From the opening bows and two-handed presentation of business cards, I was sold on tradition. Jackets are mandatory in the clubhouse and a key is given for your own locker to change and bath. A mandatory 45 minute lunch breaks up the two nines and you will have an exceptional meal. Power carts are used…
I have lived in Ontario and BC and played many of the fine courses in these provinces. Alberta golf in the Kananaskis to Jasper corridor may be better. I’m flummoxed why Destination Canada, Travel Alberta and Golf Canada do not partner to promote Alberta and Canadian golf globally. They should attend international golf conferences and…
– That we have the second largest quantity of golf courses in the world at 2300+? – The oldest golf course and golf club in North America are not in America but in Canada? – The golf swing evolved from the slap shot (just kidding)? – Canada has Cabot Cliffs and Cabot Links-true links courses…
“We better move back from the Road Hole” Fintan smartly stated outside the Jigger Inn. I had just taken the friendly Irishman on his first tour of the Old Course at St Andrews last week. Showed him the British Golf Museum, strolled down the first hole, walked the Himalayas, chatted with gentlemen on the Road…
Let the names of these fine Irish pubs in North and West of Ireland rattle around your noggin: Reel Inn, The Beach Bar, Shoot the Crow and Matt Molloy’s. Some offered traditional Irish music, others the craic but all had the black stuff poured professionally and rested in our mitts. On our recent Athlone hosted…
All signs are there to see about golf’s future. Property developers building on ex-golf courses. Municipalities selling their courses for green space. The rise of Topgolf where nachos and beer are as important as lunging off mats with digital balls. Cell phone and social media addictions. Mountain biking, hiking and runners going for 2 hours…
“That is were the Vikings first landed in Ireland”. My friendly host, Moira Cassidy from Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links pointed. I peered at this island and then to Ireland’s Eye. We played a few holes on their testing links course after I indulged a burger in their rustic Jameson Bar. Pretty villages of Malahide…
Do you choose to play a course based on the designer? I had the privilege to have dinner with David McLay Kidd recently in Bend, OR. We spoke about his terrific new design of Mammoth Dunes in WI. My first exposure of David’s great work was at Bandon Dunes in 2006. Incredible. I played rock…
When I first moved to the Okanagan Valley five years ago from Ontario I told Alison to take in a breath of fresh, beautiful BC air. Not today. 568,000 hectares of fires have been burning in BC since April and it’s the worst air on planet earth. I describe it as what a nuclear winter…
One of the enjoyable aspects of playing golf with others is the shared experience of the round. It could be congratulating an eagle putt, helping with marking a ball, searching for lost balls and honouring those who have earned the blocks after a terrific birdie. But what about those who are oblivious to the individuals…