Ballybunion

Following our day off, we are rested and ready for the much anticipated Ballybunion……..we visited here on the way down from Lahinch and thought it seemed like a really busy place, processing and firing busloads of golfers out onto the course, but this morning it is a much more relaxed………J&S head straight for the pro shop and I get our bags organized. They are still shopping, so I catch the shuttle over to the new practice area that is still under construction………the grass is still taking hold, so they have installed netting about 30 yards out from the tee boxes, catching most of the balls………but who cares……..each hitting station has its own large touch screen monitor with TrackMan running in multiple modes at your desire…….brilliant. Instant feedback with very little lag time……apparently a couple of million $ invested here, but I think it is $ well spent. J&S eventually show up and are impressed also…….we first saw this setup in Hilton Head a few years ago, but this one is much better. Jutta is questioning some of the yardages TrackMan is displaying……..you know, because this is my 130 club and it says it only went 120………

Back over at the course we meet Paul, who will be our fourth today……..we cancelled our forecaddy so it will just be us…….the starter tells us no blind shots, and nothing too tricky out there so we should be fine. Paul is from South England and will be playing both courses here as his Christmas present from wife Lorraine who we meet after the round. He is a very good golfer and loads of fun to have along…….good eyes also which is a real plus. I have to say that none of us were overly impressed with the front nine, perhaps because the first 4 holes or so head out along the road with houses and traffic right there, and there is sort of an odd green to tee arrangement where after you finish a hole and go to the next tee…….tee off………then have to walk past the green you just finished on with the next group hitting into you. There were a couple of close calls. Things changed quickly when we made the turn………..holes became more interesting, with more shape and elevation, more exposure to the ocean, and were much more challenging. I really liked the back nine. The weather was our friend once again…….only once during the round did we reach for rain jackets as a cell passed through, but other than that it was sunshine most of the way, with a good stiff breeze, and some clouds thrown in here and there. Sibylle has her rain pants on, and needed to go to her bag for a tee………on the next hole, she is back at her bag again, getting another tee, then, on the next tee box…….you guessed it…….back there again for another………Jutta asks what is going on and it turns out Sibylle has been putting tees in her rain pants pocket, that aren’t really pockets, just slits, and the tees are falling through………Jutta reports she has been picking up these brand new tees every hole……..classic.

We have a cold one with Paul and Lorraine after our round, and then it is back in the car for the return trip to Killarney.

Dinner tonight in town again…….avoiding the tour bus geriatric crowd in the dining room like the plague. Great happening spot tonight…..Hilliards…….highly recommend this one. We pass on dessert in favour of the ice cream shop across the road and make our way back to the hotel.

Tomorrow is Tralee……..many great reports about this one from friends who have played it, plus our quick pass through the other day and seeing the views, has us anxious to get out there and play it.