Solo Ireland Golf Trip Recap: 31 August - 14 September

[Trugravity]

Just returned home from a two week trip to Ireland, first time ever having been there, that included: Connemara, Carne (45 holes), Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, Portsalon, Rosepenna- Sandy Hills and Enniscrone (36 holes) golf clubs. Loved links golf and the warmth of the Irish people! I expected RCD to be my favorite, however, my experience at Royal Portrush was so memorable; great caddie - Jinxsie Lamont, fantastic course and shot 77 from just under 6500 yards. The trip started off quite unexpectedly, with an eagle on the very first hole at Connemara, driver/8 iron, followed by birdie at the 2nd, then backed my way into a 76. I've posted two pics each from the courses listed above, in order, along with a couple pics of The Beach Bar and city of Galway.

 

If I were to list the courses in order of preference it would be Portrush, RCD, then Carne, with the others being wonderful but pretty much equal. Loved the hospitality at the off the beaten tracks courses like Carne, Portsalon and Rosepenna! Portrush and RCD have the reputations and tourist buses, whilst the others offered a more personalized experience, as well as extraordinary value! Enjoy the pics!

 

 

[Edaw68]

Nice. Any random travel advice for us future planners?

[Trugravity]

I am certainly not an experienced international traveler but here are some thoughts:

 

1. I loved using Airbnb! Cheap, great accommodations and breakfast was wonderful. I also like the fact that it is prepaid, so you do no€™t come home to a big bill. Another benefit, one day when it was raining, I had a movie date with my Airbnb host and we saw an Irish film, Black 47. She knew a lot about Irish history, so it was a unique experience which never would have happened traveling with a group. As a solo traveler, many of the folks took time to really interact.

 

2. I rented a satellite GPS because I was concerned about getting cell service in some of the isolated areas. It worked out well, with the exception of I was not sure how to fine tune it to avoid some of the really small roads.

 

3. Do not be fearful of driving! And, if you want an automatic do no€™t pay for it in advance as they bargained with me at the counter, resulting in $250 less than if prepaid. Note, I have driven stick shifts before so would not have turned into a puddle if getting an automatic did not work out. Also, check the tires and condition of the car out well before you leave the rental lot. My tires were in mediocre condition and I did no€™t notice it until 50 miles down the road.

 

4. One thing that was disappointing was that I was only paired up at RCD and Portrush, all with fellow Americans. I would try harder to get lined up with an Irish group if doing the trip again, at least at some of the second tier courses.

 

5. Take time to see sights, Ireland is a beautiful country! I only played 27 holes one day, otherwise it was 18 and sightseeing.

 

6. No need to overpack, most of the accommodations had laundry facilities.

 

7. Save receipts for reimbursement of VAT tax, which essentially is reimbursement for items you are bringing home. *** I failed to do this but learned a lesson. Not huge, as I mainly bought hats, flags and tee shirts. Probably would have saved me less than $100.

 

8. Do no€™t feel like you have to only play the top courses, some of the really good, second tier, courses were on GolfNow. I played Portsalon and Rosepenna for around $65 each, great courses and fantastic value!!!

 

9. Not all caddies are created equal! My caddie at RCD just was no€™t that good, mis-clubbed me several times and did no€™t read putts well. My caddie at Portrush, Jinxsie Lamont, was very knowledgeable and a lot of fun, too! Get him if you can!!!

 

Hopefully some of these tips will help. No doubt someone will disagree with my GPS rental but it was cheap and simple.