With the change in plans this week and the weather that came through Northern Ireland, I was thrilled at how everything turned out and was anxiously awaiting what was on the other side of this gate. I didn't have a tee time secured for Royal County Down but was hopeful that things would work out while we were here at the beautiful, Slieve Donard Hotel. This place was incredible, not only in scale but also in service. After getting checked into our room, Kristen and I walked around the hotel and checked everything out. She quickly gravitated to the spa and was quite pleased with what she found. We got her all set for an afternoon of pampering upstairs in the spa tomorrow afternoon after I teed it up at the seaside Ardglass Golf Club. After some lunch over at the clubhouse, I was able to secure a tee time for Thursday morning at Royal County Down. This meant a slight change of plans with the ferry, however, it all worked out. Funny how all of our audibles have worked out so well for us this trip.
It was a dreary and cool afternoon but the rain was holding off so I went out for a quick 18 holes on the Annesley Links at Royal County Down. This was the shorter sister course to the championship links I would be playing on Thursday morning. Kristen was due for some gym time so she was content to chill out back at the hotel. Off I went to the Annesley. Take a look at these pictures of old friends, Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell walking down the fairway from days gone by. Love the history in these old clubs.
As I mentioned before the Annesley Links sits alongside the championship links and offers quite a challenge in its own right. There were countless blind tee shots where you had better pay close attention to the aiming stones or trouble was inevitable.
This afternoon was a bonus for me in getting to play golf here at the Annesley Links. I was so glad I did as it really gave me a lot to look forward to on Thursday morning. We had a low key dinner at The Percy French, the Slieve Donard's more casual restaurant. The food was excellent. If only we had enough energy to hang out long enough to listen to the live music. Not tonight! The weather looks to be good so I'm excited about tomorrow and Ardglass Golf Club. Stay tuned.
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