 1890 took a fistful of clubs on a rowboat from Dublin to look for linksland that was agreeable to them and their swings. They landed on a spot with sea on three sides and, literally, the highest sand dunes of any course in Ireland. Prior to construction of a clubhouse in 1973, the only way you could access this little slice of heaven was to take a boat. Like many courses on the British Isles, The Island has been altered many times, leading to the current seaside, organic linksland legend and the perfect track to switch us on to Irish golf.
Golf World ranked The Island No. 26 among “must-play” courses on the planet, and it lives up to that ranking. First thing, though, for Yanks — you must convert the distances from meters to yards, which explained why I left my approach 40 yards shy on the first hole. But after putting out a couple of nervous double bogies on No. 1, and cresting the fescue-covered hill to the second tee, we saw our first view of Heaven.
There it was — the Irish Sea, calm and glistening. We could hardly keep a thought straight in our head. We really made it — TRUE LINKS GOLF. For over a century, the modest members of The Island have been enjoying what Chambers Bay is just now offering – seaside golf, challenge at every turn and views that can’t be described appropriately with the written word.
With rises and falls, blind shots, pot bunkers that ask you to repent and weather that can change on a dime, The Island was a true Irish baptism for us both. When we teed off, it was windy, sunny and 62 degrees. When we waddled up 18, it was 50 and the rain was blowing sideways – with both of us donning raingear.
Our favorite holes were two classics – both of which feature regularly on various worldwide “top-100” lists. The par-3 13th, with the bay on the right, asks you to carry your tee shot 190 yards into a stiff ocean wind, meaning you really need to hit it about 215. The next hole was also intimidating, paralleling the beach for its entire 337-meter length and featuring a narrow landing area. I sliced my attempt onto the beach, my ball coming to rest next to a piece of kelp. I stepped over the lateral hazard marker and tried a little Jean Van de Velde-type trick – bum call that resulted in a chunked approach and a triple bogey. But, it made me feel 100 percent Irish to give it a go. Top man!
The Island is homey, honest and unpretentious. Despite its history, the membership and staff were down-to-earth and had a working-class, grounded feel about them. We loved it, and the authentic Gaelic fare hit the spot while we dried out in the dining room.
DAY TWO — Royal County Down Newcastle • Northern Ireland
When you close your eyes, fold your hands and pray for one experience in your golfing life that takes a lifetime to recount, you see the Mountains of Mourne, with Royal County Down at their feet.
Royal County Down is Irish golf’s Mt. Everest, a life experience on par with that at The Old Course at St. Andrews. Kirk and I saw this not as a round of golf, but rather like going to church. We wore our best clothes and were squared away like Sunday schoolers as we waited for our names to be called to the tee.
Established in 1889 as an enticement to bring railway visitors to the seaside town of Newcastle, Royal County Down was bourne off the sweat of some of Belfast’s most noteworthy golfers, Lords and businessmen. It was Old Tom Morris, championship golfer and legendary links designer of The Old Course of St. Andrews and many others, who saw Royal County Down as a masterpiece and completed his 18-hole rendition, thusly making this holy ground indeed.
After Kirk and I both nervously hit safe tee shots on the par-5 first, we left the clock-adorned tee and starter house, and walked side-by-side with no bags, only our expert caddy, John. Just then, I heard a church bell toll behind us. I looked at Kirk, who smiled like the Cheshire Cat, gave him a fist bump and nearly lost myself emotionally. I knew the rest of the day was gravy — I was strolling on hallowed ground, hardly able to believe that we were worthy to be here.
After our rainy yet inspiring round, with our scorecard showing numbers many strokes north of our GHIN indexes, we were enlightened by stories and insights from County Down’s Secretary General James Laidler, with whom I now look forward to forging a friendship. He told us that Tiger Woods shot 80 his first time at Royal County Down.
That made our day. Do your best to play this course someday!
–Keep reading to find out how to have your very own UK Golf Experience!—