Irish Links and Wine
Thursday, 14 August 2008 11:53
Ireland has been a golfing destination since the 19th century, renowned for links courses. The European Union declared that it was now a wine producing country too, mainly in the southwest around Cork. This means that you can play famous courses like Lahinch, Ballybunion, Waterville, Tralee, and Ring of Kerry as well as taste mead at Bunratty Castle and white wines at Kinsale, all within 150 km of Shannon Airport.
John Barton claimed in Golf Digest (October, 2006) that the "Best Golf Trail in the World" belonged to Ireland's west coast counties, especially Clare and Kerry. In 2007, GOLF Magazine listed four of Ireland’s links courses among the world’s best 100 golf courses: Ballybunion was 14th, Portmarnock was 49th, Lahinch was 54th and the European Club was 78th (Ancaster by the way was 100th). Hal Quinn asserted in ScoreGolf (April 14, 2006) that Ireland’s coasts had one-third of the world’s 150 best true links courses.
True links or seaside links means playing golf on what nature gave. The linked land between the sea and arable land is usually treeless and wind-swept with nine holes going out and nine coming back. Typically it has deep gorse and fescue bordering rolling and undulating fairways with always a chance of landing in a sandy sinkhole or pothole bunker.
Ireland's courses have famous designers too. Old Tom Morris who designed Scotland's Muirfield in 1891 also did Lahinch in 1892. It was redesigned in 1927 by Alistair MacKenzie who went on to build the Masters at Augusta in 1933. Pat Ruddy, a Dublin architect has designed more than 8 links courses including the European Club, Ballyliffin and Canada’s Île de Montréal.
I interviewed both Jim Furyk and Billy Mayfair about their rounds at Lahinch. Both have their pictures on the wall of golf pro, Robert McAvery who told me, “Yev gotta swing a club ev’ry day to be eny goot attitt." Jim Furyk chuckled about his links experience, "It was the most miserable round of golf I've ever played. My caddy and I played in a sideways driving rain at Lahinch. The scenery was pretty but my set up over the ball was like 45° braced against the wind. The next day I played Ballybunnion and it was sunny and less windy.”
Billy Mayfair shook his head at the memories of Lahinch. “That par five #4 they called the Rockies or something (actually it’s “the Klondyke”) where you hit down a funnel of dunes and up and over a facing mountain and the green was somewhere out there. That was challenging. Then they throw the blind par three #5 at you.”
No doubt the golf is challenging but you can enjoy the scenery while looking for balls, what Yeats would call a terrible beauty. Thomas McInerney, of the nearby Santa Maria Hotel who has three brothers who play at the national level said "They say golf is like life but don't believe them; golf is more complicated than that" (interviews, May 2006).
The resorts and the vineyards can help to meditate on that life. Bunratty, which has a castle, hotel, and mead company, is close to Shannon and an ideal place to discover County Clare. For authentic Irish drinks, one need look no farther than Bunratty Meade, made from white wine with honey and herbs. To enjoy staying in hotels with vineyards and nearby golf like Kinsale Head, you would have to go to Kinsale or Mallow in County Cork. The Blackwater Valley Vineyard is located in Mallow, with five acres of vines. Even smaller is the Longueville House vineyard, also in Mallow. This is a mere 1.1 acres of vines, incluing Muller, Thurgau, and Reichensteiner, made into wine just for the restaurant; or liqueurs like elder fruit, wild plum, white currant. In Kinsale you can find the Thomas Walk Vineyard. For great golf and newest European wineries, Ireland is a wonderful destination.