Delightful Doonbeg a links of wild, enchanting beauty
Doonbeg is a study in contrasts: the rugged and quintessentially Irish beauty of the Clare coastline with the 2006 American-built stone castle that overlooks it. The flat farmland which stretches for miles around and the towering sand dunes which dominate this stunning links. And yet anyone who has stood here, felt the power of the ocean forcing its way along the coastline and tasted its rain washed air, knows what a special piece of land this is. The backdrop is Doughmore Bay and its crescent-shaped beach which clings to Doonbeg golf course like a child to its mother – 16…
Lahinch Golf Club – a wonder of the golfing world
Even at first glance, it is obvious Lahinch is not just another seaside town. Golf is woven into the fabric of this otherwise unprepossessing village on the County Clare coast. It feels like it’s on the lips of a everyone in town, in the craic. It’s in the pubs (one of which is called the 19th hole) and restaurants, it’s wonderfully unavoidable. Why? Well, it’s because the churches, shops, pubs and homes of this charming place of 700 or so people sits just a pitching wedge to the south of what is a truly stupendous golf course. The famous goat…
Hebden Bridge Golf Club among the best views in Yorkshire
Hebden Bridge Golf Club is a place wonderfully untroubled by the march of time. Golf, at times, feels barely recognisable: where once it was played with wooden clubs, now it’s played by super athletes, capable of reducing 600-yard par 5s to a thunderous drive and an easy 7-iron. Golf courses are changing too – they’re getting longer, both in yardage and the time it takes to play them. More expensive too. It’s still the game we all fell in love with but it’s important to remember that there are courses, if you look hard enough, that can take you back…
Celtic Manor – Ryder Cup destination stands the test of time
There will always be a special place in my heart for Celtic Manor. It was here that I covered my first and most memorable Ryder Cup for The Times newspaper, where I stood on the 18th green, soaked in champagne, as Team Europe danced with delight after another epic battle against their American counterparts. These are memories that will never fade. And yet, that is a theme because every time I visit Celtic Manor Golf Resort I make new ones, lasting ones. My first visit to this magnificent Welsh resort came in 1999. I was working in the film business…