I’m not sure any of us hit a single range ball in Ireland–I, of course, wouldn’t think of it. And for the life of me I can’t remember any driving ranges, certainly nothing like here. A couple places may have had a net to hit into.
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when you can hit a wedge like Randy, a three foot circle around the hole looks the size of a driving range
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Anyone knows where that pub is in the final shot of each episode starter? Looks like a perfect little place in summer to have a stop-over…
Cool - I figured it wasnt like over here. I’m not a huge get there an hour early to hit balls before playing, but hitting a few chips and putts to loosen up is nice.
Thanks for the info!
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Doonbeg has a big range with distance markers and flags
Lahinch I can’t remember but I know they used the spare course as the range for the Irish open.
Adare I haven’t played but I’d be shocked if there wasn’t a big American style range
Ballybunion has a range with distance markers and flags but is off mats.
Dooks has two nets
I haven’t played Waterville.
Tralee has a big range
Can’t remember enniscrone and carne having a range
Rosses point has one but is a bit away from the clubhouse/1st I think.
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Filling these in - Lahinch has one across the road, but I have not used it.
Adare has a SICK range with perfect turf. I think it was the only place I hit balls on this trip.
Waterville has a nice range, also did not use it.
Carne has a nice range actually. Enniscrone has one left of the first fairway if I remember right.
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Regarding future Tourist Sauce seasons.
I think Japan by itself would be terrible, at least compared to any of the other locations they’ve done. Maybe they could combine it with other countries in the region and give us a flavor of how “golf” differs between them. (Screen golf in Korea for example.) With that being said, it turns more into AIG, and that’s covered in a different thread. (My reasoning for thinking it would be terrible are mainly covered above. Inaccessibility, drones, length of a round being generally not “touristy”.)
Places that could easily be TS seasons:
- England
- Scotland (so many courses they could still do)
- Ireland (again, so many course they could go to, and still not go to Old Head)
- Alabama, Arizona, Pacific NW, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Hawaii (I could go on with about 15 different seasons just in the US…)
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Japan is awesome but man, if your first trip to Japan is golf-centric, you are doing it wrong. Way too much cool shit to see and do throughout the country. You also can’t tell the story of Japan without spending plenty of time immersing yourself in the culture. It’s doable but you’d have to spend many extra days to do both (golf + Japan).
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I still think they should definitely consider a trip to France, Spain, Benelux, or Italy.
I also think a Japan-only trip could be incredible, but it would require exponentially more planning than any other trip they’ve ever done (getting onto the best courses, getting drone filming permits from various prefectures, hiring an interpreter who preferably is also a golfer, figuring out how to get around the country with golf clubs and filming equipment, and on and on).
Plus, the timing issue with the upcoming Olympics means that Japanese golf is likely to experience another miniature boom a la the 90s and it’s gonna be tough to get on anywhere for a while. It was tough to get on a small course in Osaka during a heat wave this past August, and I suspect it is only going to get worse.
I mean, I would actually love a Japan series. Even if its less golf, seeing them get into some weird shit and navigating a non-english speaking country would be wild.
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Michigan would be sick!
Oakland (post Hanse) Crystal and Kingsley if they can get in, Forest Dunes and The Loop, Arcadia Bluffs and South, any of the DeVries in West Michigan (Pilgrims Run and Diamond Springs are super good)
Maybe a loop around Lake Michigan? You get your Kohlers, Chicagoland, West MI and Up North MI
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I think grouping various mainland Europe countries could work. I don’t think there’s enough density of good courses in them individually, but I could very well be wrong. That’s just an impression.
I guess my problem with this is that, for the most part, aren’t these supposed to show off the courses that us mere mortals can play? Sure some are ridiculously expensive (Adare, Tara Iti), but the chances of me getting onto Tokyo GC are slim to none. I’m sure if they really wanted to, they could make an incredible TS: Japan, but it would diverge from the soul of TS as I see it. (YMMV)
You could make two seasons out of that loop. Kohler, Lawsonia, and SV could almost be it’s own season once the third 18 opens at SV.
Soly knows the warmup ranges, I can tell you the graveyards and ruins.
Ballybunion has a fantastic graveyard in play off the first tee to the right.
Adare has an awesome old church ruin off the 14th green
Tralee has a great, old castle structure off the 3rd hole
Waterville’s Mass Hole
etc etc LOL
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Oh for sure. I think Japan would be one of the few places that warrants less golf, more culture. Shit, just turn it into an Amazing Race type show where Neil and Randy have to navigate around on their own and do hoodrat shit.
Also, Japanese people will definitely take a thousand pictures with Randy because he’s so damn tall. Content for days on that front.
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Ok I want this
They can do a TS Japan season if we also get a Strapped Japan season.
Soly: This time the budget is ¥50,000
Neil: Randy, we’re living like kings!
(cut to Soly later)
Soly: Neil doesn’t realize that converts to about $460, so we’ve actually cut their budget.
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That’s fair, but just given the fact that almost all of Japan’s courses are squeezed into mountain valleys, I don’t think they’d need to play all of the Tokyo GC/Hirono-level courses to hit some really, really incredible golf courses. The trouble is finding those places, getting to them, booking tee times on their incredibly obtuse web pages, and then leaning into the current and going along for the ride.
Waterville has a great range and practice green. When I went, we arrived there straight off the overnight redeye to Shannon and 3hr bus ride down to Wville, so we definitely needed to loosen up before going off 1. Hit the showers, had brunch, spent some time on the range and green, and it was absolutely worth it.
Tralee also has an amazing range where we warmed up during sunrise. View was phenomenal. It’s on top of a hill overlooking the whole course and seeing the place get lit up between swings was unreal.
Doonbeg has a fun little putting course out by the member cottages (it surrounds the big hedge trimmed to spell “TRUMP”). Actually really fun to mess around in. Didn’t hit the range at Doon but it looked pretty standard.
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Despite my original question, your perspective is still very much appreciated (and entertaining) @Randy
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Waterville has a good one i noticed it from the window when on my 3rd Guinness , stout is only warm up i need 
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