DAY THREE: Part 1 — Ardglass Golf Club • Northern Ireland
There are those days where everything is perfect and all five senses are working like a symphony on your behalf. Not because of anything you’re doing, but because of the environment you are in and the people you experience during an encounter. To have just 15 seconds like that is a privilege – at Ardglass, we were able to enjoy five hours’ worth, not to mention a true golfing miracle.
On our third day, we set an ambitious pace, planning to play 36 holes – a morning round in the 700-year-old fishing village of Ardglass and a late afternoon round back in Belfast at Hilton Templepatrick.
Ardglass is the type of place that Robert Frost would have used as inspiration for verse – it’s that beautiful, and just as impossible to digest. Of all the linksland courses we played, Ardglass is the most rugged and dramatic. Where Royal County Down and The Island are intertwined with the beach and dunes, Ardglass has been riding high upon the rocky shores of the North Sea since 1896. With a clubhouse that dates back to the 14th century, this is not just a historic ground, it’s truly medieval, having served as a fortified warehouse for silks, wines and other goods.
Our jaws dropped when we stepped out on the course, and stayed dropped all morning long. With tee shots that cross rocky inlets and sea gorges, and sudden gusts that sweep in from the Isle of Man, you are reminded that links golf is about the land developing the person, not the person developing the land.
Head PGA golf pro Phil Farrell, our guide and playing partner, gave us more insight and history than we could digest. The course looks harder than it is, and rewards good shot making. Kirk and I were just relishing in the amazing layout and Phil’s authentically Irish dry, gut-busting one-liners when, suddenly, our religious experience was blessed with a true divine miracle.
Named St. John’s, the 488-yard, par-5 11th is a straight link that runs below the rest of the layout, with Ardglass Bay on the right and a huge hill on the left. Kirk hit a bomb of a drive; then, rather than lay up, pulled out his new 21-degree Bobby Jones hybrid and pured one that flew straight as a string at the flagstick before bouncing out of sight. Kirk, who’s 100-percent masculinity and as athletic as they come, gave me a high-five that stung all the way back to Belfast.
As we went to the green, we saw no ball and assumed that, like most of our long-range approaches to Irish greens, it had bounced off into the gorse bushes behind. After 60 seconds of looking around, Kirk walked to the hole to see if lightning may have struck.
It did … a two!
He fell onto his back with hands raised to God, thanking his maker and laughing uncontrollably. It is the ONLY albatross ever hit on the 11th in the 112-year history of the club. After the round, we looked up the odds of making a two on a 488-yarder … it’s 5,000,000-to-1.
The Irish have been playing Ardglass for over a century and have never accomplished the feat. It made our trip, and trumped any score either of us posted all week — probably for the rest of our lives. The Ardglass staff were so excited by Kirk’s feat and our Cascade Golfer coverage that club managers Debbie Turley and Jack Murphy invited us back to play in their annual match play event the following day against Credit Valley Golf Club of Toronto, Canada. Humbled, we accepted and joined them Saturday where we halved our match against Jack (a lovely, genuine gent) and Des Connelly.
The Ardglass members and staff set a new standard for kindness. With an Ardglass membership costing only about $2,000 USD, it’s a club I would join in a heartbeat.
DAY THREE: Part 2 — Hilton Templepatrick Hotel and Country Club, Belfast • Northern Ireland
For three nights, the Hilton Templepatrick, just 10 minutes outside of Belfast and tucked into the countryside, was our home away from home. It was the perfect base camp for us, as the hotel is quite golf-focused and featured world-class Irish cuisine (wonderful salmon dishes) and service.
Our all-encompassing experience at Hilton Templepatrick allowed us to relax, dine, heal up and sharpen our game during the four days we spent in Northern Ireland. It’s worth noting that Belfast and Northern Ireland are no longer the backdrop to what the locals call “The Troubles” — the war and terrorism that was so much a part of the world news in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Kirk and I found the Northern Irish proactive with their hospitality and proud of their perseverance. Their own country, Northern Ireland and her residents revel in their connection to England and enjoy a European flavor. This is all evident at Hilton Templepatrick.
By the time we checked out, we were on a first-name basis with the hotel general manager, assistant manager, restaurant manager, the bar keeper and some of the wait staff. Templepatrick is well-appointed and smartly priced for the traveler, has a top-class spa, salmon and trout fishing and a superb Irish lounge. The golf club – connected to the hotel – has a driving range, putting and chipping greens and a complete pro shop. The club is full of locals who call Templepatrick home and special greens fees are offered to hotel guests.
The David Jones (Euro PGA Tour legend) design was done in collaboration with CBS golf analyst and witty pro David Feherty. The course is not a links track, but rather a parkland layout. Easy to walk and set along rivers, burns and a rolling country landscape, it felt much different than the previous tests along the Irish Sea. Bring your big stick, though, as the course is 7,000 yards and plays to a par of 71. It has a bright future, and we truly enjoyed our round.
With daylight going strong until 10 p.m., we spent evenings on the back patio, where a 20-hole practice putting green awaited for Guinness drinkers and golfers alike. With the sun setting behind the trees, we practiced putting in the evening while the wait staff brought us fresh pints of porter, right to the green. Now that’s service.
–Keep reading to find out how to have your very own UK Golf Experience!—