Was on a zoom last night with my high school buddies (scattered across Canada). Got talking with the other golf nut in the group about golf trips when all of this is done and got talking about Bandon, Cabot and Ireland. He’s played in the North but not the Southwest. I mentioned that I had some content for him. (He was not familiar with the NLU crew.)
Got this message this morning:
ahhh a fellow denizen of offshore destinations… how is the situation in Mexico? Been seeing a lot of news reports saying that not many preventative measures are being taken there, which seems like a disaster in the making… how far offshore are you working? And for how long?
Hola,
Not too much to say …
I was only in Mex City for 4 days before transferring to Villahermosa for a week’s Q-period in a hotel.
Life in MC was pretty much unchanged, i.e. only the odd prepper at the super-market … going for toilet paper and some small gaps on the shelves (pasta, rice and TP).
From what I could tell from the hotel room in VIL, things seemed to slow down a little, i.e. a little less traffic and some more face masks on the street … but nothing more noticable than that.
So, ignorance seems to be bliss … and the Mexicans have no idea as to what could be about to hit.
I am 90mi ENE from VIL on a floating installation … we are desperately trying to finish things off before being swallowed by Covid - in one shape or form.
We already know for a fact that there has been some positive tests for Covid back on the beach. Choppering out in a sanitised heli - with the pilots in full HAZMAT / gas masks was something else.
P.S. Was your opening line taken from an episode of Friends … ?!
You know, now that you mention it, a lot of what I say here could probably be construed as plagiarized from Friends or Seinfeld. But I wouldn’t know, I’m an Everybody Loves Raymond kinda guy.
I’m with Phillips 66 now so no upstream exposure, but the safety measures we’re taking are pretty extreme (even by our normally-draconian way of life at the office…). Not surprised your transport was sanitized.
I’ve heard some horror stories over the years about bad shit catching up to countries like Nigeria and Mexico and the impacts its had on the offshore ops. West Africa has probably generated the bulk of the wild stories though. Wouldn’t surprise me if the enterprising cartels take a cue from West African gangs, get themselves some boats and chains and start making off with unattended offshore rig components.
Wow that is beautiful. Did you get that online or there in person?
Here, presumably. Lots of good options.
https://ballparkblueprints.com/collections/golf
This game was officially moved to Maryland today, because, you know, 2020.
Yeah I thankfully procrastinated on booking stuff, and by the time I was ready, it was March and every sporting event was cancelled for the foreseeable future.
My parents got a full refund on the trip, they were very fortunate there. Other than hurrying up to get passports and IDs in place and such they aren’t out much. I was hoping the game would be at fed ex so I could go now rather than annapolis.
I hadn’t booked flights yet and was planning to stay with friends outside of Dublin so the only money I had in so far was for the tickets. But it is less about any money I might lose and more about losing out on what was sure to be a pretty cool experience.
Looking at future schedules, it seems like 2026 is the earliest they could do it without moving other games which feels like a long way off.
I’m really really watching how the PAC 12 handles this situation and how the conference affiliations play out in all of this. It certainly points toward the NCAA taking more control of power 5 scheduling and play, and we’d surely have to be in that mix at that point too.
On this note I’m looking for the track used for Tralee from around 8 minutes in if @rmattgolden can help?
Also, my first post so hi everyone, I am terrible at golf but have been addicted for a long time.
Anyone have a ballpark idea of how much a trip like TS:Ireland would be (excluding airfare)?
(High season rates, rounded a bit for adding purposes)
Lahinch $285
Adare $470
Ballybunion (each course) $355
Dooks $175
Waterville $300
Tralee $300
Carne $140
County Sligo $225
Enniscrone $175
I don’t have a good estimate on what a driver would cost as I’ve never priced one out, others can fill that in if they so choose (or a reasonable number may be found higher up in the thread).
Lodging - ignoring Adare, I’d estimate at least $100/night, though that can vary wildly.
Food/alcohol - also varies wildly, but I would probably estimate $50/day.
Say you’re doing 8 days and 7 nights, you’re at $1100 for lodging/food/alcohol and $2425 for the golf.
So roughly $3400 before you take into account souvenirs or a driver. Obviously my estimates could be well off on the lodging/food/alcohol sides.
No Old Head?
No Old Head, but I completely left off Doonbeg. You can add something like $250 to the total for that.
$50 for food /alcohol did you forget to put a 1 in front of the 5? more like $150 ,going to Ireland on a golf trip is about visiting the pubs not just the golf haha
That’s why I said “varies wildly”…
I went to Scotland on my own last year. I spent far less on food/alcohol than I would have had I been there on a buddies trip.
So no, I didn’t forget a 1.
I want to give a shoutout to the hand-drawn course map on the Belmullet Golf Club website. Carne is truly a community effort 
It also shows the 3 different routings for the members since all of them changed this year, even the OG Hackett course which flipped its nines “to integrate the playing of the Wild Atlantic Dunes Links which will allow some golfers to play the WAD and some to play the Hackett Links simultaneously without much/if any crossing over or conflict. This hopefully will give visitors the option of playing two different courses which will result in them bringing in more revenue and hopefully staying in the locality for a night or two.”
As a result, the Wild Atlantic Dunes Links is the Hackett 1-7 (10-16 in the NLU video) followed by the Kilmore 5-9, then Kilmore 1-4 and finished by the Hackett 8th and 9th (17 and 18 in the NLU video).
The Kilmore Links is the Kilmore Nine then Hackett back nine (front nine in the NLU video) and could be used on the very odd occasion that the current Hackett back nine needed to be rested or maintenance works carried out on them.
