Ballybunion Old

There are few courses that provoke such awe and reverence in the golf world as Ballybunion Old. It is a magnificent links that builds to a stunning climax on the back nine. The 11th hole is a masterpiece, and the long and difficult par-3 15th is an acknowledged beauty. The four-ball match of the day featured Considine-Farrell vs. Healy-Haggerty. Wind at 20 mph to begin the day. A lot of blood early as the evenly matched teams traded blows for the first five holes. On the exquisite and simply designed 6th hole, C-F were well-positioned to strike again with two balls on the thin green in regulation -- only to be hornswoggled by a scrambling Healy par from the gorse. That set the stage for a stunning set of back-and-forth holes where each team refused to surrender. Leads were short-lived. Healy's kick-in bird on #14 was soon matched by twin birdies by Considine & Farrell on the incredible 16th hole, a par five wending its way through pillared dunes. Even match with two holes to go. On the 17th tee, the wind kicked up to 30-35 mph. Despite understandably wayward drives, both teams registered good bogeys to proceed to #18. On the final hole, each player striped his drive approx 250 yards, front and center. Classic -- no one wanted to lose this match. Minutes later, the scorecard displayed four solid pars and a halved four-ball match. Awesome day on the links, validated by fish chowder, brown bread, and three rounds of silky smooth Guinness. We all agreed it really doesn't get much better than this... on the golf course, that is... C-F are claiming that, despite the even 4-ball match, their two birds prevailed over H-H's one bird. But there is admittedly some dispute/disagreement on that score...
Scorecards showed Considine & Healy with 83's; Haggerty 86; and Farrell 89. Off to dinner for seafood and, yes, more Guinness....