They told me that playing golf in Ireland meant playing in at least two, probably three kinds of weather in one day. As we played our round of 18 at Bunclody, a challenging golf course, mother nature hit us with everything but snow. Thank goodness for rain gear! We had it on in the parking lot before we even began. But driving winds and rain could not discourage us enough to abandon the game. And by the time we got to hole 18, it was bright sunshine and soft breezes.

The course is surrounded by beautiful countryside and alongside the signature hole is a fast moving river. One thing of note: here in Ireland there is always a life-ring next to any sized body of water, whether it is a small pond, brook or river. Irish golfers will do whatever it takes to recover a ball that gets “wet” and so the life ring is there to toss to the one who goes a little too far to retrieve his or her ball. Bunclody features long fairways, undulating greens and many hole that are totally one with the surrounding landscape. On the 18th, you have to take an elevator to the tee box — it’s at the top of a very steep incline and the only way to get to it if you are walking  is via elevator.

We decided to add a little spice to the round and had a putting contest. Noreen won! My golf was a little less remarkable. I had quite a few long drives, but the short game still needs a lot of work. We still have two more days of golf coming up and I have high expectations for improvement.