After another wonderful dinner in Killarney and a restful night's sleep, we took our time getting going Sunday morning. We weren't set to tee off at Old Head until 3:00 pm or so. It was about a two hour trip from Killarney down to Kinsale. We headed east down through Cork until we made it to Kinsale. What a beautiful little seaside town it was. Full of restaurants and shops, there was plenty to do had we had more time. The drive to Kinsale was far easier than the drive through Kinsale. Our car was seemingly wider than most of the streets, which made for a nervous few minutes as we made our way through. It was like driving in San Francisco with all of the hills. We got through it though and were on our way to the course. Old Head sits on a peninsula high above the Atlantic. We had heard that this would be the most scenic of the courses we played this week. As we drove in, it was very clear that words would not do this place justice...
We had time for lunch prior to teeing off. I was playing by myself so there was no rush. Shocker.... Kristen had a smoked salmon and prawn salad, declaring it the best meal of the trip. The food at Old Head was certainly on par with everything else about the place. Top notch...
My caddy for the day was a young man named Paddy. He was a 15 year old young man from Bandon, just 15 minutes or so away. He knew the course well and was a delight to spend the afternoon with. The course is newer than all of the other links courses we played this trip. Famed golf course architect Eddie Hackett designed it. If he were still living I would love to shake his hand and say thanks. He did a fantastic job. The views were unrivaled. Simply the most beautiful golf course I have ever seen! Every hole had views of the ocean and most ran along the cliffs, making for some interesting sight lines off the tees. The greens were the fastest ones we saw during our trip. With the green speeds as fast as they were, the undulations on the greens themselves weren't as severe as some of the other courses we played. Nonetheless, Old Head was a stern test of golf. Possibly more difficult than the course itself was trying to concentrate on the golf and not the views. See for yourself.....
We made it back safely from Kinsale and Old Head in time for a late dinner at Salvadors. A big pizza hit the spot for me and Kristen went with a wonderful mango and crab meat salad. Another great meal to end another great day.....
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