This summer I had the chance to play golf in Ireland, Scotland, England, and Wales. As I played, I started to think about some of my favorite rounds and favorite memories of time on the courses that drove us to create F&D.
As part of that, I started to think about my first birdies in each of those countries. I don’t make a ton of birdies, so each one is pretty notable. The first birdies, though, are always special. It turns out that it’s kind of a cool list. I thought I’d share it along with some impressions of each of the clubs where they happened.
Ireland: Portmarnock Golf Club, Hole 17
It’s a beast of a hole. It plays 432 from the green tees and requires two really solid shots. I hit a decent drive but had a good 185+ for a second. I managed to get a 5 hybrid to the middle of the green and drained a 30 footer for birdie.
This was during my first trip to Ireland. It was the third round I played there - one played with 11 other guys from Argyle, my home course. Portmarnock is a special place. It’s a top five course for me and the clubhouse is just fantastic. It is certainly a place that I could play everyday for the rest of my life and be totally content.
The white polo that I bought at the end of the round that I dripped some red wine on a few weeks later was what drove the initial idea for F&D.
England: Woking Golf Club, Hole 7
#7 at Woking is a gem of a hole. That day it played around 165. We had just come off the very challenging 6th, and I made one of my best swings of my early days of that trip with a 7 iron. It’s a tough green to hold, but I managed to keep the ball on the green and sunk an unexpected breaker from about 18 feet. I had hit some really good shots up to that point, but had not scored. So, that one felt great.
For most of our club trips, a few of us will do an early ‘walk about’ when we get a few rounds in as a foursome before the bigger crew arrives. The 12 guy trips are great, but those first rounds when you play with the same other three guys are fantastic.
And, Woking is such a special place. If you have not been, it has to be on your list. The course is a total gem with some of the most interesting holes that I’ve played in England. And, the clubhouse is perfect - the highlight was sitting on the patio behind #14, a par 5 where the patio is in play. It’s a terrifying shot if you have a wedge in your hands.
Wales: Pyle and Kenfig, Hole 1
The first hole of my first trip to Wales was also my first birdie. Boy, am I glad that there are no pictures on the scorecard, because this one was ugly. It’s an uphill, pretty straightforward 361 par 4 opening hole designed by Harry Colt. I hit a horrible drive, had 200+ yards left to the green, hit an ugly 3 hybrid up to the green that had no business making it there, and dropped in a putt all of the way across the green.
On every trip, there is one that you are exhausted - the beers and the jet lag kick in. That was P&F for me. By hole 6, it was raining sideways. We were the last of three foursomes, and six of us never made it to the back. The warm and dry clubhouse - also a gem, there is a theme here - and the Spike bar was just too inviting. I have heard that the back 9 shines, now I have an excuse to get back there.
Scotland: Dumbarnie, Hole 18
Dumbarnie was the first course I played in Scotland, and the last hole is not easy. It’s a dog leg right that plays 423 from the blues. I played there after playing 10 rounds in England and Scotland at the end of a hot and dry June. My 3 wood had become my weapon of choice off the tee with bouncy fairways, and I drew it perfectly over the right corner. That left me just about 135 to a front flag. My 9 iron was perfect, but I still had to make the 9 footer that was slightly downhill. Joe, my playing partner that day, also made birdie. It was a good way to wrap up the round.
Dumbarnie is one of the ‘new’ courses in Scotland. The experience is just top notch, and the course is spectacular. The flatter farmland around it lets you know how much thought and design went into creating the links, much like its neighbor, Kingsbarns (home of my second birdie in Scotland). The pro shop is fantastic as is the food. Don’t miss this if you’re playing the courses around St. Andrews.