Castlerock 10th
As we travel around the north-west region,
we soon discover that getting to the courses
is all part of the golfing experience – driving
through heather-cloaked moorland, the
home of curlew, buzzard and stacks of drying
peat, past ancient castles perched on top
of windswept headlands and through quaint
villages with more pubs than shops. The roads,
often twisting and narrow, take longer than
expected to navigate, but it’s time well spent
in anticipation, until the next links course
comes into view weaving its way through the
dunes.
After a 256 km (3 hour) drive north from
Dublin airport, our friendly chauffeur Saran
turns the well-appointed Taurus minibus off
the Causeway Coastal Route and parks outside
the clubhouse of Castlerock Golf Club. There
is a palpable buzz in the crisp afternoon air
as we busily unload our clubs and then head
for the practice putting green before our first
round. What lies ahead is the golf trip of a
Bishop’s Gate Hotel.
lifetime - no wives or husbands, no kids and
no distractions. Talking about golf, playing
golf and taking about playing golf. Time spent
discussing such vital issues as: ‘who had the
most birdies of the round’, ‘who won the
semi-final matches’, ‘how many shots it took
to get out of a particular pot bunker’ and
‘best course of the trip.’ Enhancing the golfing
experience are the wonderful clubhouse bars
to enjoy some hearty soup and sandwiches
and a pint or two of Guinness after the
day’s round. This is one heavenly week of
top-drawer golf, great accommodation and
hearty Irish breakfasts, good laughs and grand
camaraderie – and it doesn’t get much better
than this…
DAY 1: CASTLEROCK – County Londonderry
Castlerock Golf Club’s historic Mussenden
Links (founded in 1901) is located just a few
miles from Coleraine on Northern Ireland’s
north coast, and will test every department
Volume 4 • Issue 48
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