Fore!

Today's the day........................ to play golf

How many people does it take to play a round of golf?

Well, if they are Americans with money to spare and they are ticking off the list of famous Irish Golf Courses - you need one to play and one to caddy.  So if they are playing a foursome, that's going to be eight people - and things begin to feel a bit crowded on the first tee at the worldclass links course at Ballybunion in the south west of Ireland.  The ones wearing the red tops are the caddies.

Ireland has the perfect climate for creating good golf courses.  That warm, wet air makes the grass grow long and green  - and coupled with the spectacular scenery has led to a fair number of some of the world's best known clubs.  And that is one of the reasons why we are over here just now.  My sister-in-law Margaret and brother Ron are on a mission to play the 250 or so links golf courses of the world.  To the uninitiated, a links course is to be found on the sandy ground near to the coast - often where a river comes out into the sea. 

Fortunately, Ron and Margaret are quite capable of coping with their own golf bags and have no need of caddies.  So we are free to do as we wish - and we are all enjoying getting to know this beautiful part of Ireland .................