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Golf Course Reviews – Ireland
By Robert Thompson | May 19, 2011
So I’ve been back from the north-west of Ireland for a week now and have still only played one round in Ontario this year — can’t imagine the last time that happened. Maybe 20 years ago? I remember playing many times in mid-March, but not this year. Anyway, here are 10 lessons I learned while ... read more »
Tagged: Ballybunion, Ballybunion golf, Enniscrone, Enniscrone Golf club, Golf, Lahinch, Links, Republic of Ireland, Strandhill Golf Club, Tim Hortons, Waterville |
By Robert Thompson | May 18, 2011
Course Reviews: Lahinch (Mackenzie, Hawtree) and Doonbeg (Greg Norman) It had rained for at least one hole every round we’d played by the time we reached the end of our trip, we’d discovered Tim Hortons on the Emerald Isle, and I’d had my golf bag blown off a tee by the ever-present wind. As we ... read more »
Tagged: Alister MacKenzie, Doonbeg Golf, golf course, Greg Norman, Lahinch, martin hawtree, Republic of Ireland, Tim Hortons |
By Robert Thompson | May 15, 2011
Review: Carne Golf Links (Belmullet, Ireland) Designer: Eddie Hackett “This feels like we’re at the edge of the world.” That was uttered by the inimitable Yannick Pilon, the learned golf architect from Montreal, as we approached the town of Belmullet, on Ireland’s west coast. Next stop, Iceland. You can see Carne from a long distance, which it turns out ... read more »
Tagged: Belmullet,County Mayo,Ireland, Carne Golf Links, Eddie Hackett, Enniscrone, golf architect, golf course, Hotel Meyrick, Jim Engh, Republic of Ireland |
By Robert Thompson | May 11, 2011
Courses: Co Sligo and Enniscrone Sometimes expectations get in the way when you approach a golf course you haven’t played before. You come at it anticipating greatness, and occasionally find out it doesn’t measure up. Golf courses are like puzzles – they piece together to create something greater. Then, every so often, there’s a ... read more »
Tagged: Co. Sligo Golf Club, Eddie Hackett/Donald Steel, Enniscrone, Ice House Hotel, River Moy Estuary, Waterville |
By Robert Thompson | May 8, 2011
Day Three Ballybunion Old and Cashen After a two-hour drive from Waterville, we pulled into Ballybunion in the late afternoon, scheduled to play the Cashen Course, a much-discussed design by Robert Trent Jones that has fans and, well, many detractors. We dumped our luggage in the nearby Teach de Broc, a charming boutique hotel ... read more »
Tagged: Ballybunion, golf course, Ian Andrew, Ireland, martin hawtree, pebble beach, robert trent jones, Teach de Broc, Tom Simpson, Yannick Pilon |
By Robert Thompson | May 5, 2011
Day Two: Waterville has the reputation as being an American experience. It was created by an American, and from the time you roll into the parking lot (in our case after about a half-hour drive from Glenbeigh we found the place without a car in site), you get a sense that this isn’t your typical ... read more »
Tagged: Ballybunion, Eddie Haskett, Teach de Broc hotel, Tom Fazio, Waterville Golf Club |
By Robert Thompson | May 4, 2011
Dooks Golf Club, Glenbeigh, Ireland It has been a long day. Not that I’m complaining. After all, my last overseas trip started with a cop threatening to knock out my teeth. So after an overnight flight, and a two-hour drive, I was surely worn out, but actually looking forward to setting my feet on some ... read more »
Tagged: Dooks Golf Club, Golf, Ireland, martin hawtree, Republic of Ireland |
By Robert Thompson | May 1, 2011
Starting Monday, G4G is going overseas — to the western coast of Ireland for a lot of golf and a fair bit of driving. In the company of two golf architects, I’ll be traveling to see 9 courses in a week’s time. Our trip starts Tuesday after landing at Dooks, a course that has been ... read more »
Tagged: Ballybunion, Doonbeg, Dr. Martin Hawtree, Enniscrone and Co., Geography of Ireland, Golf, Ireland, Lahinch, martin hawtree, Scotland, Wales |
By Robert Thompson | January 31, 2007
(This is the final feature in a series on golf in Ireland stemming from a trip I undertook in 2004. The first segment of the series can be found here. Other features covered Portmarnock, the European Club, County Louth and Portrush.) [photopress:Royal_County_Down_1st.jpg,full,centered] Final Day: Royal County Down The majesty and grand scale of Royal County ... read more »
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By Robert Thompson | January 30, 2007
(This is the sixth in a series about my 2005 trip to Ireland. Day one can be found here.) [photopress:Castlerock_9th.jpg,full,centered] Ireland: Day Six — Royal Portrush and Castlerock GC There’s nothing better than being first off. I think that’s always true in golf. Certainly there’s nothing more calming for the nerves after a long cross ... read more »
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A bestselling author and award-winning columnist, Robert Thompson has been writing about business and sports, and particularly golf, for almost two decades. His reporting and commentary on golf has appeared in Golf Magazine, the Globe and Mail, T&L Golf and many other media outlets. Currently a columnist with Sympatico.ca and Ontario Golf, and a contributing writer to ScoreGolf, his blog, Going for the Green, was launched in 2004. 
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