Practical Planning

The Caddie

A quiet guide to what a good Irish caddie is actually worth, and how to hand it over without a speech. Written for American visitors who do not want to underpay and do not want to look uncertain doing it.

The Bag

The honest case for arriving in Ireland without your own clubs. Where the good rental sets actually live, what to budget, when to reserve, and why, for most first trips, renting is the calmer decision rather than the compromised one.

The Clubhouse

How Irish members' clubs actually dress, why the conventions exist, and how to walk into any clubhouse in the country feeling quietly at home rather than quietly out of place.

The Freight

When shipping your clubs to Ireland genuinely improves the trip, when checked baggage on Aer Lingus is still the honest answer, and how to arrive at the first tee at Ballybunion feeling rested rather than logistical.

The Ballot

How American groups planning an Irish golf trip should think about handicap requirements: which clubs typically ask, how to plan around a mixed-handicap fourball, and how to avoid the one conversation nobody wants to have at check-in.

The Budget

The real, line-item number for four days of serious Irish golf: green fees, caddies, hotels, the car, the dinners, and the pints. Written for Americans who want the true figure before they start the group chat.

The Walk

The decision every American golfer gets wrong before the first tee in Ireland: who or what carries the bag. Where buggies are not allowed at all, where a trolley is the smart call, and where the caddie is the whole point.

The Solo Round

The quiet art of getting on Ireland's great courses as a party of one. Which clubs welcome the single, which times to ask for, how the pairing actually works, and why the solo round is often the best round of the trip.