GHIN
Ireland - Part 1
"Your miss here should be to the left," the caddie told us. “There's a big bunker behind that right side hill.” We were on the 2nd hole of the Kilmore Nine of Carne Golf Links in Belmullet, Co. Mayo, Ireland. This was also the 2nd hole of proper links golf I'd ever played. In Europe, on the west coast of Ireland, that “hill” was a dune that looked like a mountain.
As we walked up to the green, the bunker revealed itself, and I laughed. As large as that hill looked from the tee box, it was monstrous up close. The sand behind was peppered with green grasses and went at least halfway up the hill's height. It looked like a protective dune seen down the Jersey shore but at least ten times the height.
Carne was the first of four rounds we played over eight days in Ireland. We started thinking about the trip back in January with friends from our golf club in New Jersey. Our friend, Brian, had family from Co. Mayo. He had visited many times before but never really played golf there. Going together let us split up planning duties: He would handle hotels and non-golf activities while I took care of tee times.
Over the next few months, while my husband, Jon, and I packed up our house in New Jersey and moved across the country, I researched where to play. Knowing that Westport, Co. Mayo, would be our home base, it became clear that we should target the last three courses featured in Tourist Souce Ireland: Carne, Co. Sligo, and Enniscrone. I made up an itinerary, and in May, we pulled the trigger on airfare (United, of course) and hotels. Just like that, our first overseas golf trip was a reality.
In a world where resorts are booked solid 18-24 months in advance, it was a pleasant surprise to be able to book the times and days with each course that worked perfectly with the rest of our itinerary (more about the non-golf activities we did down in the Tonic section below).
Carne was course number one on my shortlist and happened to be the first course we played. We weren't the only ones checking it out that week: Actor and director Ed Burns was also there with a full crew working on a new film called Finnegan’s Foursome. The course was buzzing with activity from the filming - trailers, lighting rigs, the works. In the pro shop, we met up with our caddies and, of course, chatted with Fiona and Gerry of Tourist Sauce fame.
Filming was taking over a few holes, so we played a special “alternative” course routing to work around it. We started with the Kilmore Nine and then a composite nine made up of holes from the Wild Atlantic Dunes routing. It was everything I had envisioned in my head and then some. I was in awe of the massive scale of the dunes and the views of the Atlantic Ocean.
I could have played better. I lost around eight balls, which was not ideal, but I didn't care. Just walking with Jon, Brian, and the caddies - having a laugh, looking at vista after vista - was enough to make it an unreal day. The wind was down, the sun was up, and vibes were high. Guinness was had at the end of the round. Perfect day.
The next day involved some non-golf activities, but we took advantage of the late summer light by heading up to Mulranny Golf Club for our 2nd round of the trip. Mulranny is down a narrow road off of the N59 on the coast of Clew Bay, about 30 minutes north of Westport.
The small pro stop wasn't staffed when we arrived just after 5 pm. I followed the posted instructions to sign in on the log, put €25 in a tiny envelope with my name on it, and dropped it into a tiny slot to pay. As we were going out to find the 1st tee, someone came in from the back to see if we needed help and told us we could make a free cup of tea or coffee. If you wanted one, push carts were locked up like Aldi grocery carts, released when you put €3 into the box.
The course has existed since 1896, has 18 tee boxes for nine greens, sits right on the bay next to a beach park, and has sheep that wander the entire course and act as the groundskeepers. Barbed wire fencing encircled every green to keep the sheep off the putting surfaces; you entered them through a gate held shut with a bungee cord loop. There’s a local rule about what to do if your ball comes to rest adjacent to the fencing or in animal droppings (free relief). It was unlike any course I'd ever played. The wind and mist coming off the bay challenged you as you made the trek around the course’s 2800 yards.
We had time for one loop of nine before we had to join our friends for dinner back in town, but I would put this course on my must-play list if we ever find ourselves in the area again.
I’ll save the last two rounds for my next installment of G&T!
Other golf notes
- After our TPI experience with Dr. Greg, I also decided it was time to get an actual golf coach out here in Las Vegas. I have been going to TPC Las Vegas monthly since May to work with Matt Henderson. We’ve been working on setup and weight transfer—getting my lower body moving forward before my backswing—things of that nature. I feel like I’m hitting my irons better and more consistently than ever. I look forward to more sessions and practicing as I work on my goal to get to a 15 index by the end of the year (currently sitting at 17.1).
- The Solheim Cup was an amazing time. We talked about it on the Solheim wrap-up pod, but the energy from the crowd was great. It truly did feel like a celebration of women’s golf. It’s so nice to go to a pro golf event without people yelling “mashed potatoes” or “get in the hole” after every tee shot. The scene around 14 green during Sunday singles felt massive. It was fun to run into so many friends who came from up and down the East Coast to attend, and it was great to meet so many NLU fans out in the wild.
TONIC
Dublin and The GAA All-Ireland Football Final
This trip to Ireland was my first, so we started in Dublin to do some of the super-touristy stuff, like visit the Jameson Distillery and Guinness Storehouse. I had never had a Guinness in the States, so I was excited to have my first one AT Guinness. I can only describe the experience they have set up there at the St. James Gate Brewery as an EPCOT Center attraction but for beer. I enjoyed the floor about Guinness’ marketing and advertisements the most in the actual “museum,” but the main attraction was having a pint up on the top floor of the building overlooking Dublin. It was my first of dozens of Guinness drafts that week.
The real reason we started in Dublin instead of going straight over to Westport was to attend the GAA All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. Our buddy Brian is a massive Gaelic football fan (always rooting for Co. Mayo, of course), and it was the number one thing on his to-do list this trip. Gaelic football is strictly an amateur sport — players, coaches, etc.. are prohibited from being paid for playing. There are local GAA clubs all over Ireland where people learn and play traditional Gaelic sports. Each county in Ireland puts together a team to compete against other countries annually. The county teams play in different provincial championships to get down to 16 teams who all play in a knockout tournament until two counties are left for the finals. This year, Galway and Armagh were in the final, which was played on July 28th.
The final is played at Croke Park in Dublin, which holds over 80,000 fans. Tickets are distributed by the GAA and the county boards of the competing county teams. It is basically the Super Bowl of Gaelic football. Brian was able to secure us seats through some of his local Irish connections. I decided to root for Galway once they made it to the finals. Everyone else backed Armagh.
It was about a 2-mile walk from our hotel to the stadium. It was a perfect summer day, and it seemed that everyone in the city was either on their way to the game or already at a pub waiting for it to begin. It felt like a giant party the whole walk. As we got closer to the stadium, there were people with tables set up at almost every street corner hawking Galway and Armagh gear. I secured a Galway bucket hat to show my support, which became a good way to start conversations with people as we made our way to the game.
Of course, with all the teams being 100% amateurs, they each have sponsors to help pay for everything. Galway is sponsored by Supermac’s, which is an Irish fast-food franchise that started in Galway in the 70s. What I could not stop giggling at is that they are also the exclusive operator for Papa John’s in Ireland, so the backs of all the jerseys have the Papa John’s logo (Supermac’s gets front of jersey billing).
Croke Park was massive. It was the largest sporting stadium I have ever been in. The pitch is out in the open, but three sides of the stands all have a cover to protect you from the elements. Our seats were in the second-to-last row, across from the team benches. The one end had what looked like a standing room, also out in the elements. It reminded me of the River End at the Philadelphia Union MLS games.
There was so much pomp and circumstance before the game - marching bands, both teams parading around the entire pitch waving to fans - even the Irish president was there. Everyone in the stands wore shades of maroon for Galway and orange for Armagh. Colored smoke bombs were going off and there were so many flags - it was rocking. They do serve alcohol at the game, but you aren’t allowed to bring it to your seat, which made the pre-game concourses very crowded. I had watched a few YouTube videos on the rules and general overview of how Gaelic football was played, so once the action started, I found it very easy to follow along.
In the first half, there was a bit of a to-do when people realized there was a herring gull that could not get itself off the pitch. He wandered, on foot, around the turf as the game went on around him, completely unbothered. He was a hit on social media as well. After about 25 minutes, they were able to rescue the bird and take him to a wildlife rescue center, where he got some pain meds and fluids and recovered fully — he had an injured wing, which is why he didn’t just fly off from the pitch on his own.
In the end, Armagh was victorious. They were the only team to score a goal worth 3 points, which meant scoring by getting the ball past the goalie into the net, as opposed to Galway, who only scored 11 single “points” by kicking or heading the ball over the net between the uprights. After the game, we hung out near the stadium for an hour or so, chatting with Brian’s friends who had come down from Armagh for the game. I took a lot of flack for my newfound Galway fandom, all in good fun. Would recommend going if you ever have the chance to see Gaelic football in person.
Galway and the Galway Races
Another big Irish sporting event was going on the week we were there in Galway—the Galway Races. This was another first for me, having never been to a horse race event before. We decided to go on Thursday, known as Ladies Day. It is a big social to-do, especially that day, with prizes not just for the horses racing but also for women to take home “best hat” and “best dressed” awards and prize money.
We stopped in Galway earlier in the week where the girls on our trip procured “fancy hats” to wear to the race. They were really fascinators and they were definitely not ones that would win any awards, but we wanted to have some fun being involved in the traditions of the day. I felt like Eliza Doolittle going to Royal Ascot opening day in My Fair Lady.
On Thursday we donned our hats and headed down the 90 minutes or so from Westport to take in the races. I spent the entire time on my phone learning (and then teaching everyone else) how to place bets on the races. We had “splurged” for reserved seating in one of the big grandstands where each floor had bars and tote windows for betting on the races. If you didn’t want to bet at the tote windows, you could go out and find many bookmakers with little stands around the race grounds. The tote betting is like parimutuel betting instead of betting on straight odds with the bookmakers. I stuck with using the tote windows and made some bets for each race we would see that day. I didn’t win a ton, but rooting for “my horse” in each race was fun.
I couldn’t believe how many people were at the races. It was packed. Like literally hard to walk anywhere once the afternoon came without being shoulder-to-shoulder packed in like sardines. Most of the university-aged kids had already taken off their fancy heels to switch to flip-flops. Lines for restrooms were massive, same for food and drink. There was a race about every 35 minutes, and for those 2-3 minutes each time, things stood still as people watched the horses come around the track, but then back to placing more bets and getting more Guinness.
I’m glad we went and got to experience something new. It definitely felt like the social event of the summer for Galway.
MUSIC
I love golf, but music is my first love, especially going out to see bands. This month has been a live music paradise for me. I’m on a run of shows right now that fills me with so much energy while simultaneously making me feel old.
First up was seeing The Killers celebrate 20 years of Hot Fuss during their residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in their hometown of Las Vegas. I’ve been seeing this band since 2004, and they never disappoint. The opening five songs of Hot Fuss is a perfect side A of an album. The band sounded as tight as ever, and the set design and lighting were perfect for this run of shows.
We were off to the East Coast two days later to catch four Pearl Jam shows — two at Madison Square Garden and two at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. I love seeing Pearl Jam live as no two shows are the same. The set list changes daily, audibles are called, and you never know who may show up. Night one at MSG, we went with some of our golf and music friends — young hitter Lauren Coughlin, who was having some fun before heading down to the Solheim Cup, and our buddy Dags, who also plays on Neil’s softball team in NYC. Night two was the 50th time Pearl Jam has played in New York City. The set list was a banger, including songs I hadn’t heard live in a while, like “Not For You” and “Glorified G.” The big “Rockin’ in Free World” jam at the end of the encore included an appearance by Little Stevie from the E Street Band (or Silvio from the Sopranos, take your pick).
In Philly a few days later, I had a feeling I would see some special shows. PJ always has had a massive Philly fanbase and so many iconic Pearl Jam moments have happened there. The four shows to close out the Spectrum in 2009, playing TEN front-to-back in 2016, etc…and night one in Philly this time around was no exception. We got the Singles soundtrack trifecta with them playing Breath, State of Love and Trust, AND covering Mother Love Bone’s Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns. Night two in Philly was also great; so many big hits played. I am not a religious person, but going to a Pearl Jam show is the closest to church that I will get — the feeling of 18,000 people singing in unison is a great feeling.
I was heading back up to NYC a few days later to meet up with TC for a visit with our friends at H&B when I realized I could catch the Weezer Voyage to the Blue Planet tour on 9/11, celebrating 30 years of the Blue Album. Weezer was one of the first bands that I became a massive fan of, so much so that I would spend hours talking about them and Weezer-adjacent topics on their message board each week. They have gotten a bit goofy in their last fifteen years or so, but they always put on a good show and I wasn’t going to miss them playing the Blue album front to back.
I’ll be rounding out the month with two more Pearl Jam shows at Ohana festival in Dana Point, CA, with a little detour down to San Diego to see the Green Day Dookie/American Idiot show (with Rancid!!!) at Petco in between. Come October, I hope to have a voice.