Drives, rounds, bunkers and spectacular scenery

If you were a golfer in your mid-fifties and able to retire, what would be on your bucket list?

Well, having read the book titled ‘A Course Called Ireland’, it was part of Blackwell Golf Club member Craig Stansfield’s idea of the ideal golfing holiday and he is, at this moment, achieving his ambition.
Hailing from Worcestershire, England, Craig’s itinerary has taken him from clubs as far apart as from Wicklow to Lahinch, Waterville to Rosses Point, Dooks to Portsalon and Cruit Island onto Portmarnock, The European and all links courses in-between.
Penned by former New York Times correspondent Tom Coyne, the book takes him humorously through Ireland in search of the next ‘best tee’, ‘best pub’ and ‘best pint’.
In 2007, Tom walked around the coast of Ireland carrying his clubs playing 56 courses and walking over 1,000 miles.
Playing Tom’s 20 favourite courses, visiting his 10 favourite bars (including the Stores Pub next door to Portsalon) and enjoying his five favourite music venues as part of a 21 day tour, when I met him at Portsalon Golf Club, he was on his 15th consecutive golf day and had honed his seven handicap to a ‘tee’.
Craig had a great review of Portsalon Links and, standing on the back sticks atop the rock that is the second tee, he paused to take in the breathtaking view of what many describe as the hardest second hole on any golf course.
With Knockalla Drive looming ominously in the background and a quick intake of breath, his drive proceeded to find the fairway which he then followed with a broad, satisfying grin as wide as the incoming tide.
Whilst being regaled with geographical and historical local knowledge from Mick Gallagher and the inimitable jokes and storytelling from Past Captain John Logue, concentration on golf shots was hard to gather.
But with what may have been the last day of winter sunshine giving us a warm breeze, Craig could not have chosen a better fourball for his visit to Ireland’s 14th ranked golf course.

Desire
Having expressed his desire to play another Donegal course mentioned in the book, Cruit Island, I agreed to join him on his trek to play this majestic nine-hole course which numerous overseas scribes have penned as a raw Cypress Point / Pebble Beach offering on a links course.
Dubbed by many visitors as the ‘Old Head of Donegal’, in reference to the Old Head of Kinsale Golf Course, it is renowned for its breathtaking, spectacular scenery with panoramic views of the wild Atlantic, Owey Island, Arranmore Island and Errigal Mountain.
Craig’s meandering drive through the rugged Donegal countryside ended in slight amusement when he reached the welcoming sign at Cruit Golf Club which read “Please sound your horn for oncoming golfers”.

Club history
Having been greeted by club President Paddy Sweeney who, being the great club ambassador that he is, enthralled us with the story of the club’s beginning, it’s membership, it’s local sponsors and, as times and finances get harder, it’s fundraising.
Venturing onto the first tee I could see Craig’s eyes open even further as he surveyed his surroundings, with the first fairway to the east whilst to the west, somewhere beyond Owey and Arranmore Islands, is Nova Scotia.
“The line is just over that hill” said Paddy, nonchalantly. In other words, just hit it straight which, as all golfers know, is something that we all strive to master but seldom achieve.
Eventually venturing onto the club’s iconic sixth tee, a par three that measures only 137m but which spans three ocean inlets cascading onto rocks some one hundred feet below the tee and green, your immediate dilemma is: what club will I be using today? A wedge? A ‘punched’ mid-iron? A fully struck wood?
Well, with what seemed like the beginning of a full blown gale coming straight at us, we agreed on a distance of at least 210/220 yds. and, at this point, I reserved my right not to apologise to my playing partners for being the only one to have ‘hit’ the green to achieve par.
Craig again was both intrigued and bemused by Paddy’s history lesson of the surrounding area - the former railway and bus transport system, the local islands and not forgetting the recently deceased King of Tory, Patsy Dan, which Craig found fascinating.
On the inward nine Craig was again astonished at some of the views and surrounding rocks that he had missed on the front nine, probably because of the chatter, but played with anticipation on the way home to the cosiest of clubhouses when we mentioned that he could be lucky enough to meet one of the famous local members, Packie Bonner or Daniel O'Donnell or indeed, Danny Mc Garvey to serve him the best pint of Guinness in Donegal.
All in all, I think that Craig Stansfield from Worcestershire in England will forever remember his golfing trip to Donegal.