Not off the beaten path by Ireland / Scottland / UK trip standards, but the feel of a Southwest Ireland trip is very low key despite world class golf courses. Couldn't recommend it enough. If comparing a trip to Bandon, Sand Valley, etc. I would absolutely include Ireland for consideration. Ballybunion, Lahinch, Dooks, Waterville and Tralee are all incredible in their own right and that part of the world is the most hospitable I have been.

Yes - great article and glad you covered this. My caddie at Dumbarnie in Scotland a couple of years ago had played in this event, and he had an amazing swing and power with one leg, and was a UK military veteran from the war in Afghanistan after 9/11 - very humbling experience.

Yes - great article and glad you covered this. My caddie at Dumbarnie in Scotland a couple of years ago had played in this event, and he had an amazing swing and power with one arm, and was a UK military veteran from the war in Afghanistan after 9/11 - very humbling experience.

Really enjoyed the profile and comments!

I played Ardglass last summer and really enjoyed it. The caddies at RCD were arguing about if it was a "parkland" or a "coastal" course in a derogatory way to piss off my caddie who is an Ardglass member - all because it's not built on sand. I said "well, Pebble Beach isn't on sand and it's a pretty nice place to play golf regardless?" Despite not being sand based the day we played the course was very firm and fast. The opening stretch is incredible and scenic for sure. I like the routing where is flows toward town and along a low coastal area. The last handful of holes are more inland but the new 17th is cool and the new par-5 with the wall will be a good change. To me it feels almost like a Northern Irish North Berwick? Overall it's a fun round and a number of the guys I was with said they had more fun playing Ardglass than any other on the trip. After the round we walked over to the "Commerical Bar" which is like 100 yards away (maybe) from the parking lot. We got there right at 4pm and a guy who was caddying two groups ahead of us unlocked the place and started pouring us beers. Our caddies joined as well and what we intended to be a quick beer turned into like 4 or 5. It's a wonderful little pub - wouldn't miss it. Also, fun fact is 2002 PGA Champ Rich Beem is a member and swings by a couple of times a year. They love him at Ardglass! His favorite bar is the Commercial and there is a whole wall of photos of him with regulars. Super fun.

The 16th at Kettle Forge brings back a bit of PTSD - looks like a carbon copy of the 6th at The Den at Fox Creek in Bloomington, IL.

To prepare for the Open next week I read through the Ireland chapter of Bernard Darwin's Golf Courses of the British Isles. After Ireland comes the chapter on Wales and I was surprised at how glowingly he spoke of Aberdovey. It was not on my radar before, but the way he wrote about it made me want to add it to my UK bucket list. "There are several very excellent courses in Wales, but I am determined to put Aberdovey first - not that I make for it any claim that it is the best, not even on the strength of its alphabetical pre-eminence, but because it is the course that my soul loves best of all the courses in the world." It struck me similarly to how Andy speaks of Elie, a course that I fell in love with as well when I played it. It might not be the greatest in the world, but there is a peculiar delight you feel when you're on your way to play it again.

As a Brit (resident of the U.S. for 25 years now) obsessed with golf from my early teens, I've been lucky enough to play most of the country's great courses. The one I never got to, though, and the course I've most wanted to see for a long time, is Muirfield.

Elegance describes Ross’s work well. Interesting, hard to score on holes that tend not to be photogenic. Trying to make new courses photogenic has been a curse. But it is hard to resist. Developers want brochures with pretty pictures.

I totally agree. I recently did a 3-day trip to Scotland and 3-day trip to Nebraska/Kansas solo and they were great because golf usually pairs you up with interesting people.