Adare Golf Club, Adare, Ireland

We couldn't go to Ireland and not golf...but it was hard for us to do it even though we stayed at two golf clubs!  It was much colder in Ireland than we had anticipated...in the 40s for the most part AND it rained every day - not always long and hard but every day.  It was finally nice enough one afternoon so we were able to get out but only for a couple hours because all their clubs were going to be rented out at 2:00 pm.  So we were able to do 9 holes.  It was still pretty cold but at least the sun was shining!  This golf course was nice but nothing really special, except for the views of the castle of course!

We drove by "the old course" later and that looked interesting with holes next to a cemetary and an old ruined castle. 


When we drove to the Cliffs of Moher we did see a golf course along the Atlantic which looked a lot more like we expected "an Irish golf course" to look like...links style with a lot of hills and ocean views.  Of course that day it was quite cold and rainy but there were still people golfing!  I think they're more used to that weather than we were.  I wish we had more time to actually golf more, but at least we were able to say we golfed in Ireland!

 

Mirimichi, Millington, TN

Mirimichi is the Justin Timberlake Golf Course.  It is the only certified environmentally "green" golf course in the United States.  It's a links style course with 5 tee boxes, 5000+ yards from the forward tees.  The fairways are pretty wide open and fairly straight for the most part.  BUT there is lots and lots and lots of sand bunkers, rolling hills, water and even hidden hazards like streams.  The carts are equipped with GPS which came in very handy.  Because we were there in February, there were not as many hazards as there would be in the summer.  The water was down and the grasses were too.  But it was cart path only so we had a lot of walking because the fairways were so wide and rolling.  The forward tees give women a nice advantage, on some holes it made the greens almost driveable!  There were four par 3's, as usual, but all were really nice with a little bit of challenge to them.  Shown below is hole 11, The Wall.

There were two bathrooms on the course.  There's an area at the end of holes 9 and 18 that, in the summer, would be staffed and stocked.  It was a really nice patio area with a bar and barbecue and really nice area to sit and watch almost all the holes.  But because it was still winter, we had to drive back to the clubhouse for a hot dog.  The clubhouse is really nice with a performance and learning center and small outdoor seating area.  They don't serve wine, though, which I didn't like and because the outdoor patio wasn't open, there was no where for us to sit and watch golfers which I love to do.  There is a nice driving range, balls are included in the price of golf, and a putting green.  There's also a 9 hole, par 35, executive course which we didn't even see.  The cost for weekday golf is $65/weekend is $80 in the winter, not sure what the summer rates will be.  There were not a lot of golfers on the course.  We were behind a twosome who were taking there time, as were we.  We let a twosome who seemed to be in a hurry, golf through.  But other than them, we didn't see anyone else on the course, even though we knew there were others out there.  We will try to come back in the fall some year so we can see the course in it's full glory.

Gaylord Springs Golf Links, Nashville, TN

This is the nicest public course in Nashville.  A little pricey, perhaps, at $64 (including tax) winter rates, however, we really liked this course and would love to golf here when it's green.  Because of the rain, it was cart path only.  The fairways are quite wide and because it was cart path only, it took a long time for us to golf.  The greens were in really nice condition because they cover them with tarp every night.  The greens were really hard to judge and I couldn't figure them out until the back nine.  There were some really nice holes including a par 4 with an island green (picture below) and a couple par 3's that you had to go over water or swamp.  It was a true links style course but because it was the winter, we didn't have to contend with a lot of long grasses.  The carts are equipped with gps so you get a real accurate picture of the shots you need to hit.  There's a golf institute, driving range, putting green, very nice pro shop and clubhouse.

Bathrooms were located conveniently on the course.  We ate in the clubhouse after golf.  Food was good but my complaint is that we were unable to see any holes from the clubhouse.  We could see golfers tee off at hole 10 but that's about it.  There was a nice outdoor seating area but I don't know if you'd be able to see anything from there.  We'd definitely golf here again when we're in the area.
www.gaylordsprings.com

Hole 4 with island green

Hole 13 over water

Forrest Crossing Golf Course, Franklin, TN

This is a Nashville City Course.  It was a little chilly so there weren't many people on this course.  Because of the time of year, the course wasn't in the best of condition but the greens were OK...though a little unpredictable because of the weather.  It had rained quite a bit the day before and it was cart path only.  The starter was very nice and the ranger drove around frequently.  There are several sets of tees and the forward tees are very women friendly and are needed on this course.  Hole 9 (above) is a par 4 and has an island green.  The back 9 has several fun, unusual holes.  There is some elevation changes and water and other hazards.  My problem with the course is that it isn't very well marked.  It's sometimes hard to find the next hole, the appropriate tee and even, at couple times, which green you were hitting to!  We especially had trouble on the last hole...we could not figure out where to hit the all, even with the score card and the sky caddie.  They had a small snack bar, but at this time of year, only had hot dogs.  We enjoyed the course and would like to play it again when it's warmer and greener, even though with the trees and grasses grown, it will be a lot harder.

Cedar Creek, San Antonio, Texas

This course is part of the San Antonio Golf Trail.  We really enjoyed this course...although it was pretty cold, especially for Texas! The course has a lot of undulating fairways that really give the ball a lot of roll.  Women did not get too much of an advantage on most of the holes.  It's quite a long course, even the par 3s are long.  The course was not in excellent condition, but quite good considering the time of year.  The staff were exceptionally nice BUT there was no liquor on the course so I couldn't try a bloody mary.  There were bathrooms on the course that were fairly clean and there were sandwiches on the turn which were good.  The first 9 holes were very hard, the back 9 a little easier.  There were homes on the back nine but none were in jeopardy from random shots.  The greens were in really good condition considering the time of year. Will definitely plan on returning to this course.

http://www.alamocitygolftrail.com/

Silverhorn, San Antonio, Texas

http://www.silverhorngolfclub.com

We had golfed here a few years ago and decided to try it again.  We liked the course and it was in decent condition, however, I think that at $57 (resident rates they gave us) it was overpriced.  The course is mostly flat and kind of wide open.  The fairways were decent and the greens were in really good shape.  There's no elevation but some water and a trees.  There were tons of deer on the course that didn't look too afraid of people.  We grabbed a hot dog and a couple of beers on the turn which were quite expensive but really good.  I don't think we'll golf here again...there are too many courses on San Antonio to try!

Dunham Hills, Hartland, Michigan

This is a small, heavily treed course near Milford.  Most of the holes were "side by side" and therefore a little tight.  Golfers frequently hit the "wrong" fairway.  But there were some really interesting holes also, with hidden water and bunkers.  The fairways were in decent condition and although the greens had already been aerated, they were in fairly good shape also.  Women didn't get too much of an advantage but we didn't really need one because the course was 6291 from the white and 5253 from the red.  The cart girl was very nice and was around frequently, I had a decent bloody mary.   There were port-a-potties but the clubhouse wasn't ever too far away!  We paid $40 which I think was a little too much for this course but senior rates are $27 during the week...still a little high.  Might golf here again, if the price goes down!

http://www.dunhamhills.com/index.html