Portmarnock Golf Club – Rolex Top 10 Worldwide (Championship Course)

I called up the course this morning and asked for the starter. They transferred me over to Tony…

Me: Hey I’m John from the USA and want to come out and play later today. Can you get me on?    

Tony: We have a tournament going on, I can probably get you on after around 3 but it might be slow. 

Me: See you around 3...

Me: I walk in at 3pm, is Tony around? 

Random guy: Sure right over here.

Me: I’m John and I called about coming out this morning. 

Tony: No problem John, let me get your caddie. 

The guys at the pro shop gave me 25% off because they thought I was one of Tony’s old friends. I got all setup, slipped Tony a twenty and got a flash of his Irish smile.

The weather was much better today and Tony insisted I get going right away as a four-ball was going out right after me. My caddie was Sean, a local guy who’s a welder by trade but can’t give up the outdoor job as a caddie. He just loves being out too much. One thing I’m learning is that with all the rain they’ve had this spring and summer the rough is just insane. The course isn’t meant to be played with the kind of rough out there. I decided to take a different approach with this round since I was playing by myself.

I took the scorecard and just put it away. I was going to just enjoy playing one the world’s best golf courses. I can’t honestly tell you what I shot, if I had to guess, somewhere in the eighties.

Rather than go hole by hole I’m just going to put out some feelings. 

Many of the fairways are extremely narrow to even if you hit the ball well, odds are you’re going to be in the first cut or rough. I think I hit 3 or 4 fairways all day. The course is setup on what I would guess is its own peninsula. On one side you have a bay and the other side is the Irish Sea. The ocean side has a few small islands that make for a great view and the beaches are just massive and very flat. I can’t think of any course that really compares, maybe Kiawah if you could put a bay opposite the ocean. I made a bunch off putts and worked on my game a little bit. My caddie kept me entertained.

On the 8th hole we came on a fox that was just hanging out.  Sean says “Hey John, you got some chocolate, that fox will be your best friend”. I grab my trail mix and give it a shake and sure enough the fox knew he had me. He comes over and I toss some out to him and he gobbles the whole thing up.

 The highlight of the day had to be the roast beef sandwich. Tony told me to stop by after the 9th and he’d have a sandwich for me. I was thinking it was going to be some crazy Irish meal with crazy crap on it and stuff. Nope… were talkin Roast Beef cut up like left overs and a slice of cheese package in tin foil. I think it was the best meal I’ve had since arriving in Europe. Let’s just say when the fox met up with me again on the 10th green all he got was the crust. Simple and delicious. Thanks Tony.

I’ve got to mention the 15th hole. A nasty par 3 on the ocean, reminded me of Whistling Straights on Lake Michigan. It was 195 yards playing about 220. Sean told me we had favorable winds and that normally it blows even harder on this hole. The locals say it’s the shortest par 5 in golf. I got a four when my putt lipped out.

I had a great time at Portmarnock and if you ever get to Dublin call Tony and tell him John sent you.

Location: Portmarnock, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland
Website: http://www.portmarnockgolfclub.ie/

Played: July 2012
Public

Tags: Ireland, Portmarnock, Golf Course, July, 2012, Summer, dublin, Top 10, Worldwide,  Rolex