Adare Manor is the antithesis of the links style golf we have been playing these past few days. Immaculately groomed with not a blade of grass out of place.
We arrived and immediately got assigned a caddie who carried my bag to the range, giving me yardages and shagging balls around the chipping green. The little cafe right next to the 1st hole/9th green was a cozy little place for an americano before teeing off and for a scone with clotted cream at the turn.
The golf course itself was perfectly fine, nothing dazzling until the 15th hole or so. Then we get a short par 4 with the river and manor house up the right. Then a full water carry par 3 16th where I put one in the drink. A nice, narrow par 4 17th that I birdied and the signature 18th. The 18th is a par 5 with water up the left and the manor house in the distance. I hit a decent 8iron onto the green that caught the slope at the front and rolled back into the water.
A 3 birdie day, with a few putts lipping out and several greens hit but ultimately rejected; good playing.
After the round Pat told me that as I was playing well and building a good round that the caddies with us (4 total) started to confer with each other to make sure I got the best read possible. What a touch!
| Hole | Par | Score | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 5 | Good drive up the right, 155yds to pin, thinned a 7I that hit the stone face of the stream in front of the green and bounced back into the fairway, wedged to 15 feet, 2 putts |
| 2 | 4 | 4 | Weak slice-y drive leaving 215yds to grean, 3Hy short of green to the brown dirt under a tree, awesome punch 8I to 2 feet, 1 putt |
| 3 | 4 | 4 | Striped a drive, 8I from 150yds that I almost missed completely leaving short of green, 52degree wedge chipped to 2 feet, 1 putt |
| 4 | 3 | 4 | 155yd par 3, good 7I to 30 feet, 3 putts |
| 5 | 4 | 3 | Drive up the left rough but short enough grass, 145yds playing 165yds, pulled a 6I left of green that catches a mound and bounces towards the hole, made the 15ft birdie putt |
| 6 | 3 | 4 | Par 3 185 playing 2 clubs less, pushed 6I right of green, flop shot over bunker to 10 feet, 2 putts |
| 7 | 5 | 6 | Good drive up the left, punched a 4H down the fairway to 125yds, PW to right side of green, 3 putts |
| 8 | 4 | 5 | Big slice off the tee, 225yds in hit 3W underneath another tree, good splash from there to 20ft, 2 putts |
| 9 | 5 | 6 | Ok drive, good 3W to layup, 6I hit well but bounced over green down a huge slope, good 8I punch up the hill, 2 putts |
| 10 | 4 | 5 | Good drive, pure 8I that again hit the green and bounced over, bumped 8I onto green, 2 putts |
| 11 | 3 | 3 | 9I left of the pin, 20 feet for birdie, 2 putts |
| 12 | 5 | 4 | Good drive towards the brown gate, nuclear 3W down the center to 55yds, SW to 6ft, 1 putt |
| 13 | 4 | 4 | Another weak wipey drive to the right, blocked out by large tree, hit a decent fading 3Hy to left of green, mediocre chip to 20ft, 1 putt |
| 14 | 4 | 5 | Pulled drive left through the trees, played it safe and hit 7I away from water onto green but to 80ft, 3 putt |
| 15 | 4 | 4 | Starting a great stretch of holes here, short par 4 and hit a great drive down the left to only 20 paces from green, thinned the chip to 20ft, 2 putts |
| 16 | 3 | 5 | All carry to shallow green, pushed a 6I into the water shorter, re-teed and hit the 6I over the green into bunker, splashed out, 2 putts |
| 17 | 4 | 3 | Good drive up the left side, 165 to pin and hit best 6I of the trip to 12 feet, sliding left to right putt that just drops in for birdie |
| 18 | 5 | 7 | Signature finishing hole, good drive, safe layup down the right to 130yds, hit a non-commited 8I onto the green but it caught the slope in front and rolled back into water, finished with double |
| White | 72 | 81 | Balls Lost: 2 |
Me and the manor house
#5, and birdie number 1
#8, wedge blast from under the tree
Turning the proper way: coffee, scone and clotted cream
Short par 4 #15
Almost to the green at 14
The signature 18th