Any American golfer who’s traveled in Europe, especially for the first time, knows it’s radically different over here. Aside from being divided by a common language, for the most part, a lot of things might bewilder the first-time American visitor. In Ireland, here’s just a sample of some of the good, bad and ugly. The Good: – I hated roundabouts at first. Once I got used to them, I loved them. They cut down on waiting an eternity on traffic lights like we do here in the U.S., for one thing. For another, if you’re not sure where to turn, just keep ... full post »

Played a little course in the heart of Ireland yesterday I absolutely loved. It isn’t one of the famous Irish links courses. It’s just a friendly, little place in Mt. Temple, well away from the coasts. It’s the American equivalent of that little muni you and your friends all love to play and get a cold one afterward. It’s called the Mount Temple Golf Club, in a tiny little village near Moate (pronounced Moot). It’s owned by a fella named Michael Dolan, who farmed the land, as did his father and grandfather before him. Dolan designed the couse himself, and did ... full post »

It used to be that golf in Ireland, like many European countries, was the domain of the rich, moneyed and titled. But, in 1960, the Canada Cup came to Portmarnock, and all the Irish wanted to see Sam Snead and Arnold Palmer. The demand for courses the average Paddy could get on soared and a golf construction boom of sorts followed. Since many of the Irish courses couldn’t afford to hire big-name, international architects, Irish architect Eddie Hackett ended up designing many of the courses. Hackett is sort of a legend in Ireland, designing links courses in Connemara, Waterville and Carne, for ... full post »

Americans come to the United Kingdom, certainly Scotland and Ireland, to play true links golf. That’s understandable, but they are missing out on some great golf courses. The Woodenbridge Golf Club, south of Dublin in County Wicklow, looks like it was straight out of one of those old soap commercials, you know the one, with the Irish guy and girl cavorting through an idyllic Irish countryside. It’s set in a valley, ringed by green-topped hills, and shot through with two of the most beautiful Irish rivers, sparkling like diamonds during the few times they get sun here. It isn’t a particularly difficult course ... full post »

So I’m walking down the fairway of the Palmer course at the K Club, not far out of Dublin, Ireland, and I ask the European guy I’m playing with who he thinks will win the Ryder Cup. “The Americans, obviously,” he said. “I mean, look at this course. They imported it from Missouri.” Well, maybe not Missouri, but every European I talk to here in Ireland regrets the choice of the K Club for the 2006 Ryder Cup. It IS an American course, set down in the glen and heather of Ireland. It was designed by an American and plays like an ... full post »

I thought Americans led the world when it came to over-indulgent parents and spoiled kids. But, the British may be worse. On a golf trip to Ireland and Scotland, I boarded a British Airways Jet in Orlando. Almost all the passengers were British, and almost all of them had kids, crawling all over the plane like lemurs, with little or no supervision. One of the worst of the Brit Brats sat right behind me. She was about eight or nine years old, and kept kicking me in the back. I took it for a while, and finally unhooked my seat belt, leaned ... full post »

Yes, it was a masterful performance put on Sunday by Phil Mickelson. He tamed Augusta National, the rest of the high-falutin’ field and, by extension, the television audience. This is not to take away from Mickelson’s round – maybe the most impressive he has ever shot – but Sunday was a snooze. It looked like it was going to be a sizzling finish at the turn, with about eight or nine players, including some of your all-time all-stars, within reach. Nobody did much of anything, though. Mickelson won because he made the least number of mistakes, which is how it goes at Augusta. ... full post »

I started watching the Masters a little late Friday, and when I turned it on they were talking about Ben Crenshaw. Good, I said, I didn’t miss much – they’re showing old, highlight reels. But, the Crenshaw they showed was a little, gray-haired old man. Actually, he’s only 54, but looks 64 now. He certainly hasn’t played like it this far in the biggest major in the U.S. What was it they were all complaining about now? I seem to forget… Oh yeah, that Augusta National was too long, that they stretched it so only the big boppers had a chance to ... full post »

I really didn’t expect to find any elevation when I came to Mobile, Alabama. Having not played much golf in Alabama, I figured southern Alabama, down by the Gulf, was flat as the beach. At least it’s been that way the hundreds of times I’ve driven through. So hills are a nice surprise at the Rock Creek Golf Club. The course is located at Alabama’s Eastern Shores, in Fairhope, just across the wide, Mobile Bay from downtown Mobile. It’s a short drive, but the terrain changes dramatically, from low wetlands to some very atypical hills and impressive elevation changes. “For the Eastern ... full post »

In my continuing hunt for good municipal courses, I’ve found another – Azalea City in Mobile, Alabama. The conditioning could rival that of a resort course. The fairways are luscious and green, the greens are in impeccable shape and even the tee boxes look good. It has good length at 6,850 yards, and some of the par-4s are testy – like the 423-yard fifth hole, the 459-yard ninth and the 421-yard closing hole. The 567-yard, par-5 15th is very tough to reach in two, especially with the wind in your face. The back nine is the better nine, with more elevation changes ... full post »

Much as I hate to disagree with Chris Baldwin, who is doing the world good with his ongoing, winning battles against the whacked-out Michelle Wie Warriors, I think Wie’s putt on the 18th at the Nabisco was telling on Sunday. This wasn’t a putt she blew. She didn’t miss it because of nerves. It was a good, solid effort that slid by the hole. It could easily have gone in. And her reaction was telling as well. She thought she had made it. Just about everyone thought she had made it. Every time she loses, she learns something. So far, she ... full post »