The speech and rhythms of the west country of Ireland are far different
from the majestic lilt of Dublin, where English is spoken perhaps more
beautifully than anywhere on earth. But the speech of western
Ireland reflects the nature of the
harsh and terrible land, which that gives off a beauty more memorable than that
of tropical islands and sleepy lagoons.
From Donegal in the north to the west of Cork in the south, the west of Ireland is a
rugged mixture of rocky coastline, great sand beaches and countless bays and
inlets. The winds will make you believe in the banshees as it screams in from
the AtlanticThen there is the scenery that beguiles with green, rolling fields
punctuated by Norman castles, the great sea pounds up against the shore. If you
happen to catch a calm day with sunshine, you may think you have entered
paradise.
A man could spend a merry month playing the courses of
western Ireland. But it is south of Shannon
in County
Kerry that should be the
final resting place of all devoted golfers. For the small seaside township of Ballybunion is perhaps the most natural
setting in the world for the game and quite simply one of the most enjoyable
golf courses in the world.
The Ballybunion club came into being rather late. Records
indicate that it was functioning in the spring of 1896. Hard times then fell
upon Ballybunion and it languished for eight years until resurrected in
1906.
The 18-hole Old course one plays today was opened in 1927.
There are many contours on the fairways and greens, yielding numerous uphill,
downhill and sidehill lies. You will know that Ballybunion is different on the
very 1st tee. There is a graveyard on the right side that is a bit unnerving.
The hole is a par 4 of 432 yards, with that bunker 250 yards out on the left
side. A good drive that you whistle by the graveyard leaves you with a short
iron to a typically small, contoured Ballybunion green.
The tee at the 6th hole is right by the old clubhouse, which
is another strong reminder of what golf was like in the old days. Here we
encounter the water for the first time. It is usually here at this dogleg par 4
that we feel the full force of whatever winds are aloft.
The back nine begins with a short par 4 of 359 yards. It is a
subtle hole, heading slightly uphill to the sea. There is a large sandhill to
the left and a large grass bunker in front of the green, which is perched on top
of the cliffs by the edge of the ocean. It has all of Ballybunion’s
characteristics: sandhills, grass bunkers, ridges and ocean.
The 11th is perhaps the most dramatic, most awesome, most
frightening and most memorable hole in golf. The small tee clings to the top of
a sand dune with a 50-foot drop to the beach and the Shannon Estuary below. The
view is breathtaking: Off to the right, the coastline curves away and right
before you are 449 yards of roller coaster fairway. You must skirt the cliff on
the right to find a small piece of fairway between the sandhill and the sea. The
approach shot is over a deep valley of fairway through a narrow gap between two
more sand hills to a green the size of a large manhole cover. Not a single
bunker was necessary to protect it.
The home hole is another dogleg with another drive between
sandhills. The approach is over a large fairway bunker known as The Sahara to a
green protected by a sandhill on the left. Now you are back at the clubhouse,
exhausted, exhilarated, ecstatic.
If you want perfect fairways, no rough, flat greens and calm
balmy days, Ballybunion is not for you nor you for Ballybunion. But if you are
one of life’s seekers, a Ulysses with three pitching wedges, seeking what lies
beyond the western star, go at once to Ballybunion.
