Ireland has some of the most beautiful and challenging golf courses in the world. In sixty days from the writing of this post two of us will be golfing on the links of Ireland.
Why are we doing this? Who’s going? How are we getting there? Are we going with a tour group? Where are we playing golf? Where are we staying? How are we getting there? How much does it cost? What do you bring? What do you wear?
All of these are good questions and each one will be answered. I want you to enjoy this trip as much as we do and I am going to take you along each step of the way.
This is the first episode in our Ireland saga.
First a little background: In August of last year I became an official citizen of Ireland. My paternal grandmother was born in Jenkinstown, just north of Kilkenny. She moved to the United States in the late 1800s and died long before I was born, but I determined I wanted to find her and rediscover my geneological roots. After many months of research and a trip to Ireland to gather the proper documents I finally applied to be a citizen and they accepted me! I have the documents to prove it and a green Irish passport too. The best way I know to celebrate is to return again to the land of my foremother and explore the country even more, and, of course, to play golf!
Who’s Helping Us Plan This Adventure? In the beginning I thought I would be traveling alone. After all, this was my “quest” and it is not an inexpensive adventure. So I went online in search of information about golf in Ireland and came across the website of an organization that specializes in planning golf trips for women golfers: RedTees.ie I’ve written about them on this blog before. (See Golfing In Ireland.)
As soon as I saw their website I knew this was the group for me. From the moment you get off the plane in Dublin till you pass through customs on the way home, RedTees takes care of everything. You tell them what you want and they plan the trip. No need to drive or get lost or take your life in your hands on those tiny Irish back roads. Not only that, but they will even play golf with you if you’re traveling alone— and I loved their company logo: a high-heeled golf shoe! This was a group with a sense of style!
I started talking to a few people about my idea for this golf adventure in Ireland. Several were interested but timing is everything, and for many, taking time off from work in the middle of May was not doable. Until I found my friend Noreen! Not only was she interested in golfing in Ireland, but with friends to visit in France she would make it a double adventure for herself and her husband Peter. (He will be meeting her in Dublin after our week of golf.)
And so it was determined. Noreen and I are playing golf in Ireland this May. We sent the RedTees our list of what we wanted to do and we’ve been fine tuning our itinerary ever since.
We are in Ireland for seven days and are playing golf on four of them. That’s a lot of golf! But that’s what we’re going for. Where are we playing? I’ll give you the list in Golf In Ireland?: Episode Two! 🙂
If you’ve ever played golf in Ireland, please let me know of your experience. Add your comments below.
