Around this time last year, I took a trip to visit some family over in the Emerald Isle, or as you may know it, Ireland.  My family lives in the southern part of Ireland, just outside of Cork, and welcomed me with open arms on my solo trip.  So much so that they basically shuttled me around the country to play golf wherever my heart desired, because, well, they’re literally the greatest people on planet Earth.  During that journey, I got a chance to play Lahinch Golf Club, the legendary links course playing host to this year’s Irish Open on the European Tour.  While I’ll never tell the tales of my journies as good as ol’ Jon (like this gem from St. Andrews), here’s my attempt at telling you a little bit about my round at Lahinch.

*Apologies in advanced for the lack of quality pictures.  When we mention the weather a bit later, you’ll understand why…

But First, A Summary

So last year, I finally booked a trip to visit my family in Ireland.  While they’re somewhat distant cousins, we’re pretty close and they’ve been hoping I’d visit for years.  2018 was the year I finally pulled the trigger on it.  I booked a ten day trip, and was told to play “as much golf as I want,” so ok, twist my arm

As much as I objected to do other things as a group, the family demanded I get to play every course on my bucket list in Ireland.  So, that’s what we did. The funniest part is, don’t even golf.  So what did they do while I played?  They walked the course with me, because Ireland is cool like that and let them do so.  I played seven rounds in ten they watched almost every single one walking along with me.  Irish hospitality at its finest

Prior to my arrival my family reached out to anyone and everyone in their network to see who could get me on the courses on my list at member rates.  My entire trip consisted of playing Old Head, Waterville (which is another story I’ll tell some other time), Tralee, Lahinch, Ballybunion, Doonbeg, and Fota Island.  Four of those rounds, I got on for free or next to nothing, including playing with the head pro at Waterville. Again, gotta love the Irish, right?

This brings me to Lahinch.  The lady who took me out, a sweet lady by the name of Mary, is a member at Lahinch.  She isn’t a friend or family member of my cousins.  She is a friend of a friend of a friend.  That’s the literal degree of separation.  My cousins hadn’t met her before either.  And yet Mary took the time out of her day to meet me at the course and play the round with me.  She’s a real gem. Anyways, let’s get to the round.

Heading to the First Tee

When I arrived at Lahinch Golf Club, I pulled into the parking lot to a newly renovated clubhouse.  It’s much more modern inside and out than some of the other old courses I saw around Ireland, but still gives you that same “classic Irish” vibe.  The clubhouse has some old school lockers and facilities, and the range is fairly quaint.  There’s also a nice putting green that’s basically in the parking lot.

As I met my host and went to the first tee of The Old Course (at Lahinch), I rented one of those electric push carts as my dogs were barking after a long week of golf.  I was going to grab a caddie, but there weren’t any left for the day as I was teeing off at 4pm.  Good thing the sun sets at 10pm this time of year, and Mary assured me she knew the course as good as anyone anyways.  Problem solved.

My Round at the Lahinch Old Course

We’re all set to tee off, when suddenly, it starts to downpour.  It was drizzling when I arrived and the wind was starting to blow.  When we teed off, it was dumping rain sideways in a steady 40 mph wind.  Now Mary is a sweet, tiny, lady who plays this course multiple times per week.  I felt terrible that we ran into this weather, even if it’s typical for Ireland, and said to her, “hey, I know you play here all of the time.  If you don’t want to play in this weather, I totally understand.  Whether I go out alone, or don’t play at all, I’m really just glad to be here.”  But again, the Irish being the Irish, she insisted we go on.  “I’ll be fine!  It’ll be grand!” she insisted.

So again, this lady is a FRIEND OF A FRIEND OF A FRIEND, and she’s insisting we continue to play in this awful weather.  I had my nice rain gear prepped and was ready to brave the elements.  Regardless of the weather, the course was absolutely breathtaking.  The views of the ocean were fantastic with the waves crashing on the beach.  The layout and contours of the fairways, lined with gorgeous fescue was something else to see.  All the bunkers were absolutely immaculate.

Mary told me all about the history of the surf town of Lahinch and the golf course itself.  She pointed out all of the areas where tee boxes were being built up in preparation for the tournament this week, as well as where the grandstands would be and what modifications were to be made to better suit the course for the pros.  But, what was she most excited about?  Rory was coming to town to play her course!  Yes ma’am, me too.  Unfortunately for Mary, ol’ Rors pulled out of the Open this week.

Now this post is mainly about the experience, but a little about the golf.  The first big test is the par-5 4th hole.  It’s famous for what is known as the Klondyke Dune in the middle of the hole.  It’s essentially a massive mound of fescue that divides the fairway into two sections.  If you land your tee shot close enough to the dune, you can hit a mid iron into the green and clear the dune. If you lay too far back, long irons and fairway woods on a second shot aren’t going to clear the dune.  If you don’t have length off of the tee, play it as a three shot hole.  Like any hole at Lahinch, the wind that day will factor heavily on how to play this one.  Either way, it’s a real doozie.

Following that, is the par-3 5th hole, known as Dell, which is the signature hole on the Old Course.  Why?  You have to hit your 150 yard tee shot (that plays about two clubs long) over a massive dune in order to hit the green.  Oh yeah, and you can’t see the green at all.  Did I hit the green?  Of course I didn’t.  Another one of my favorites was the par-3 8th.  It plays about 170 yards, but when I stepped on the tee box, it was so rainy and windy, I couldn’t even see the pin.  Maybe that’s because the wind was literally bending the stick over so the flag was touching the ground (see first picture).  Yeah, it was nasty out.  This time, I did hit the green and moved on.

The rest of the round, the weather didn’t let up at all.  The rain slowed a bit, but the wind continued to whip around the course.  Despite the weather Mary insisted we go on so I get the full Lahinch experience.  Side note, Mary was also quite the stick!  Oh and she was right, no need for a caddie with her at my side.

I got a great host, historian, caddie, and pal all in one.  What more can you ask for?  And while we may have been literally the only ones on the course, we finished out on 18 to a break in the weather.  Like all Irish golf rounds end, we headed into the pub to a pleasant smile from the barman.  After a fun, but long and wet day, we sat back and enjoyed a pint.

Looking Back

This memorable round was just a hair over a year ago, but like every round in Ireland, it’s one I’ll never forget.  Not just because the golf was unforgettable, but because of the experiences I had with the people I spent my time with.  This trip as a whole really opened up my eyes to that fact that when you’re on your death bed, you’re not going to remember the things you had, but rather your life experiences and those who were with you.

If you ever have the chance to go to Ireland, whether for golf or not, take it.  The beer is good, the golf is fantastic, and the people are even better.  If you’re ever able to squeeze a few rounds in, you’re not going to want to skip Lahinch.  And who knows, maybe you’ll get to take a walk around the course with someone like Mary.

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