The sand dunes here are massive, framing the holes beautifully all the way around. The clubhouse sits high on the dunes overlooking the Atlantic. Right from the start, the views are spectacular. The first tee sits just off from Darby's Pub. Sunny afternoons like this one would provide quite the gallery of spectators as I teed off. The golf gods were smiling on me as I split the fairway. No caddy today so it was just Kristen and me on our first trip around the course.
Having played the last two years in Scotland, we were accustomed to big sand dunes, especially at Royal Dornoch and Turnberry. The dune complexes here are unrivaled. Simply beautiful. Not to be outdone, the green complexes are equally impressive. Being on the green in regulation is certainly no guaranteed par or birdie. Put yourself on the wrong side of some of these pins and you will be lucky to keep it on the green much less make par. The holes wind beautifully through the dunes, with several holes finding their way to the edge of the Atlantic.
As the sun began to set, we finished up the round with a bang. The eighteenth finishes with the clubhouse serving as a beautiful backdrop to the green. The is no room for error off the tee as the Atlantic looms to the right and the aforementioned dunes are off to the left. My best drive of the day sailed some 310 yards down the fairway, leaving me 129 yards in to a tight left pin. The pin location was right on the crest of a ridge on the left side of the green. Kristen was kind enough to mention the massive bunkers that would surely consume my ball should I come up short. Following her advice I clubbed up and hit an 8 iron into the breeze with a little draw, ending up 6 feet left of the hole. I had maybe a foot to spare on the ridge or my ball was gone. Birdieing 3 of the last 5, including the last hole, made dinner taste better. Today was a great day! I look forward to playing here again later in the week.
Doonbeg, you didn't disappoint......
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