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  1. #1
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    Default Scotland and Ireland ideas

    Starting to research a 2024 overseas trip. After some ideas and critique of my early thoughts. Hoping Marcel will pop by. If I recall from our RA round in 2018 he has def played Berwick and Dornoch. Will be non-golfing wife and I doing ~12 days each in Ireland and Scotland. I have successfully floated the idea of two bucket list courses in both countries. Originally the Old Course was on the list, but the more I look into it the more I think I will pop in for a look but not waste my wifey good will on 3-4 days hoping for a non-guaranteed slot. I am thinking I can pre-book North Berwick and Royal Dornoch and be done with it. For Ireland I am thinking Royal Portrush and Lahinch. I was sold on Lahinch after watching the NLU Tour Sauce vid. Anything better in Ireland or easier to manage? I had one round in Ireland in 1995 and played Mt Juliet of all places 🤣 Very unlinksy.Am I mad for not trying at the Old? All the talk of “it takes 10 rounds to get it”, has me worried about being underwhelmed. I am thinking pop in Sunday/Monday and walk it, look around, maybe play the Himilayas and not risk disappointment, while playing the two other classics. Am I an idiot?EDIT - I swear I had paragraphs! Ballybunion for Portrush is also a consideration
    Last edited by Dactyloscopy Dan; 4th August 2022 at 06:03 PM.

  2. #2
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    I'll post some thoughts Sunday

    cheers
    "Golf makes different creatures of us all, some worse, some better, but all enthusiastic" Evening Journal, 1897.

  3. #3
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    Thanks. Look fwd to it

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    You'll be in Scotland and not try and play the old course? Crazy!
    As a fallback St Andrews town is worth staying at for a couple of days to at least try to get a spot.
    Or at least if you're staying in Edinburgh for a few days, catch the train and bus up and try your luck.

  5. #5
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    In Ireland check out Ballyliffin and Rosapenna.
    If already at Portrush, worth playing Portstewart and Castlerock as well.
    --
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  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by damoocow View Post
    You'll be in Scotland and not try and play the old course? Crazy! As a fallback St Andrews town is worth staying at for a couple of days to at least try to get a spot. Or at least if you're staying in Edinburgh for a few days, catch the train and bus up and try your luck.
    I will certainly ask while there (May so I assume early peak season) and hope to luck out, but what I meant was instead of spending almost a week their queuing up in a do or die effort to get on, use that equivalent time playing guaranteed starts. There are stories of people hitting the singles queue a dozen times unsuccessfully.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by markTHEblake View Post
    In Ireland check out Ballyliffin and Rosapenna.If already at Portrush, worth playing Portstewart and Castlerock as well.
    How good was Portrush? Was it significantly better than those other two?

  8. #8
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    Dan,
    firstly definitely walk the old course on late sunday arvo. The course is closed to golfers on Sunday so plenty of time to look around without threats of being hit. The late afternoon time as the shadows highlight the humps and bumps! Take a good camera!

    Royal Dornoch and North Berwick would both be great for the 2 in Scotland.

    In Ireland, are u going evrywhere or North or the South. Big place to drive around in a week. Pick a nice area and see it properly rather than rushing the whole lot.

    Golfwise any of the following are worth seeing (best to less best - still amazing)

    Royal County Down
    Royal Portrush
    Ballybunion
    Lahinch
    Port Stewart (10km from Portrush)
    Ballyliffin (in the middle of nowhere)

    The first 4 are all top 50 in the world courses with the first 2 top 20.
    RCD is regularly in the discussion for top course in UK/Ireland and top 3 in the world.

    Enjoy and save up!

    pete
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  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dactyloscopy Dan View Post
    How good was Portrush? Was it significantly better than those other two?
    No. I didnt think much of Royal Portrush. Is 255gbp now and increases to 295 next year.I Enjoyed the Valley course more. I also suggest look for obscure courses. Laytown and Bettytown ( thats the course name) is much better value for money and more fun.
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  10. #10
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    Just spent 2 days in St. Andrews and it’s as close a place to golfing heaven you will get. Walked the course on the Sunday. Played the Old on Monday morning, New Monday afternoon and Kingsbarns on the Tuesday - of them I would probably replace the New with another course but the proximity to the Old meant it was the only way I was going to get 36 in that day. I think the more you play the Old the better you will score but I think it’s nonsense to say you won’t get it on your first play, it’s awesome. It was my first play & I sometimes missed where you were not supposed to miss and had a bitch of a recovery shot, I also three putted loads as I ended up on greens but miles away down massive slopes but that is the fun of it. Kingsbarns blew me away too, it was fantastic. The town itself is great & worth hanging out in. My top tip - do not play your first links golf game in the Old as it takes a bit of time to get used to the turf & not firing at pins.

  11. #11
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    Thanks. Lots to consider.

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    Quote Originally Posted by damoocow View Post
    Or at least if you're staying in Edinburgh for a few days, catch the train and bus up and try your luck.
    I caught the train up from Edinburgh (then bussed into town - very straightforward with a combined ticket that you buy at Edinburgh Waverly station) in mid-October and there was almost no-one on the course that day. May could be somewhat more crowded ...

    I also had a similar experience at North Berwick - I stood on the first tee at around 10.00am and there was only one other person out there. Weather was a touch brisk in terms of wind, but no worse than I get in winter in Armidale to be honest.

    Of all the courses I would recommend, North Berwick gets my vote. Unique on so many levels, and my favourite course in the world. Of those not already mentioned, Portmarnock near Dublin is another one worth considering. Nothing particularly outstanding in some ways, but a genuine links experience. Bloody expensive though.

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  14. #14
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    Awesome. So much choice and accessibility if your pockets are deep enough.

    Not much change out of two grand for four premium rounds but **** Ill just retire a month later 🤣

    Id rather go a week early than have the missus moping around while I play golf but such is the balancing act I guess.

    Decisions decisions

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by petethepilot View Post
    Golfwise any of the following are worth seeing (best to less best - still amazing) Royal County Down Royal Portrush Ballybunion Lahinch Port Stewart (10km from Portrush) Ballyliffin (in the middle of nowhere)
    I played Ballyliffin(both courses) couple weeks ago. The bloke i was with also played Rosapenna which is close by ( im the context of also being in the middle of nowhere) and he said its better, and was his new Ireland favourite

    Another thing to look out for, is open tournaments. Northwest golf club is one ( hint... its in the north west), lists these in their online booking page, mostly saturdays. Its 65 euro for green fee, but open comp is 25 euro only. We dropped in and had a beer there as we were going to play but was late. For 25 euro....heck i would put that on a bucket list. If it was in Qld it would be #1 ( low bar i know)

  16. #16
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    I have been fortunate to go to both Scotland and Ireland a couple of times. If its an initial trip its hard to not try and cover a lot of bases but having done a few I prefer to just play regions and keep travel and moving to a minimum.

    I love it up around Dornoch, its also a nice town and would base myself there after staying in St Andrews, plenty of golf outside of Royal Dornoch including "archi" favouite Brora a bit north. Castle Stuart and Nairn whilst closer to Inverness are still dobale on a day trip.

    I guess Ireland (best rated courses) is either head to the west coast or head north. Portrush is a good town, play there and as MTB said go to Portstewart. On the way up there, I really like Baltray (County Louth) and as the Pilot said, see if you can play at County Down and stay in the Slieve Donard Hotel do it. They have apparently filled in the worst hazard on a top 10 golf course so I may even go back.

    My mates are just back from Ireland and most liked Portmarnock in Dublin, my tendency would be nto have a day there on arrival and leave, coming from London if you are going west you can avoid Dublin and fly into Shannon (Lahinch is about 50kms away)


 

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