After being thoroughly dominated at RCD, one would think the mood would be grim. But a recovery meal at Brunel’s in Newcastle lifted our spirits. It felt like a mulligan, and we loaded up Rich’s metallic blue Kia and headed south to play County Louth Golf Club, which is known locally as Baltray.
When you get off the freeways, which the Europeans call the M’s, the roads are terrifyingly narrow and the speed limits are inexplicably high. I’d say they are 70% the width of the US roads and it’s not uncommon to encounter oncoming tractors and lorries. It’s like driving a golf ball through one of the fairway corridors at Royal County Down—you literally need both hands on the wheel. That was the vibe as Rich criss-crossed us through the Irish countryside.
On this adventure, I’ve been consistently reminded how small the world of golf can be. I had been trying to connect with a friend from Texas, George Seagraves, for the tail end of my Ireland visit. George lives in Ireland 2-4 months of the year, but he was headed to Amsterdam for the Solheim Cup on my free days so it couldn’t happen. Naturally, as I was exiting the car at Baltray, he was exiting an adjacent bus—what are the chances we had the 12:30 tee time and he had the 12:50?
Baltray is another classic that was founded in 1892. It’s hosted the Irish Amateur and two Irish Opens. While it didn’t have the topography of a Royal County Down or Portrush, it was a stout links test. It’s a little shorter and more generous off the tee than what we’d been playing —which sounded like the perfect medication for the bogey blues.
Our caddie was a real class act named James Fanning. He works in finance for an American company and caddies on the side. I’ve had a couple twenty-something men on the bag during my trip and both were sharp, polite, and really enhanced our experience. Plus, when your caddie says to aim your drive on the 9th between his uncle’s house and his cousin’s house, you know you’ve got the right dude!
I was giving Rich the business in our match early on—moving out to a 4 up lead thru 7. But Rich canned a 25 footer to claim the 8th and the momentum. I played the next 9 holes in 1 under, but Rich played them 5 under and held a one up lead going to the last. Although we both made a mess of things at the end, it was the first day we’d both played quality golf. I had a 71 and Rich shot 79. We tied our match, but Rich won the medal play by one shot.
We finished up our day with a spectacular Italian dinner with George and his Solheim Cup clan in Dublin. Thanks to James, George, and Baltray for getting us back on track!
Tomorrow we latch on to a golf group called The Experience and join a mutual friend, Nathan Payne. The lineup goes like this: Royal Dublin, Portmarnock, Dooks, Trailee, Waterville, and Ballybunion. Then I get a couple recovery (and laundry) days before my big trip with my sons on the east coast!
