The start of my final day of golf in Ireland was an emotional one. It was a push-pull of anticipation for what lay ahead combined with not wanting the adventure to end. Nothing lasts forever, which is a proverb attributed to Geoffrey Chaucer that dates back to the 1300’s. The feeling I had was the inevitable acceptance of a happy period ending. But what an ending it would be!
Emma, one of our gracious hosts, is an honorary life member at Ballybunion. She played on the Irish National team, and her framed photo is on the Wall of Fame in the clubhouse. The fact we managed a halve against a player of this caliber had me walking a little bit taller. Additionally, Emma is quite the fashion plate and she nodded in approval of my chosen ensemble of deep green jumper, khaki slacks, and white/green accented shoes. To top it off the look, I had donned my plaid Royal Dornoch Hogan cap, which was purchased 27 years ago on my Honeymoon and had never been worn. I had taken the 3-wood from 250 over water and pulled it off. I hadn’t hit a single shot yet and I felt like I’d birdied the first.
My pre-round warm up was better today, featuring solid full swing contact. I was also in the flow state at the chipping green, flipping 20-30 chips and pitches like one-handed was the superior method and I was the only person that knew. I saw my man Chris, who had gone from chirping about my powder blue slacks to tabbing me Billy Buckets because I’d swished a few putts. I was brimming with confidence and, after rolling a few to my satisfaction, the only thing left was to step on the first tee and get busy getting buckets.
Today, I would be paired with Nathan again, who would be in the conversation if I had to pick my favorite all-time foursome. We had two content creators completing our group: Timmy Jordan, an Irish golf social media star, and Sam The Caddie, who loops at Hogs Head and creates hole-by-hole YouTube videos. I am a complete novice on the subject of social media, but I learned a lot on this trip. First, these folks work their asses off–they don’t just “get lucky.” Second, they put themselves on the internet stage with confidence and a willingness to accept the inevitable feedback. And third, they are extremely talented in what they do. All of them use the term “authenticity” for how they engage their audiences as a key to success. More on this topic later.
For some reason, I left my swing swagger on the range because all I could think about was wiping my opening tee shot into the cemetery on the right. A cool course feature, but not where you want to be mentally–or physically for that matter. I somehow slapped a weak cut down the middle. This was the type of drive with such limited ball speed that if it hit you in the shinbone, it wouldn’t hurt. But we were off.
Timmy Jordan is a legitimate celebrity in Ireland. On more than a few occasions, he’s been approached by his followers on this trip. His chosen content is sharing his journey as a plus handicap and an elite amateur. He was a very successful youth player and a Division 1 recruit at Wichita State. He engages his audience by videoing the rounds he plays and providing analysis as well. He also plays head to head matches against pros and other top amateurs. The first part of the trip, I was watching him do this on his own, which really impressed me because I can’t manage a sausage roll without getting distracted. He would use a tripod, stabilize it, attach his phone, hit the shot, comment on the shot, rinse, and repeat. He collects about an hour of footage then edits it down before it’s posted. His preferred platform is YouTube and he gets over 100K views on most of his videos. And sometimes his scores aren’t what he wants, but he posts it anyways. Imagine having a hundred thousand people watching every shot you hit. I get a little jumpy when the marshal pulls up to watch one of my shots. The club’s General Manager randomly watched us on the 14th and I practically topped a 9-iron.
Sam The Caddie was a jack of all trades out there. He pounded a three iron off the first tee to announce his presence, then juggled helping us with start lines, putting reads, and yardages. Then he pulled out his camera and started taking photos of the group. Then it got super spicy when he sent up his drone to capture some aerial footage. In one scene, he activated the drone above us and stabilized it while he hit his drive –he had this machine on a leash–it would not move without him providing the commands. I wish my right hand was as obedient on my short putts.
The first 5 holes traverse the edge of town, with some cool quirks. The cemetery, brooms in the bunkers instead of rakes, and tee shots are played over the previous greens on a couple of instances. The 6th starts in the dunes and ends on the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic. From that point to the house, the views are breathtaking. The course reminded me of a combination of Pacific Dunes and Chambers Bay, a couple of links tracks in the northwest of America. Actually, I should rephrase that since Ballybunion is 100 years older than either of those courses. Those courses remind me of Ballybunion, not the other way around.
Timmy was playing the tips as is his custom. The rest of us were playing the white tees. It is not overly long, but Tom Watson called Ballybunion the most demanding 2nd shot course in the world. TW knows his stuff because he nearly won his 6th Open Championship when he was a year older than me, but Stewart Cink had other plans. Missing your approach shot here resulted in a substantial penalty. Many of the greens were raised with severe roll offs, surrounded by deep fescue, and the winds made it difficult to get a comfortable number. I made a nice birdie on the 7th to get back to even par. The 8th was a par 3 with an incredibly narrow green and the 9th green was on a steep plateau set at a different angle than the fairway. Before I hit my shot into the 9th, our caddie Martin told me not to hit it right, left, or long. He was right. I made bogey to turn in one-over 37.
The back nine winds through massive dunes along the cliffs. Once we got to the 11th tee, the course got very demanding. Greens were protected by deep fescue, obscured by hills and slopes, or lifted up to provide maximum pain for missed shots. The 14th and 15th are back to back par 3’s known as the Beauty and the Beast. The 14th is about 120 yards but with a very small, raised green. The 15th is 200 yards into a severe two tiered green. I played these two holes backwards. I hit a beast at the 14th and made an ugly bogey when my one handed chip wiped off the toe, but I hit a beauty into the 15th with the wind blowing hard off the left. I jabbed a short one at the 16th to make bogey, topped one out of the fescue on the 17th for another bogey, and was trying desperately not to bogey the last hole. I bogeyed the last three at Tralee the day before and I did not want a repeat performance. At the 18th, my decent approach was deflected left into a swale. I hit a nice putt to about 8 feet. It was my last hole in Ireland and I wanted this one. I asked for some confirmation on the read. The stroke was true, the ball was in, and I signed for a respectable 77 on my 12th round in 14 days.
Timmy is an absolute grinder. He has a lot of speed off the driver and good control of the irons. He hit an amazing recovery shot at the third off a tight lie to save par. And the man rolls the rock. He made 3-4 round saving putts that blew me away–the types of putts that, if they don’t go in, the wheels could come off. He made a great attempt for birdie on the 18th that just slid right. He finished with a 74 from the back tees and earned a new fanboy.
I made so many new friends on this trip. Richard, my good friend, thank you for chaperoning and scheduling the first week! Nathan and Emma, thank you for the opportunity to join The Experience. Frederik, Hannah, and Timmy–thank you for educating this Boomer and letting me watch your exceptional golf. Niall and Connor, thanks for making this American feel at home and the two memorable matches in England. Norrie, thanks for the expert driving and strong Scottish brogue. Neill, thanks for always pointing me in the right direction. Chris and Ben, thanks for the laughs and the great vibes. And England, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Ireland–thank you for changing me for the better!
I will take a couple days to rest, recuperate, and reset my golf garments. To my boys, let’s have our own trip of a lifetime in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Pinehurst. I look forward to your wisecracks and 15 rounds in 15 days, which will be blogged of course. Until then…
