Macreddin and the Rain Delay

The 12th hole - a big dogleg right.

Sunday morning was brutal. BRUTAL. The rain started… and never stopped. Our tee time at Macreddin was for 10am and Fin and I arrived at the same time… with no one else in the car park. The signs weren’t looking good and, not surprisingly, the course was as good as closed.  

Dermot, the greenkeeper, said he’d move a few holes so they weren’t in water, and we could play as many as we wanted… which wasn’t many. Besides, it seemed
cruel to be sending him back out into the downpour just so two golfers could play. We gave him the morning off and headed down to Aughrim.

We spent an hour and a half in the Stonecutter Café having a fantastic cooked breakfast as the rain hammered against the windows.

The short par four 10th - straight uphill.

There’s nothing quite like knowing you made the right decision.

Today we tried again, arriving and playing in sunshine from start to finish. Two days late... but who'd complain! Fin hadn’t played the course before and was hugely impressed (no great surprise), but it was me who played like a first-timer, losing three balls in the opening nine holes. Wayward driving and impenetrable gorse will do that to you. Macreddin needs some straight hitting off the tee.

Views over the 11th green, one of the high points of the course.

Our days were made, respectively, by my par off the back tees on the 12th – 450 yards and one of the toughest holes you’ll face – and Fin’s birdie four on the next hole, his long range putt curling perfectly into the cup. It doesn't take much to keep a golfer happy. Seventeen holes of rubbish can always be rescued by one great hole.

The par five 15th, straight up and then sharp right.

Macreddin was looking superb and had held up successfully after Sunday’s deluge. If you don’t believe me, take a look at the photographs from today. Or, better yet, make a booking and visit this beautiful course for yourself in the valleys of Co. Wicklow. Green fees are €30-€40, only emphasising the great value available in Irish golf.