This golf course is no
picnic, mind you: Ten holes are affected by
water, including a 14-acre lake that
anchors the front side; greens are
large, slick and undulating; bunkers are deep
and penal. The finishing
quartet of holes is a string of Kodak moments: No. 15,
a 370-yard par
4, hugs the River Maigue along the right side, the manor house
looming
just beyond; the 16th is a do-or-die 170-yarder over a pond; and No. 17
dances 415 yards over gently rising and falling ground, setting up a
stirring
544-yard finisher, where the third shot—or an extremely bold
second—must cross
the Maigue, now running hard along the left.
Adare played host to the
2003 Smurfit Irish PGA Championship and has
been home to the European Senior
Tour’s A.I.B. Irish Seniors Open for
three years running. Irish PGA winner Paul
McGinley called the course
“not just one of the best in Ireland, it’s
one of the best in the
world.” Legendary Irish tour pro Christy O’Conner Jr.,
who represents
the club, has suggested it would make an ideal venue if a senior
Ryder
Cup-style event were ever staged on the Emerald
Isle.
Even should that never
come to pass, Adare will continue to lure
public figures seeking peace from the
spotlight, be they golfers,
actors or politicians. Reminiscing about Clinton’s visit, my new friend John
confided: “We love him
here in Ireland. I know it’s not possible,
but a lot of us wish he could be president again.”
“Well, you just might see
Hillary in that office one day,” I
replied.
John’s eyes lit up. “Do
you really think so?”
Not really, I started to
tell him, then decided against dashing his
hopes. It was the least I could do,
considering this hospitable
Irishman had made me feel as welcome as any of his
famous guests.
