ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Today we leave our new adopted home, Rosapenna. Our stay here has been terrific, with everything from the hotel, golf courses, hiking, scenery, restaurants and pubs, all to our liking. The hotel staff in particular became very familiar with the three of us, and learned quickly that we liked to sit around after dinner enjoying the last of our wine, chatting, while most others had already retired to their rooms. Whatever your plans are for an Ireland golf trip, if you can include a 3-4 day stay in this neck of the woods, it would be well worth the drive to get here. F1 training aside, it is only 3 hours across the island in most places.

I enjoy my modified FULL IRISH BREAKFAST one more time, then it is outside to pack the Jogger for our trip south. We are looking at a 5 hour trip today, with most of it on reasonable roads…….our destination is the Vaughn Lodge in Lahinch. We have passed through an area east of Rosapenna a few times that I might describe as coastal mountains………..nothing huge, but a definite elevation gain with sizeable granite, moss, gorse, grass, shrub covered, hills on either side of the road. Sibylle exclaimed that this terrain reminded her of Palm Springs. Perhaps it is the palm trees we see around town???………I just don’t know………Palm Springs is a sub-tropical desert……….why am I wearing all these clothes every day…….told Sib she was getting written up for that one.

We stopped in at St.Patricks Links to pick up a few souvenirs……..I now own the most expensive ball marker I have ever purchased………a little laser cut piece of stainless steel………its a beauty, but that toonie works pretty well also and it only cost me $2. Damn, I broke down and bought another hat……..like the 83 I already own are just totally worn out……….I forgot to bring my signature wide brimmed Palmer style Wallaroo with me…….sitting in the truck at Park’n Fly Toronto…….and am now in danger of developing one of those Stewart Cink white domed noggins, or a Patrick Reed forehead. Say it ain’t so.

The weather is perfect today, and the drive starts without a hitch………I catch hell for some overtaking moves, so I back off the gas a little and settle in behind these idiots that don’t know how to drive or what the speed limit is. Before too long we are feeling like a break, and need some gas anyway………the Jogger is really good on gas, but the price of it over here is crazy. Next up is a lunch spot……..my mistake……..I think we can just pull into the little town of Galway……..roll up to a seafood restaurant down by the pier, and have a fantastic lunch. This, is a sizeable city…….traffic as bad as Toronto, and I couldn’t find a restaurant to save myself. We book it out of there……..all in,

just a 1/2 hour detour, and decide our best bet is to just make it to Lahinch.

90 minutes later we are pulling into the parking lot at Lahinch GC, knowing there is a Guinness and fries waiting for us upstairs in the lounge. We get the lay of the land from the young pro in the shop, and confirm our tee time for the day after tomorrow. Tried to cancel the forecaddy we have booked as we have found it easy to make our way around most courses………not allowed at Lahinch………at least 7 blind shots on the front nine alone, so they don’t let anyone out if they don’t have a caddy along.

Vaughn Lodge is just up the road, and after check-in we meet downstairs in the very comfy lounge for a pre dinner cocktail……….or two. Sibylle has them turn on the fireplace and we are settled in nicely. It seems they are fairly strict on seating times for the dining room………..we are approached at 7pm……..dead on when we told them we would like to eat, but now we want to sit a little longer………not happening…………I think the owners must be German…….”YOU VILL EAT NOW! AND YOU VILL LIKE IT!”. Dinner is very well done by their Polish chef, and I get the feeling he might be the instigator of the seating time rule. Not wanting to get slammed when the entire hotel sits down between 7:30 – 8:00………back to the lounge afterwards to finish the wine, then it is time to turn in. Kind of a draining day with all that time in the car, but tomorrow we are out on course again at Doonbeg. We’re going to Make Golf Great Again.