March 5th, 2008
If the current exchange rate between the dollar and the euro is bothering you a little, but you still want an unforgettable golf vacation in Ireland, try going North. If you are traveling from Dublin, head straight up to Bushmills Inn and play Royal County Down on the way. It may be a little pricey but it is one of the top 25 courses in the world and not to be missed, truly a good value. If you can handle the price of a pound sterling one more day then play Royal Portrush as well, my personal favorite.
After that cross back over to the Republic of Ireland. This is where some real values exist. Ballyliffin, Rosapenna, County Sligo, Carne, Enniscrone to name a few are half the green fees of the big name courses in the Southwest. They are also less crowded and equally as challenging and stunning. You can then continue to Shannon Airport with many fun options along the way. A nice side benefit is that Shannon Airport is small and easily accessible.
If you start your golf travel from Shannon, just head up the North West coast for an amazing Irish Golf Experience. You will not be disappointed. To learn more about travel tips in Ireland, visit our website here.
jimbo |
Uncategorized |
January 17th, 2008
Next time you plan your Ireland golf vacation in the Dublin area, try staying in beautiful Malahide for a few days. Malahide is just 10 miles north of Dublin, on the ocean and 10-15 minutes from Dublin airport (a 25 Euro cab ride at most).
My group last summer stayed at the recently renovated Grand Hotel Malahide. Ask for a room facing the sea where you will also view “The Island” golf club, a wonderful tract & short taxi ride away. This is a great location for 4-5 days of golf in the Dublin, Ireland area.
An added plus is that you can take the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) into city centre for 2 Euro and it is literally 3 blocks from the hotel (versus a 40 Euro cab ride each way).
You can walk for miles on the beaches and there are a number of great restaurants in the village (try Cruzzo’s for seafood). You can easily avoid a car rental even for golf as there are a number of close, championship courses including Portmarnock Old and Portmarnock Links just up the road.
For more travel tips and golf travel itineraries see www.IrishGolfExperience.com
jimbo |
Uncategorized |
October 16th, 2006
Just 10 days after Ryder Cup, the Irish team representing Portmarnock Old near Dublin, won the OB Sports Invitational in sudden death at Winchester Country Club near Sacramento CA. Six man teams from Dalhousie in Missouri, Pradera in Colorado, Somerby in Minnesota, Longbow in Arizona, Lincoln Hills in Sacramento, Winchester of course and Portmarnock all participated in the second annual event sponsored by Orrin Vincent and OB Sports of Scottsdale.
The event consisted of five nine hole matches over 2 days with a 3 hole playoff and sudden death if needed. The tournament went very smoothly thanks to Doc Belitz, VP of Operations at OB Sports. There was also lots of fun well into the night as you might expect with the wine room at Carpe Vino in Auburn getting quite a workout.
The boys from Dublin then continued up the coast to Bandon Dunes. I was very lucky to be invited as part of the Irish team and it was thrilling to be part of such a fun event. I met some very cool people & I hope to see all of them next year at Dalhousie. The 2008 tournament is scheduled for Ireland.
jimbo |
Ireland, Golf |
September 25th, 2006
Well, the boys are on their way home to Seattle today but I did manage to get email updates from them between pints of Guinness on Saturday & Sunday. They said the tournament was extremely well managed and, despite a little rain, they had the time of their lives.
The European’s truly appreciated having the American’s in Ireland for the event. Even though we did not take back the Cup, the boys defintely learned the meaning of “good craic”.
We have 2 weeks of golf stories to relate, as soon as they recover from jet lag. I will post the latest updates on all the courses, restaurant/pub reviewsand the emotion of the tournament as well, complete with photo’s.
jimbo |
Ryder Cup 2006, Ireland, Golf |
September 21st, 2006
The time is here and Dublin is buzzing with excitement. We have 14 friends, in two different groups coming from Seattle. The past couple of weeks have been busy booking the final rounds of golf and especially the entertainment!
I have had to call many local Dublin friends and get updates on all the new restaurants, clubs and music. There are many new places and most of the old standby’s and classics are still around as well.
I have a list of recommendations I will post but one of the best places for golf, music, dining & lodging is Roganstown near the airport in Swords (see www.roganstown.com). It seems Jack Nicklaus has stayed there at least 3 times, the greens are voted the best in Ireland and they have the gold medal for “best loved hotels in Ireland”.
I think this is worth a visit. I also have inside info that the Irish music & sing song during Ryder Cup week will hit the spot!!!
More as the reports come in from one of the largest sporting events ever in Ireland.
jimbo |
Ryder Cup 2006, Ireland |
September 8th, 2006
jimbo |
Ryder Cup 2006, Ireland |
July 18th, 2006
I am on the golf course alot in Seattle & Phoenix and have an extremely flexible schedule. Alot of people ask, “so what do you do?”. Well, I run golf trips to Ireland and Scotland.
If they are golfers or Irish or both, the converstion can last for hours.
I have had the extreme good fortune to live in Dublin in 1999 and 2000 and not work. Let me tell you, it helps to have a wife that works for Microsoft Operations and that their European Operations happen to be based in Dublin.
So what do you do in a foreign country that has 400 golf courses where you know no one? Golf and golf and golf, maybe. Of course I had to learn to cook but that’s another story. Then November showed up & I got nervous as to what sport I would take up due to the brutal weather. Someone suggested foxhunting, that’s what everybody else does in Ireland in the winter. Later on that one.
Anyway, all good things come to an end and we finally came back to Seattle. I had to find a way to get back to the Guinness. Thank god I ended up with a couple of Irish friends who had a similiar idea to mine; the marketing of Ireland and all its passions. What better place to start than golf trips.
Not only has it been fun but the stories continue, the golf gets better and I get to use words like “knackered”, “eejit” and “craic”. The most fascinating thing is the ongoing discovery of “hidden gems” in all aspects of Irish society. Oh, did I mention Ryder Cup???
jimbo |
Ireland, Golf |
