Driving The Green - The New Book Arrives

A second book. Is that like a second album? The one bands struggle over to get right, to avoid losing credibility, to cement their reputation?

Fortunately 'Hooked' and 'Driving The Green' are very different animals. There was no struggle... not unless you count numerous rounds of golf at 6am a struggle... which it was, on occasion.

No, Driving The Green is the story behind Hooked. Forget the golf courses and the rating system; forget the par, the favourite holes and the course length. Think camper van; think driving almost 7,000 miles, the people met along the way, the scenery, the highs, the lows, the food, the drink... the leaks, the breakdowns, the police, the Born Again Christians (yes, plural) and Yoda's mum.

Carlow Scratch

Carlow GC is rightly regarded as one of the great inland courses of Ireland. It is old (established in 1899) and it is one of the untouched masterpieces – perhaps the last one. Nearby Mount Juliet is the complete opposite in terms of its evolution and I would recommend that you play both courses close together – it will tell you a lot about what kind of parkland golf you like. While Mount Juliet is a manufactured, relatively relaxed golfing adventure, Carlow is a natural beauty that can squash you in a heartbeat. Take the 2nd hole, for example: at just 270 metres (visitors tee) it should be a simple hole, but my two playing partners stepped onto the tees with irons. There are other short holes, but none is easy, and the long holes are brutish for most amateurs. The 7th is a dogleg of 400 metres over a serious rollercoaster fairway, with the green up high and no sign of the putting surface.

[Photo: The brutal par four 7th, Index 1. Rob made par on both visits]

On Sunday July 5th, the Junior Scratch Cup was

played off the back sticks. It made a difficult course that much harder. Mind you, at €25 for 36 holes of golf AND a meal voucher (a very nice lasagne and chips, thank you) no one was complaining – even when the rain started. On the same day, Woodbrook had their Scratch Cup and were charging €50. No contest for where I wanted to be.

I say in several reviews how a golf course ‘flows over the landscape’; nowhere is that more true than Carlow. It is a great experience and my playing partners would certai

nly have woken up on Monday morning with a smile on their face. Jamie Bolger, Carlow GC, is 16 and plays off 5 (he was 9 last year, so his coach must be doing something right. And that’s his dad, Jimmy Bolger, who’s the Pro at Kilkenny); Rob Fitzpatrick, Dunmurry Springs, is in his 30s and plays off 6. Jamie came 3rd and Rob came 6th. I can guarantee you that neither felt they were in with a shout walking off the 36th hole – even though Jamie had just sunk a birdie putt on the par 5 18th – it was the only birdie of the day, for all of us. Not that there weren’t opportunities – the putts just weren’t dropping.

[Photo: Rob contemplates the renowned par four 8th - all down hill and glorious]

Jamie’s performance was an interesting one. His score on the front 9 was identical on both rounds – with two bogeys on the same holes (7 and 9). It was the back 9 that made the difference. In round one, on the short 10th, he dunked his approach shot into the water and walked away with a double bogey. It rattled him and he finished nine over on the back 9 – for a total of 81 (11 over). It didn’t help that the three guys in front of us were very slow and held us up every hole. They finally let us through – on the 18th green!! It was a four hour 20 minute round.

In the afternoon, assuming we were all out of the running, and escaping the clubhouse before the slow threeball, we raced around and the golf was far more relaxed. As we headed up the 16th fairway we saw the three guys behind us walking to the 13th tee. And no, they didn’t let anybody through. So, Jamie played much better golf, and his birdie on 18 brought him back to his handicap. None of us thought he’d be in with a shout, and Rob blew his chances with a triple bogey seven on the 16th. It’s Index 2, 401 metres, and he got stuffed in trees. He then lost his 3rd shot (in the gorse - left of fairway in the photo) and hit a provisional 180 metres uphill, to three feet (so he was there in five). He decided to look for his first, found it, and made a hash of things to walk off with a seven. And he came 6th.

[Photo: The par four Index 2 16th]

I admired Rob greatly – no matter what went wrong he remained 100% calm. Not one tiny bit of annoyance. That triple bogey would have killed me, and after Jamie put his ball in the water early on he went into a funk for a few holes – it undoubtedly cost him 2nd place. It’s easier said than done, I know, but Tiger’s ‘ten pace’ rule is the only way to succeed in golf. Whatever goes wrong you have to brush it off quickly. Me? I’ll miss a putt from three feet and let it fester for the rest of the round. It’s a curse that many golfers carry, and if that includes you, I suggest Bob Rotella’s book: golf is not a game of perfect. At least it will keep you off the course for an extra couple of days.

Carlow is one of the great adventures of Irish golf – perhaps that’s why Johnny Vaughan, the English broadcaster/DJ/entertainer, calls it the best course in the world.

Revisions, addition and apologies

[Par three 7th at Narin & Portnoo, where three golfers got a hole-in-one on the same day, on June 14th, 2009. John Quinn, Frankie Kennedy, Kevin Patton, take a bow]

It was unavoidable - I knew it would be. Once a book is in print, things will change. Some are forgivable: others aren't. So here are some 'updates' for the book and I imagine that these will not be the last.

Narin & Portnoo now have a new clubhouse. When I visited in October 2007 they were just plans on a board by the bar.

Coollattin's hole order has changed considerably, so references to holes are no longer accurate. I hear that the new holes are very good. I think Coollattin is an excellent track so my review remains the same.

Elm Park - this one isn't so good. I have played Elm Park several times in the last 10 years, but a friend pointed out that one of my descriptions - the approach to the 10th green - was inaccurate. I 'remembered' a pond being in front of the green and trees shrouding it. It wasn't the 10th green I was thinking of, it was the 11th tee box. As my friend, Tom, pointed out, to hit into the pond would be an extremely wayward shot. Elm Park aren't going to like my review, but I'd like it to make sense at least.

Adare - I say that Ross Fisher won the Irish Open in 2008 at the club. Not true. It was Richard Finch. Apologies to Mr. Finch and his escapades on the 18th (pictured).

If anyone has any more, please let me know. But please don't go hitting me with changes to green fees, because that one was always going to go one way or another.

Father's Day Golf Book

A shameless marketing ploy on my part, since I think the book would be great as a Father's Day gift. I'm trying to figure out meta tags and Search Engine Optimisation techniques, to get the book high up the list on Search Engines.

Adare Manor & Golf Resort – A Sawgrass Special

[Adare's infamous and beautiful 18th, where Richard Finch fell in the water on the way to winning the Irish Open]

There are many great ways to play the big courses in this country, and you can often do it for a fraction of the price. You just have to keep your eyes peeled for the offers, or have the nerve to phone up and dictate the terms. I favour the former approach!

Adare Manor & Golf Resort has a great offer on at the moment. And let’s be honest, as Parkland courses go, they don’t get grander or more glamorous than Adare. It was given the highest ranking of any parkland in Golf Digest Ireland’s Top 100 Course Ranking, If you can rustle up three mates and play as a fourball, they have a competition that could see you playing at Adare and then on to Sawgrass in the USA. And all for €75.

I’ve lifted these details from the site:

Adare Golf Club is proud to present The Summer Twilight Sawgrass Golf Challenge
Entry free for a team of four is €75.00 per person
11th May to 28th August 2009
Monday to Friday after 2.00pm

One team will qualify weekly to play in the regional final at Adare Golf Club on 30th August 2009. The qualifying team at the regional final will then go forward to take part in a Grand Final in Sawgrass Golf Resort & Spa on 24th September 2009. This trip includes return flights, accommodation, golf and car hire.

Approved by the R&A for payment of expenses. Rule 4-2g RA/25/2009

Terms & Conditions Apply

Download The Summer Twilight Sawgrass Golf Challenge pdf (go to: http://www.adaremanor.com/sawgrass-golf-challenge)

For further information contact: 00 353 61 605274 or email: golf@adaremanor.com

And good luck.

There are plenty of great courses in this area and, if you happen to be heading for the links courses on the west coast, you’d be making a mistake to pass this beauty by.