GET TO THE POINT

We have a short drive into town this morning to play County Sligo Golf Club AKA Rosses Point……..loads of courses in this area, both parkland and links……..you could stay here a week and play a different one every day, and not drive more that a half hour. We had hoped to hit a few at the range so we arrived early only to find out that the shuttle was acting up and there was no other way to get there…….seemed weird to me, but that is what we were told……..it did provide another shopping opportunity though, and the goats made themselves busy. The logo is a good one so that makes all the difference apparently.

We meet Des outside and he is the official greeter, starter, promoter, photographer, at the club…….great guy…….tells me he thinks we can probably tee off a little early if all goes well, and that is what happens so away we go. Very nice golf course that is situated right in town, with total shore exposure except for………the trailer/caravan park!……..we sat next to some folks last night at dinner who book a spot there every year for six months and use it just like we would our cottages…….they love it, and warn they don’t throw stray golf balls back. Sorry, back to the course……..there has been a lot of work done on the course over the last couple of years and it is in very good condition. Opened in 1894 as a 9 holer, the additional 9 were added in 1906, and then a huge redesign by the famous Harry Colt in 1927, laid out largely what we see today. Not mentioned previously, but the Goats have been faced with some very long courses so far on the trip and this one is a good example……..they will be playing 5,918yds. from the green tees, but is a par 75……..notice on the card that the gold tees are 6,375yds. for both women (par 75) and men (par 71) with the difference being 4 extra par 5’s. Play was quite brisk with a member foursome in front of us which was quite handy when we were looking for our next tee with some crossover boxes at 7 – 15 and out at 10 – 12. Overall this was a very good day of golf, and a course that you could play every day and not get bored. It is challenging enough to host the West of Ireland Amateur Championships, with names like Harrington, Lowry, and McIlroy as past winners. Put this one on your calendar.

That geological feature in the background of the previous picture is Benbulbin Mountain…….a flat top affair standing at approx. 1,700ft., and is the most popular hiking destination in the area……….I see the goats eyes light up, but there is no way we can fit this one into the schedule.

I have to mention this one hole………#14 Mahon’s Burn…….that I thought was just great. It is plenty long, and after a decent drive I still had about 180yds. in. Through my rangefinder I can see what looks like a depression running from side to side across the fairway about 20yds short of the green……..you guessed it……..Mahon’s Burn. I wouldn’t have known it was a water hazard except for the fact that I saw these long yellow poles at uneven intervals, and realize they are the course provided ball retrievers I saw earlier in the round. My shot was a beauty and cleared the burn landing on the green, but when I got up closer………..check out the pictures below.

We close out Rosses Point with the traditional Guinness on the patio, meet the GM, and have a good chat about international memberships………something maybe we should have done 10 years ago. Cash Cab awaits, but would rather be taking the chopper……..lucky bastards……..we are off to Balina……..we were pronouncing it bal-ee-na, but were corrected…….bali-nah…….two more to play on the western swing.