Lough Erne Resort Festival of Golf (March 2012)

[Photo: view of the hotel and lodges from the 17th tee box]

In much the same way that Moyvalley and Castle Dargan Golf Clubs took advantage of Darren Clarke’s Open Championship win, Lough Erne Resort has introduced a couple of very attractive offers for March, and for Paddy’s weekend in particular, to celebrate Rory’s recent win which puts him at the very summit of world golf.Rory McIlroy is Lough Erne’s touring professional and no doubt the club will be eager to get him back to County Fermanagh as soon as they can. It is publicity heaven for the five star golf resort which has been struggling of late.

The events are being touted as the Festival of Golf:

1. On Saturday 17th March, Lough Erne is offering golf for individuals with prices from £50 per person, including a one-course meal.
2. Then, on Monday 19th March, there’s golf for teams of four at £180 per team.

[Photo: the approach to the 9th green with Halfway House alongside]

Accommodation

And if you are competing in the St. Patrick’s Festival tournament, there’s also a special B&B offer in the hotel’s rooms and suites, from £55 per person sharing.

[Photo: your drive on the par four 2nd]

Undercurrent

There has been a strong undercurrent of opinion that the resort’s green fees have been too high over the last year or two. As most courses brought their fees down, Lough Erne remained high, hovering between £60 and £105 depending on the season. In 2012, however, the rates have changed: £50 at off-peak and £75 peak price during the summer. That should certainly stop the complaints. On a course this idyllic, that makes playing here a very tempting proposition indeed. It is a generous course from the tee, but approaches are always harder. The lough is a constant threat and not just a pretty sideshow.

And let’s not forget the quirks and extras that give golf that special je ne sais quoi: the bridge that takes you to the first tee, the excellent halfway house (of which there are far too few in Ireland), and the ‘Ssshh… bats sleeping’ signs on the back nine, which, incidentally, is my avatar on Twitter.

For anyone that can’t make the St. Patrick’s Festival of Golf weekend, there’s another celebratory package available during March. Available Monday to Thursday, you can enjoy one night’s B&B with unlimited daily golf on the Faldo Course, a complimentary golf cart, Strokesaver, followed by a three-course dinner expertly prepared by Head Chef Noel McMeel in The Catalina Restaurant… from €130 per person sharing. (Please note this is a Euro price vs. the Sterling price above.)

[Photo: the wonderful par four 7th]

Lough Erne promotes itself as one of the most luxurious destination hotels in the North, perfect for golfers with its excellent food, restorative pool and spa, and comfy bars, and a brilliant base for touring the stunning lakes and local scenery. When you see the place you’ll see why they make such claims, but please don’t be fooled when you first arrive as you drive through a different golf course (Castle Hume) which is utterly tame by comparison.

[Photo: the walk to the 1st]

As Lynn McCool, Director of Golf & Head Professional at Lough Erne Resort says:

“Here at Lough Erne Resort we couldn’t be prouder of Rory, or more delighted for him. A golfer from Northern Ireland being Number 1 in the world is fabulous, not just for him personally, but for all of us involved in the game here. He says Lough Erne is a great place to play, and always enjoys his time on our spectacular course, so maybe a little of whatever magic is in the air can rub off on other golfers who play this St. Patrick’s Festival of Golf weekend too!”
 


To book your tee time, telephone 028 66 345 766 or ROI 048 66 345 766, or book online at lougherneresort.com or email golfshop@lougherneresort.com

For my 38 Lough Erne photos, click here.

Golf Digest Ireland Hunting For Raters Again

Last year was the first year that GDI decided to get the amateur golfer involved in their annual Top 100 courses rankings... they are doing the same again this year... which means you could find yourself heading off to play up to 15 Irish golf courses for free.

From what I heard - my application was unsuccessful - some raters played many more than the courses allotted to them and went off and played the big courses all over the island.

Raters will receive a day's 'training' on how to review a course and then they have the summer to play lots of free golf.

Buy the magazine (april issue just out), throw (email) your name in the hat, and who knows which beauties you might end up playing.

Good luck.

Quiz Time: Hooked 'APP' Well Underway

Over the last few months I have been reducing and editing the copy from Hooked so that it can be used in a specialised App, due out in the next few months... all being well.

It has been an education, for sure. How do you reduce a course as good as Royal County Down to 50 words?

All the writing and (two finger) typing has been done, so now it comes down to filling in the Excel spreadsheets with addresses and scores and all the rest. To call it laborious is an understatement and that's where I'm at.

In advance of the App's release, here's a warm up... can you identify the following three courses from their descriptions? They're all well-known.

1.

Enjoy the cannons behind you, the sea beside you and a turreted green ahead of you. And that’s just the 1st. XXXXXX promises a great stretch of opening holes along the cliffs before the course opens up and flattens out. It doesn’t always feel like a links, but there are flurries of stunning holes and views that constantly entertain.

2.

The most dynamic and exciting of Ireland’s parklands, XXXXXX has hosted the Irish Open four times. Every shot is an adventure with holes flowing over a glorious landscape packed with old trees, flower beds, streams and ponds. It includes a suspension bridge, swans, old stone walls and a very wet back 9. Brilliantly colourful and a brilliant challenge.

3.

Seve’s name hangs over the course, so expect flair on this pristine parkland. It’s set in open country, but young trees are starting to give it magnificent shape, alongside lots of water and (too many) bunkers. Despite its easy pace, this is a long, modern style track that has everything you’d expect, including perfect greens.

Golf Monthly - April 2012

Writing articles for golf magazines offers a huge sense of reward when you see them in print...

... getting paid for them is all the sweeter!

So it seems slightly ironic that I have been paid for an article in this month's Golf Monthly, for writing about Scotland.

[Photo: the 9th at Nairn Dunbar]

I flew over with my wife last November, in the misguided belief we might see the Northern Lights. 10 year cycles, solar flares... all that stuff had me thinking it was a good time to head to Aberdeen and then on up to Nairn, where we'd be right on the coast facing north.

There were to be no Northern Lights... not unless you count the flames spurting from the tops of oil rigs in the distant Cromarty Firth... but we stayed in a plush hotel (the aptly named Golf View Hotel) so we had all the comforts we could want... not to mention Nairn Golf Club next door and Nairn Dunbar Golf Club a couple of minutes away.

[Photo: the lighthouse at the end of Fortrose & Rosemarkie]

We were over for a few days and we - sorry, I - made the most of it, playing Nairn, Nairn Dunbar and Fortrose & Rosemarkie all on the one glorious day (my wife forgave me... in January), and then Castle Stuart (home of the 2011 and 2012 Scottish Open) and Forres over the next couple of days.

[Photo: the Castle Stuart Clubhouse]

In terms of brief descriptions:

• Nairn is a highly rated links, with a flat landscape, perfect greens and a long history. [Photos]
• Nairn Dunbar is a parkland close to the sea, with a very easy rhythm and intriguing greens. [Photos]
• Fortrose & Rosemarkie is a links that juts into the sea, running out to a lighthouse with deep ocean on each side, and what must be a terrifying test of golf in a strong wind. [Photos]
• Forres is a more obvious parkland, but it's hard to tell how good when you spend the entire round under an umbrella.
• Castle Stuart is a links that runs across two tiers and has such amazing shapes to fairways and greens that it's almost fairytale links. And then there's the clubhouse. [Photos]

[Photo: the 1st at Nairn]

Which is my favourite course? As with all courses each has its merits, but if I was going to play one, and only one, then I'd pick Nairn Dunbar. Colour, trees, rhythm, fun - it all adds up.

And if you fancy the non-golf alternatives, I strongly recommend the 18 year old single malt from Tomatin Distillery in the Cairngorm National Park. Just make sure the other half is driving.

Castlerock - 8 rounds for £200

As with all things in the current climate, coming up with a novel marketing promotion can make all the difference, especially among us golfers.

Headfort recently offered the opportunity to play either of their courses for €20, on any day during February. Considering how good the New course is (the Old course is none too shabby either), and how benign our weather has been, that's a great deal. It has been very well received, according to the club and there are still a few days to go, if you're interested. www.headfortgolfclub.ie

Groupon & All the Rest

The popularity of Groupon-type offers seems like an easy fall-back and is being widely used... I have my doubts about this route and will address what I see as the pros and cons in a later blog... especially as a Canadian golf blogger (golfgal) has written an article on why they are such a positive option for golf clubs: her article is here.

Something Different, Something Free

I'm not saying that this brand new Castlerock offer is stunningly different – certainly not along the lines of Druid Glen’s month of free golf (March 2010) – but it demonstrates how golf club’s have started thinking outside the box to reach new audiences and encourage repeat business.

The old reliables (€30 green fee with free breakfast/steak lunch; the four for the price of three, the twilight rate) will always be popular, but making an impact by doing something different will grab your audience's attention.

The offer from Castlerock does just that.

The Castlerock 8

"There aren't many links courses where you can play during the summer for £25 a round," says Mark Steen, Castlerock's Secretary/Manager... diplomatically leaving out the words 'this good' after links courses. Castlerock promises perfect links golf and the night I spent in the bar was one of the most hospitable I spent during my travels.

"Lots of golfers have asked us about a summer golf pass, but we decided to cover the whole year and see how well the offer is received," Mark continues.

This offer will be attractive to any golfer who decides to descend on this stretch of heavenly links coastline.

The deal is this: you pay £200. In return you will be sent a booklet with 8 green fees, valid for one year. These can be used between Monday and Friday at ANY TIME OF THE YEAR (subject to availability, obviously). That's it. You phone the Pro shop, you book your tee time, you play your golf.

And why is this such a good deal? As if you have to ask:

• It's £25 per round.
• Castlerock is a Northern Ireland links gem with all the quality, views and links bedevilment you could hope for.
• The club sits on the western edge of one of the most stunning stretches of links courses in the world (Portstewart and Royal Portrush are practically next door).
• The Irish Open is coming this way so you could head up over the summer and play the brilliant Castlerock and then enjoy Royal Portrush's Irish Open course in probably the best condition of its life.
• Who knows, ask nicely and you might be able to bring a friend and use two tickets at once.
• Great clubhouse atmosphere.
• Yes, it's £25 per round.

A Winter Fry

And, considering the benign weather, here’s one final thought: Castlerock has an excellent (winter) offer on the go at the moment - £100 for a fourball, with a fry-up. The offer has generated £3,000 in green fees so far and it runs until the end of March.

When the club added in the fry-up there was a huge increase in interest, showing quite clearly how health conscious we are and what we like to think about after a blustery day on a wonderful links. Check out their website and give them a call.

Royal County Down Feb 2012

[Photo: view from the 2nd tee, back over the 1st green to the Slieve Donard Hotel and the mountains beyond]

Dark grey skies were pressing down as we left Dublin. Two hours and 15 minutes later we were at Royal County Down, breathing in the atmosphere and basking under sunshine and velvet clouds. February 23, 2012 and it was 14 degrees C. Add in a two-club wind and could you ask for better links conditions than that?

There are several clubs around Ireland, where the reputation and history seep into your bones from the moment you step out of the car. Lahinch, Royal Portrush, Ballybunion, Portmarnock and Royal County Down are the most obvious. It heightens the moment, and I doubt there are many golfers who could tell you otherwise. Everything about this place oozes class. There’s a sense of quiet decorum, too. It urges you on towards the 1st tee.

Lenny, the Starter, was getting me and my father out ahead of a fourball – good thing too: by the time we were on the 8th, the fourball were on the 3rd. No one behind us, no one in front of us; no pressure. It gave us time to enjoy the course, and me time to take a lot of photographs.

[Photo: the beautiful par three 4th with the Mourne Mountains behind]

The last time I played here was with my father and a couple of friends in 2007. Five years ago… it seems utterly ludicrous when a course this good is just a two hour drive from Dublin, and costs a mere Stg £50. (That rises to £75 in March.) Then again, I had a few other courses to play in between.

A Perfect Eloquence

It is almost impossible to describe Royal County Down in simple terms. I could write a few hundred words talking about the wild rough alone, an essay on the bearded-faced, treacherous bunkers, a thesis on the silken greens that flow so easily out of the land, and a trilogy on the course design that is so subtle and perfect you can’t imagine the dunes could have ever have been created for anything else. I’d pen a sonnet on the surroundings, too, but my poetic abilities stop at the Limerick… so I’ll use someone better suited to the task:

A thing of beauty is a joy forever. So said John Keats, and that sums up RCD in a nutshell.

[Photo: bunkers are never a good place to be!]

Tough Love

But RCD is also tough. We played from the white tees - a mere 6,700 yards and par 71.

Length aside, what most people remember and what causes pulses to race are the blind shots. They are not to everyone’s taste (Jack Nicklaus, for example), but what a joy it is to crest the dune and see that little white ball on the fairway with, more often than not, the Mourne Mountains looming behind.

Missing the green also leads to plenty of trouble. Balls simply slide off the edges and trickle away down slopes and into trouble. In February, the slick surfaces were mercifully forgiving and long irons settled quickly. In summer, it’s a case of goodbye and good luck.

[Photo: the view of the 9th from the dune crest, after the most difficult drive of the day]

Picking a Favourite

Most golfers will walk away from RCD with holes 4 (a par three) and 9 (a tough par four) firmly in their minds as their favourite hole. Personally, I consider the 9th to be the best 9th hole in the country, and one of the best holes full stop. But I also love 3, 5, 11, 13 and 16.

The intrigue and challenges are relentless, which mean every hole is exceptional. There is no such thing as an ‘obvious’ hole (only the 18th comes close) and – blind holes aside – you do get to see what’s expected of you. If you believe in your swing 100%, then you feel like you’ve got a fighting chance.

[Photo: the short par four 16th. The usual tees are well to the right, giving this hole more of a curve]

Learning a Lesson

I did most of my fighting on the greens, watching long range putts slip by and keep on going for six feet or more. I didn't get one putt back.

[Video of Dad smacking one down the 12th]

My dad, 80 years old, playing off a 20 handicap, was kicking my butt. He missed two fairways all day and eased around the back nine with 20 points that could so easily have been more. That liquid swing of his was working a charm and I realised that if we’d been playing off scratch (I was giving him 14 shots) he’d still have taught me a lesson. He had four pars, which is more than I managed. I lost two balls, he didn’t lose one. I was a hang-dog walking up 18, he was strutting his stuff, laughing that we'd played almost every hole in sunshine.

And he treated me to lunch, suggesting that we make this an annual excursion. You’ll get no argument from me, although I'll need to practise a lot more between now and then.

Clare Ultimate Challenge - Update

Further to a query on the rules of the competition, in order to qualify for the grand final each team has to submit a minimum of five cards (i.e. five rounds of golf from the courses on offer).

Good luck if you're entering.

Peter Whiteford Disqualification

On Sunday afternoon, Peter Whiteford stepped towards the 4th tee at the Avantha Masters, in India, and was told he was disqualified. The man must have been shattered. Here he was, within a couple of shots of the lead on the final day of a European Tour event, and he had to endure the indignity of being carted off in a buggy for something that happened the previous day.

I’m not going to go into the whys and hows of what he did: he made a mistake and after querying it with his playing partner, caddie and a cameraman, he erroneously played on. He even had a Get Out of Jail Free card (thanks to the new rule 33-7/4.5) which he no doubt will be kicking himself for not using at the end of his 3rd round. No, what I want to discuss is the role of the small-minded, smug TV armchair vigilantes who are turning tournament golf into a circus.

Rude on the Rules

A while back I made rude comments about the R&A and how slowly they got things done. Changing rules in golf is like asking an oil tanker to do a quick U-turn: it can’t be done quickly. But following a couple of fiascos (Padraig’s was one of the high profile ones) they made changes which allow a committee, in certain circumstances, to modify the disqualification penalty and apply the appropriate penalty stroke(s) if a player could not have reasonably known he had incurred a penalty. Padraig’s ball moved a fraction on the green; Peter Whiteford ball moved a fraction on the fairway. Both were disqualified.

Bravo! A leap forward.

But the problem of the armchair vigilante was not tackled. Following Whiteford’s ‘mistake’ several viewers contacted the European Tour website to report that Peter Whiteford’s ball had in fact moved.

My issues are this:

· If these reports came in overnight, why was Whiteford subjected to the shame of reaching the 4th tee before he was DQ’d? He was in the final groups, so surely something could have been done before he stepped onto the 1st tee, and he could have slipped quietly away. To be told before tee-off that the incident was being ‘reviewed’ is the equivalent of kicking him in the ankle and wishing him good luck.

· If a new rule was introduced to change the severity of a golfer’s punishment, why wasn’t a rule introduced to deal with armchair tittle-tattle? Clearly this is going to be a long term problem as HD TV takes over and TV screens grow to the size of a house. Millions of people watch, and every spit, every curse, every blade of grass, every ball can be seen, reviewed, enlarged and looped in high definition. There is no escape.
Perhaps most worryingly for the professional is that the better he/she is performing in a tournament, the higher the chances that the TVs will be glued to him. If he was down the bottom of the field, he could practically pick up the ball and toss it in the hole without anyone knowing. No, the better you’re doing, the more likely some muppet will decide you’ve committed a cardinal sin and you must be punished.

· Who are these sad individuals who feel it is their right – nay, their duty – to be interfering with a tournament thousands of miles away? I don’t care if you know the rules back to front (I certainly don’t), who the hell are you to affect the outcome of a tournament that has got nothing to do with you?

The options are obvious:

1. The European Tour (and others) need to have a referee glued to a TV for the entire tournament so that they see exactly what the viewer sees. As a referee, he/she then gets to decide if an infraction has been committed.

2. If the armchair bandits wish to prove that they are all-powerful and contact the different tours to inform them of a transgression (I notice no-one has made an official complaint about Poulter’s dress sense), then feel free… but this information must only be taken into account AFTER the tournament (assuming it hasn’t already been noted by the tournament body). I don’t care if Rory is spotted kicking his ball out of the rough; if he’s not called on it at the time or before he signs his card, then it has to be accepted… at least until after the tournament is finished. In the technology age we live in, most popular sports have a review system that allows a player to be banned/fined/cited after the event… why not golf?

Take the Rory example – yes, he picks up a cheque for thousands, but he has to bear the shame of being cited, he could be fined or he could be banned for a tournament. If you doubt me, consider how Vijay Singh still carries the mark of ‘cheat’ from an incident in 1985. In fact, do a google search and you’ll find that it’s one of the top search results for Vijay.

Oh sure, I know there are holes in this argument… what if Whiteford had gone on to win in a play-off that he shouldn’t have even been in, you ask. Well, my answer is simple: I don’t make the rules… but then neither do the people sitting at home watching TV.