LET’S HAVE A GLASSFULL

Ok, the gig is up……..Dano said the other day, “I can’t be playing with Hugh today. He’s still in Ireland writing blogs.”………yep, been home for a week, but still want to finish the trip blog, and I’m sure you are all just sitting on the edge of your seats waiting to hear the next installment. I have to admit, it has been tougher to write on this trip than any other I can recall……..my sleep hours are way up, and maybe the later tee times we have had are infringing on my creative time……..that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

So Cash Cab is loaded and ready for another cross country jaunt. Leaving the Wild Atlantic Way and the west with so many memories once again, it will always be on our list for a return trip. Super Dave our caddie at Enniscrone said we should take the motorway across rather than going cross country on the smaller roads, but once again, the nav system has its own opinion, and we are on the smaller roads, but zipping along nicely all the same. Our target is Ardglass, home to one of our favourite courses, and one that many in our group have stopped in to play before heading home. Eventually we get to the motorway, and I opened up that big puppy and let her fly………record time I figure for a Ford people mover.

There is not much going on in Ardglass other than the golf course……..couple of pubs, a few restaurants, and the odd interesting shop. We have booked a B&B within walking distance of the course…..The Burford Lodge…..and it appears to be very nice until I open the bedroom door and see just a double bed in the room…………yikes…….not even a queen size. Jutta looks at me as if to say, you’ll be ending up on the floor buddy, but we decide we can make it work……..it is feeling like Guinness time, so we head over to the club for a pint. Sibly is on a mission to find a spot for dinner, and hikes over to Aldo’s, italian restaurant across the road, to see if anyone is there because they don’t answer the phone. The owner tells her they are fully booked tonight, but she makes a res for tomorrow at 6:30……perfect. The club is always a good dining option so we book a table for tonight and will return later. The goats are getting antsy after spending 4 hours on the road and want to get some miles in. They head out to walk some of the course and I hoof it back to The Burford. I have a lie down on the bed and practice my mummy position for later that evening.

Dinner was great……sleeping in that bed, not so much…….home cooked breakfast in the morning was perfect, and we are off to the course. Ardglass is everything we remembered, and is in very good shape for so early in the season. This is a real gem and shouldn’t be missed if you are in Ireland. Our caddie on the first trip here told us that the club was concerned they were not getting a lot of international play like some of the other clubs……..a consultant was hired, and among other recommendations, told them they needed to raise their price……..if you charge 85 pounds for a round everyone thinks you are shit…….if you charge 185, you will attract a lot more play, and that is what has happened, and it is worth every penny. There are a few changes to the course since we last played it, most noticeably the 16th which is now a stunning par 5 with stone wall features that need to be avoided, and the halfway house is now completed and fully functional. Just a fantastic round of golf.

While enjoying our traditional post round Guinness, I can see that Jutta has that look on her face……..something is brewing in there, and I’m not sure what it is, but eventually she let’s us in on it……….”Why don’t we just get out of here, and go to Malahide tonight (so much fun in that town)….stay an extra night at the Grand Hotel with full sized beds, and we will just have a 45 minute drive to Baltray in the morning instead of two hours from here?” It makes all the sense in the world to me, so we make busy on the phones, sending Justin messages to see if he can get us rooms at the Grand, calling for dinner reservations in Malahide, and checking travel times to make sure we are doing the right thing. Justin is on it as always, and we have rooms………we are back to the B&B, packed and on the road within the hour.

Malahide is bustling as usual with the pubs overflowing out into the street and tons of people making their way about……..great vibe. We managed to snag a dinner reservation at Kajjal, a Pakistani restaurant we have visited before, and the goats leave early to do some shopping and stroll the town……..turns out they also managed to sneak in a couple of G&T’s along the way! Dinner fantastic……rooms at the Grand Hotel are great (sea/harbour views across the channel to The Island Golf Club), and all could not be better………what a great decision to come here tonight. Our last round is tomorrow at Baltray/County Louth………can’t believe it is all coming to an end.