Top Marks
My wife did very very well with my birthday present again this year. She booked a really nice hotel in the midlands and arranged for my sister and her husband to have our kids. The cherry on top was that she also booked and paid for a threeball at a nearby golf club called the Heritage with two of my good friends who I haven't caught up with in ages. Thats what I want to talk about now, as this is is #SportsTalkSocial, not #What'sYourWifeDoneForYouLatelySocial.
The Heritage Golf Club
As soon as I drove in the gates, I knew I'd like this place, it just has that energy and welcoming feel to it. As soon as you make your way around the corner to the Pro shop, you are treated to a tremendous vista showingcasing the difficult 9th and 18th holes whose greens are both flanked by this impressive and intimidating lake.
Right side of the lake
Left side of the lake
The Heritage is home to the Ballesteros course, Ireland’s only Seve Ballesteros designed championship course. They opened the doors back in 2004 and off the back tees, this track measures 7,319 yards and has hosted some of the world's top golfers over the years. Five or six lakes and a stream meander through the course, bringing water into play on 9 or 10 holes, making it a tough course for the average amateur golfer.
The one thing that struck us all was how playable and dry the course was for a warm November afternoon. They really do have remarkable on-course drainage, making the golf course playable all year round, which cannot be said for many courses in wet and rainy Ireland.
Everywhere you look, there's a nod to the great man Seve and rightly so.
Challenging course
It was a challenging course, but I managed to get around in 35 stableford points, chalking up four pars and one birdie along the way and with two scratches and around 4 lost balls, I was happy to make it to 35 points, which was enough to win me the bragging rights this time. I'll definitely be back to play here again some time without a doubt.
The 19th
The 18 holes of golf and craic were excellent, slagging each other off as good friends do. There were some top class golf shots, some utter shite and everything in between. When we all finished out on the 18th and threw the clubs and gear back into the car, we went into the bar for a well earned pint of the black stuff. The craic was mighty, the Guinness was creamy and tasty and we all agreed that next time we meet for golf, we should make it an overnighter. That way we could have a proper session in the club bar afterwards.
Thanks for stopping by
The photos used throughout this post are all my own taken on my Samsung smart phone