FEELING A LITTLE GLASHEDY TODAY

“Glashedy Links” will no longer be called such by anyone in this group……..from this point forward it shall be known as “Shitty Links”, but honestly that name could not be farther from the truth. Sadie is joining us again today, and is a little looser that yesterday, offering unsolicited advice on shotmaking and target lines, but still being brutally honest with her answers to questions Mike and I ask her………..So, can I clear that bunker?………Not today sir (or anytime in your life for that matter)……….How about if I just cut that corner?……….That would be good if you could hit it that far (you don’t have a hope in hell), I’ve got this putt 6” out to the left is that correct………Well, it will set you up and give you a good line for your next putt………..Can I reach the green with a 5 iron?….. Eventually……..Do you think we will be able to find that one?………….Lassie couldn’t find that one if it was wrapped in bacon……….Sadie is a gem.

Shitty Links is a terrific course right out of the blocks………great hole design……..challenging whatever skills you thought you might possess to play this wonderful game. Being a newer course the fairways are at least smoother, without the lumps and bumps every two feet we experienced on Old Links, but are craftily sloped and angled with runoff areas that will cause your ball to end up in one of the many deep sod faced fairway bunkers. Many times today we watched balls that were hit just a bit too far left or right, land on the fairway and run about 30 yards, right into one of the sandy hell holes. Green side bunkers were just diabolical………hitting a green did not mean that you would be putting, because if you were just a little short, or left, or right, or anywhere close to a bunker, you would be in it. Either way, we learned quickly and avoided bunkers like the plague. I can see why the R&A selected this course for the Amateur Championship next month……..a true test of golf…….and with the option to play from the back tees at 7,500yds., even the big hitters won’t be able to take advantage of the course. Mike and I had a little match play going which caused us to focus a little more on our game, and the scores improved as a result…….we played white tees at 6,400yds, but it sure felt longer than that with the wind being a constant factor. This is a really good golf course, and if you are up north on your next trip, one that should not be missed. Fun fact…….the island you see just 1 mile off the coast in some of our pictures is Glashedy Island, a 5.5 acre hunk of rock/cliffs, with a green grassy top, and hence the name which means Green Cloak……

We have a drive ahead of us following our round………making our way across the island to Newcastle, home of Royal County Down, and will be staying walking distance from the course at the Slieve Donard Hotel. Leaving County Donegal behind, we have many great memories, and I think Jutta and I both agree this is our favourite part of the country. We were not on the road long before km/hour changed to mph, and distances to upcoming towns were shown in miles rather than kilometers……..we are in Northern Island and have left the Republic. The drive is uneventful, and even though the GPS takes us on some interesting side routes along the way, we arrive at Slieve Donard in two and a half hours. When we stayed here last year, the hotel was undergoing a massive renovation, and it was nice to see it all completed when we walked in……….very beautiful. We are given rooms close to one another on the fourth floor, and walking in, I can’t believe what I see. They call this room an Attic Suite……..built essentially into a large top floor dormer, so you can imagine the roof lines in the room, and they have painted the walls/ceiling in a combination of dark green and deep burgundy. Turn on the lights!……they are on……..whaaaaat! Pokey little windows at the end of the room did look out over the sea (making it a sea view $$$$$$$), but you had to be standing up to look out. We call in the attic dungeon. Immediate phone call to the front desk, but you guessed it…….the hotel is full and there are no other rooms available………plus, they tell us that this room is an upgrade, being a junior suite and all. We agree to make it work for a night with a promised move to a more conventional room tomorrow…….can’t wait for that. I am sure I heard chains rattling up and down the hall outside in the middle of the night.

I realize I have lost a credit card, somewhere between Nancy’s Barn (World Class Chowder) and here. This consumes me for at least an hour or so, checking everything and everywhere it could possibly be, but with no luck………might as well just join the other three for our overdue post round Guinness which we delayed because of the drive………best idea of the day. Our booking for dinner is at Percy French, part of the hotel, but in a separate building across the front lawns down by the main gate. Great spot, really good meal, and by the time we are done and walk back to the main building it is clearly time to hit the sack.

This blog is starting to sound like GOLF, EAT, SLEEP, REPEAT. Our tee times have all been 11am – 1pm sort of, which doesn’t leave a lot of time in the day for much else………hey, its a golf trip………and on that note, tomorrow is Royal County Down……….some discussion at dinner about where it comes in on the world rankings……….depending on whose list you are looking at, clearly in the top 5 somewhere, and always #1 in Ireland. It is a beast, and we will be ready!