The Gawf, Continued: Wherein We Make our Tournament Debut

The bride and I made our tournament debut in Ireland yesterday, participating in the RNLI Charity Open.  The event was played under a Stableford format, meaning that players were awarded 1 point for a bogey, 2 for a par and something higher for a birdie, the specifics of which we unfortunately had no need to apprise ourselves.  I am still awaiting my first birdie in Ireland, but assume that once the ice is broken they will be as frequent as the rain squalls.

Since I puffed out my chest and told of a great shot from Monday, let me now go to the dark side...

The Yin and Yang of links golf.  A great drive leaves the player a terrifying second.  That's why Tom Doak, the great golf course architect, calls fairness the "f" word.

I made easy pars on the two opening holes on the Old Course, and allowed myself the fantasy of posting a good score.  At the short, 348 yard Par 4 third, I conservatively pulled 3 wood, and absolutely crushed it.  I saw it take a huge hop, and it's visible in the photo above a mere 47 yards from the green.  We're in the land of 300 yard 3 woods, and as we all know, the chicks dig the long ball!

But, it's in fact a very nasty spot I found myself in, for the short pitch is the most difficult shot in links golf (one non-golfer has already noted that the blog is becoming somewhat technical, so non-golfers are encouraged to scroll through the pictures and check in later).  This is because the rock-hard links turf is incompatible with the bounce on modern sand wedges, the bounce being that portion of the sand wedge that extends below the leading edge.  The bounce is what allows the wedge to slide through the sand, so it's a necessity for bunker play, but is deadly from the turf. 

The reader will sense how our tale ends, a sculled wedge into the deep hay, a first explosion shot that moved the ball several inches, and a frustrating double bogey.  Did I mention how much we love the golf over here?

Theresa rented and fell in love with a power trolley, above.  Theresa at the top of her backswing on the third hole, bottom.

The club had arranged for us to play with Kathleen and Michael, a delightful couple that live in Belfast.  Unfortunately, Michael's back did not permit golf on this day, so Kathleen shouldered responsibility for keeping us out of trouble on her own.

 

Kathleen points out her family's cottage in a dramatic location overlooking Pollan Bay (above).  Apparently it was built in 1938 and is quite spartan, but oh what a view it must feature.  Kathleen had an absolutely brilliant umbrella holder on her power trolley (bottom).  I've never found an umbrella much use on a golf course, but this solve the problems.

Our golf remains woefully inconsistent, though T had a sequence worth noting.  On the dogleg-right Par 5 15th, she hit a good drive followed by a poor second and a woeful third (which she told me later made her mad), semi-shank third into a fairway bunker some 200 yards from the green.  As Kathleen was commenting to me that she really should come our sideways to ensure getting back to the fairway, T took a huge wallop at the ball and adavnced it some 120yards up the fairway.  She then proceeded to put her next on the green ten feet from the flag and hole the putt for a bogey 6.  I can't tell you how good getting up and down from that bunker in 3 was.

Perhaps my favorite photo thus far.  The green of the Par 3 twelfth is set in a beautiful dell with alarge dune forming the backdrop.  The above was taken utilizing the camera's sweep panorama feature, and as I was wheeling around the stiff breeze blew the camera strap into the frame.

T and I finished with 30 and 27 points, respectively, not remotely competitive.  Mary the starter thought that T's 30 was quite respectable, with the winning ladies' score likely to be in the range of 38.  She made no comment on my 27, except a knowing glance that I interpreted to mean that she recognized that I had married up. 

Theresa putting on the Par 5 14th.

Theresa unfortunately went on walkabout on the 18th green, and a missed short putt cost her the day's match. 

Current Standings:

T. Simpson   1.0

S. Simpson   1.5

As were were finishing lunch we noticed Patrick Logue, the Club Captain, speaking to the gentlemen at the table next to us.  As they finished we took the opportunity to introduce ourselves, and he sat with us for ten minutes.  Patrick is a dual U.S.-Irish citizen, and served many years in the U.S. Army during the Viet Nam era.  Didn't expect that the Ballyliffin captain would be a U.S. army vet, but tyhere you have it.  Patrick was as welcoming as everyone has been, and made us aware of a Friday evening nine hole scramble he runs, promising to split us up so that we can meet more members.

Carol and Lowell arrive from Portrush this afternoon, so please anticipate blogus interruptus. 

UPDATE:  I just confirmed that both the ladies and the gents competitions were won with ascores of 39.  As noted above, T's score was very resdpectable for a links newbie.  Mine, not so much.