Recommendations to set up Ireland trip??

[Jimmy Muratt]

I was hoping for some suggestions for agencies to go through to plan a golfing trip to Ireland.  I'm looking for something around 10-12 days and would like to explore as much of Ireland as possible.  I've read a few posts saying it's much easier for the agencies to get tee times at certain courses such as Ballybunion.  Right now, I'm thinking of a concentration in the southwest but it's awful tempting to head up north and try to get on Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, and a few others!  Thanks for the help!

[Tim Weiman]

Jimmy:

How big is your group?

[THuckaby2]

Jimmy - I've used Wide World of Golf, based in Carmel, CA, several times and they are brilliant.  They may not get you the cheapest prices, but they will get you on all the courses with no fuss.  Give them a try, you won't regret it.

http://www.wideworldofgolf.com/

TH

[Jimmy Muratt]

Tim,

Well, I'm thinking about doing this for my honeymoon so it would just be my bride and myself.  We've both wanted to go to Ireland and she loves Europe so I've been mulling over the option of it for our honeymoon.  If we went I would want to stay in nice places since she'd be with me, I've heard that Dromoland Castle and Adare Manor are both great places.  She doesn't play much golf but I'm sure there's a lot of other things to do and see.

Thanks everyone for the info!

Jimmy

[Tim Weiman]

JimmyV:

I spent my honeymoon in Ireland and did so with a non golfing wife. You might want to consider toning the golf part down, that's all I'll say. However, we both enjoyed the visit to Royal County Down and the Slive Donard Hotel more than a previous stay at Dromoland Castle.

Also, if you do visit the south, you might want to go to Kinsale. I'm not a great fan of the golf course, but Old Head is so spectacular to see that even a non golfing person would be impressed. Also, Kinsale is blessed with several quite fine restaurants and the lovely Blue Haven Inn.

Good luck!

[THuckaby2]

Jimmy - wide world of golf would be perfect for you - trust me - give them a call.  Bill Hogan (President) knows the apres golf stuff probably better than the golf, which is a huge statement given where he's been and what he's done...

Ask for him, tell him it's your honeymoon, tell him I told you to call.  You won't regret it, I swear.

TH

[hoggmeister]

Jimmy--

I went to Ireland last year with my son (golfer) and wife (non-golfer). I made all the arrangement myself and had no problem, with the exception of Ballybunion--even 7 months ahead.

It takes some effort, but I like the planning. I also like to find interesting places to stay --you get some hits and some misses, but it keeps it interesting. I can send you the intinerary, but the one place I would recommend is a small hotel called Ard na Sidhe. The name means House of the fairies and it is a restored victorian house near Killarney and on the Ring of Kerry. It is very romantic and my wife's favorite spot in Ireland. It is almost in the same category as her favorite spot in Scotland, Greywalls. Check out the website.

Peter

[Slag Bandoon]

Honeymoon?  Ireland? Then you must buy and drink mead!
Easily procured on Bunratty Castle grounds, near Shannon Airport.  It's a fun place for shopping and eating. (I waited until last day so I wouldn't have to lug around a bunch of stuff in rental car.)  Enjoy!  

   www.munrohoney.com/mead.htm    

Near Lahinch is Doolin, just 10 miles north, for music and merriment at the pubs.
A great intro for getting into the Irish feel.    

[David_Tepper]

I would also suggest booking the trip yourself. With the internet, faxes, e-mail, etc., it is very easy to get in touch with people half-way round the world and I think you will find the Irish people (especially those in the tourist business) to be VERY accommodating. If you are playing golf as a single, you should not have too much trouble getting out to play on almost any course. The only problem might be if the course you are visiting is booked with an outing or a tournament. I would caution you against trying to cover too much ground while you are in Ireland. While the distances are not large by US standards, the drive times can be much longer than you might imagine. Outside of Dublin there are not many 4-lane roads and there are very few roads that by-pass the various towns and villages. It can easily take an hour to drive 20 or 30 miles.
If you do get as far north as Galway on the west coast, be sure to visit Moran's On The Wier, a very famous pub, for oysters, smoked salmon, brown bread and Guiness.    

[Slag_Bandoon]

 Jimmy, might I also suggest buying and reading Emerald Fairways and Foam-Flecked Seas ---  A Golfers Pilgrimage to the Courses of Ireland,  by James W. Finegan

  He will give you the lowdown (with a wonderful writing style) on the courses as well as many suggestions on castles and restaurants.   He travelled with his wife quite a bit and gives a good balance of golf and everything that surrounds it.  

 I went there 2 1/2 years ago and it was my primary guidance tool.  Just holding the book and reading the index gets me all riled to go back.

 I like the idea of renting a car instead of the group golf tour thing but driving on the left can be unnerving on the first day.  But I doubt your wife wants to hang around a bunch of links addled golfers recounting their daily heroics.    

[Jimmy Muratt]

Slag,

Thanks for the tips!  I recently read James Finegan's book, "Emerald Fairways", and it really is what got me thinking about Ireland.  His descriptions of the courses along with sites and places to stay gave great insight into the beautiful area.  

Thanks to everyone for the advice!

Jimmy

[jack marr]

Congratulations on you wedding, Jimmy. If I was just arranging a golf trip, I would do it all myself. As it's a honeymoon, maybe it would be best to let someone else arrange it to eliminate any hassle.

Co Clare is a great place to go, as it's unpretentious and great craic. The same can be said for the rest of the west coast, although not to the same extent, IMO. Kerry, Galway, Mayo and Donegal are all great places to visit, and the golf is good too. Skibereen and Baltimore in west Cork are absolutely beautiful, too...

This site has lots of castles to stay in if you want real luxury - http://www.12travel.com/ie/accommodation/castles/

On the east coast, Dublin and Wicklow are the best places to visit. Lots of things to do...

All of these places will have great golf courses nearby for you to visit.

Happy New Year

Jack

[mike_malone]

JimmyVA
  I went to the west coast of Ireland with my wife for six days.We stayed only in counties Clare and Kerry.She plays no golf.I arranged to play Lahinch before i left ,but set up Ballybunion and Waterville while there.When i called Ballybunion from the U.S.,they gave no assurances,but when i went there and asked if there was a chance in the next few days they gave me a time.Now i was alone and i think that made it easy.
  I believe the most fun way to travel Ireland is with few plans.We had coupons for B+B's and just went into town with the book and found a place.We went the last few days of Sept. and early Oct.,so this is just offseason.
 We visited castles,etc. when it rained hard and i tried golf when it was nicer.
 We loved the Dingle Peninsula.
  I would add the northwest if i had the days you have.
 You can email me if you want more details,i have been there four times.
 Congratulations and Good Luck.If i had it to do over again ,i would certainly go to Ireland for my honeymoon.My wife loved it.

[Slag_Bandoon]

 Another avenue of planning is at   www.uk-golfguide.com/eire.html   (Links in BLUE blocks at top of page)

   I used it quite a bit for a Scotland trip.   It has some nice features for travellers.

   It also has a forum but is, unfortunately, not very active.  (I've used it and gotten some very helpful advice but had to be patient for replies.)   There are a couple of American travel writers that frequent the forum.

  Also, this is a nice starting point for ideas...      www.ireland.travel.ie/home/

  Have fun.
  

  

[johnk]

Ah, Moran's on the Wier...

Smoky Dublin breakfast cafe, about a decade ago now.  Archtypically large owner inquires about our itenerary. "Cork? ... no, no, no.  Go to Galway.  On the way you must stop at Moran's on the Wier."  Incomprehensible directions follow to an evidently difficult to find location.

Somehow, by accident we did arrive there later that day...

Thanks David, for reminding me of that.

[Michael Whitaker]

Jimmy - Here is an excellent site that will help you with the non-golf part of your honeymoon. http://www.irelandseye.com/

[Doug Sobieski]

To all:

I’ve responded to Jimmy off-line, but wanted to provide some insight into one of the more “custom” operators that originates trips from here in the states. As a PGA Professional, I’m asked frequently for suggestions on whom to work with, and GolfPac’s International department headed by Dave Turley (he’s going into his 15th season sending people to GB & I) has always received rave reviews from the people I’ve sent to him. If you would like someone to put together an itinerary for you to consider, I suggest you rely on his experience. He can be reached at 800-523-0007, or davidt@golfpactravel.com.

I once asked Dave to summarize their business for some members that I was sending his way, and he provided the following:

“GolfPac has been around since 1975 and is registered. We're also one of the founding members of the American Association of Golf Tour Operators, members of the International Association of Golf Tour Operators, members of the National Golf Foundation, and members of the American Society of Travel Agents. Most importantly, we're registered in the State of Florida as "Sellers of Travel."  We always try to advise people to make sure the company they are dealing with is reputable.

”We've had the same group of representatives in the UK since 1986. An airport rep meets each group upon arrival and helps get the group off to a good start. A tour coordinator also contacts the group the first evening (either in person or by phone) to answer any last minute questions and develop a point of contact.  We've found through the years that this first point of contact develops a sense of confidence for the traveler. It also opens up a line of communication that we encourage between our GB & I office and our travelers.  We want our travelers to know that someone's on the ground to help them when necessary.

”When developing an itinerary, we take extra time on the front end to understand what a customer wants to get out of his/her trip. For some folks, it's all about the golf. For others, it's more about the experience of being in Ireland ... the pubs, the food, the hotels, etc. We try our best to understand exactly what they want and then create a custom itinerary (without obligation) for the group to review.  I truly believe it's the time spent on the front end trying to understand what the client is looking for, that separates us from the other tour companies.”

As far as arranging a tour on your own, I know it can be done, but I provide this story. I once had a group of members from my club that utilized GolfPac for a portion of their trip, but also made several of their own arrangements for much of their vacation. Upon their return, their only disappointment was that they hadn’t used GolfPac for the entire trip, because the things that they arranged on their own didn’t match the level of what Dave’s staff had put together.

I apologize if I offended anybody with this lengthy testimonial, but since the value of this forum includes the sharing of information, I hope that my experience can help some of you in the future when arranging a trip to GB & I.

All the best,

Doug Sobieski

[THuckaby2]

Doug:

Golf Pac sounds fantastic to me.

But I can attest that Wide World of Golf has all of that and more, and has been around since the 50's.

I'd say using either of these, or likely any of several other companies that do this kind of thing, will make the trip worry and hassle-free.  Yes, one can plan it one's self, but access to Ballybunion and others would become quite problematic.  Unfortunately these days you gotta pay to play....

Of course given this is a honeymoon trip, just how much golf is going to be played?  

TH