There is hope for you Brian
 

Nice to hear you are starting to see the light.......... I knew you could do it.

Do I hear an Amen for brother Brian.............

Most courses people are listing are available to play… Pebble, Old course, and most others just require you to spend some $$$ to play, where just a few you need to be a guest of a member. with Augusta National being a national CC, members are CEOs of major corporations that I will never meet nor get invited to play. Augusta is at the top of my list.

If I had to pick one course to play for the rest of my life, Ballybunion would be in the running. It seems to invoke strong opinions on both sides, but I thought it was a great track ... as long as you don't get killed on the access road. The Cashen course is no slouch, either.

Damn ugly clubhouse, though. Trailer park is a nice touch.

But aren’t most of those on your list available to visitors? Which if you lived or vacationed in Ireland, you can somewhat easily get a tee time.

the question to me is a once in a lifetime tee time, Augusta, Oakmont, Shinnecock, Then Country Club.

The Public can play 9 of Golf Digest's Top 10 in the World. Most clubs in Ireland and England allow public play of one sort or another.

"Exclusive" and "Greatest Golf Course" are 2 different criteria.

Not everyone gets the opportunity to play golf on Irish/English/Scottish coast. I get it. Most who have some experience there, come back with a different perspective on American golf courses ... although the Coore-Crenshaw team is doing their best to change that.

I have to admit, the best golf trip with the guys was Sand Hills in the middle of Nebraska. A Coore Crenshaw masterpiece. 18 holes on a thousand acres with the Dismal River running next to the resort so we could go trout fishing. We would play 54 holes during the day. You could sit on the clubhouse porch and hear the golfers late into the day on the course and watch your buddies come in. Caddies for the first 18, walking carrying our bags for the next 18 and then using golf carts for the last 18. Excellent breakfasts, lunches and some of the best beef for dinner. Whistling Straits is pretty cool, but Sand Hills was so unique.

When I was in my 20's, my friend who was consistently shooting low 80's played Pinehurst once. He shot in the 120's and vowed never to play a high caliber course ever again.

Chrystal Downs is nice but Arcadia Bluffs is memorable. Spouse won a Michigan Senior Open at Arcadia Bluffs many years ago.

The family Cabin is in Lewiston, he spent everyday of summer vacation playing Garland. Owner “Old man Otto” was close friends of his father, had Garland Family Membership from day one.

Before there was a close airstrip, spouse and 3 friends would fly up to Garland for weekend golf stay at the cabin on the Twin.

Garland staff and Otto would clear the abundance of deer by running golf carts on a strip of land on property, so the plane could land or fly out. Fun for him scary for me sitting at home.

However Oakland Hills is also his favorite, he was heartbroken the day the club house burned down. Members at the course tried to save as much as possible but not only the loss of the iconic building but memorabilia that can never be replaced.

Article about the number of private jets in and out of Augusta, Georgia last week.

Map shows exodus of private jets from Augusta'''s small, usually quiet, airport after the Masters - Yahoo Sports

You would think they would ride share.

Just for references:
We played Lahinch in driving rain and heavy wind, all 18 holes. . The tour bus group behind us quit near darkness when we were on the 18th hole.

total cost using a local PGA tour guide to get us the courses and dates for our trip:
$500 each with caddies. Caddies were not wearing any rain gear, incomplete cortex development (17/18 y/o) but were like bird dogs and could find our balls on less than a minute no matter where it went. We were completely soaked, every piece of clothing, and by the time we changed and got to town, 7:55 pm, there was only one take out pizza place which had food, and it wasn't that great either. starving at breakfast, which was excellent at the golf bed and breakfast.

however, great stories, as I just played 9 here in MA yesterday in exactly the same conditions. . just with a bit of graupple mixed in for good luck. . . was dressed appropriately (from experience) and made better shots than a year ago on the first day of league play in the sun. . .

An Irish/English golf tour is a once/twice in a lifetime vacation (due to cost) but is very worth it just to play any of the links courses in local weather, extremely challenging, unbelievable views, and the people were always very friendly and welcoming. . highly recommend for anyone looking for a golf extravaganza, and we did it because we entered the lottery for Open tickets and won tickets at the standard rate, or got them very cheaply on line a year ahead of time.

we will go again if we hit the lottery. . .

They did.

The majority of private jets flights into Augusta (or any other venue of that sort), are "unscheduled carriers", with a number of people on-board.

Even the Players "Ride Share" their Jet Time.

On one of my first trips to Ireland to play golf, I went in mid-October. Every day, we played in no more than a light-sweater and not a drop of rain ... except Lahinch.

My GF & I got to Lahinch are 9 a.m. and it was nasty, nasty, nasty. They weren't letting anyone out. Pouring rain & swirling winds. We finally went off around 10:30. By 10:31, we were soaked to the bone. Sun came out around 11ish and we played in a light sweater.

My family is from Doolin. Last year my daughter and I spent Xmas in Dublin & Killarney and headed to Doolin for NYE. Drove past Lahinch on the way (yes, I stopped in the pro shop for a new hat). It was 47 degrees, pouring rain & the wind was whipping. There were people on every Tee Box and every Green we could see.

What was amazing about Ireland is that there are so many people in New England from Ireland with family there. We played a Cancer fund raiser there, and played with two medical professionals, one of whom went to Boston College or Boston University for a medical degree, worked in Boston hospitals, and returned to Ireland to raise a family. We flew over with families spending the summer with parents, I never knew Boston and Ireland were so closely settled until that vacation.

However, Irish castles are no match for English castles. . and although we drove everywhere ourselves, we took a beautiful route home, based upon the recommendation of our boarding house owner. I let CoachK drive it, and she refused to talk with me when we got home. Needed a glass of wine, before she muttered a single word. . . driving on single lanes with two way traffic was not a beautiful country side drive home to her, even though we had to stop for sheep and goats . . .

Since 1885, most every Mayor of Boston has been Irish. From 1945-until Tommy Menino in 1993, every Boston Mayor was Irish. The Irish took back the office with Marty Walsh in 2014.

The roads can be tough in Ireland.