Boards Golf Society (Final) Mount Juliet Estate (24th Sep 1120 -1240 hrs)

Time sheet will not go live now, tomorrow evening.

Blue note you will be able to register. In top 30...and won an event...

Again people who can't register in first offering...don't panic unlikely all will go who are offered a place...

I'll post more info tomorrow...

Will possibly fill from top 40 ...but will open up fully on Monday and then stick yourself on waiting list.

I've also asked for 4 more slots .

Boards Golf Society Final

A final introduction. (The start of the long goodbye)

In 1988 I went to my first Irish Open in Portmarnock Golf Club and I was hooked. After this childhood discovery of our wonderful game. I found my golf experience frustrating and slow, I had no real way to play real 18 hole golf. The exception was to take a club from my dad’s rarely used, old leather pencil golf bag – or there was always a guy with a persimmon 3 wood in the local field. These original 3 or 5 or 7 woods, were full of mystery and legacy, they were handed down from fathers and grandfathers and almost impossible to hit. There was always one local legend kid, who could hit them right, with speed and the compression required – the distance the ball could go, would make your jaw drop and your young eyes could see how far it went – but perhaps true distance is a function of age and memory. Also, these balls were the small ones, with the rubber bands inside – you would find that out, with a pen knife in hand. A very dangerous childhood hobby – cutting open golf balls. Many a cut to the hand resulted to see what was inside.  

The first 3 or 4 years of my golf were played in fields, on soccer pitches, back gardens. There was an eventual progression to Pitch and Putt and Par 3 in public parks – and then on to the dream golf playground of childhood and working class northside youth, Deer Park. That was a dream place for the young golfer with dreams. I can still remember the views – as my father (R.I.P.) would say “ This is heaven on earth Son”.  His whole earth was on this Island only. “There is no country like Ireland”.  

 I was completely self-taught (with slight direction from my father – who himself was also self-taught), I was never a member of a golf club – and it was trial and error – the objective of golf for me, was to hit the ball as far as possible and this was basically my game for 25 years. Some might laugh who know me now and say – “still is Fix!!…

Like many things in my life – I loved the challenge of getting better- but mistakenly, I tried to do this alone – later in life, I reluctantly learnt that, whilst there is a great satisfaction in self-achievement. It can be wrong, it can be slow, and it is ultimately lonely and unnecessarily stubborn.    

The Irish Open moved to Killarney in 1991 for two years – and I was disappointed – at a time when golf was engrossing my mind – The Irish Open was off in a place I could not get to – my “Ma” or “Da” never drove a car and Kerry was like another country.

My Father and Mother seen that I had a natural talent for hitting a golf ball – the loving ambitious parents they were, they brought me to one of the more upmarket golf clubs on the Northside – the incumbent captain took one look at my clothing “jeans” – and said, we could not let him in here. The joys of golf in the 90s in Dublin. It was a sort of a death moment for my early golf, any hope of ever playing golf right was evaporated by a golf snob (or in fairness, club rules), it solidified a need to do things alone – it probably caused a bit of a chip on the shoulder about golf – well golf clubs.

By the time the Irish open came back to Mount Juliet in 1993 – I was older, still loved golf – but disappointed with the lack of opportunity – I was still playing in the likes of Deer Park and another infamous place on the Northside near Ballymun (Silloge Park). They were great places, cheap – but they were never golf clubs in the real senses.  There were hours of queues and uncertainty of a game. “A 2 hour wait for St Fintains” – was the famous Tannoy call in Deer park. It gave me putting time on a putting green with one of the best views in Dublin and it gave drinking time for my Dad – “Heaven in Dublin”. 

In 1993 – Myself and my father set out on a fairly epic journey to see the first Irish Open in Mount Juliet – if you can get your head around this – it was a train to Thomastown and a walk from there to Mount Juliet, yes, a walk. When we eventually got to Mount Juliet – the grounds were extraordinary – you entered a world of wealth, horses, a stunning estate, the river Nore – both my father and I were in shock. What a place…him a man who liked a punt – could see thoroughbreds in their natural environment.

When you got inside and seen the place even more – it was other worldly – the scale of the place – the condition of the fairways , the size of the trees and the estate – the wealth and glamour , an Ireland that seemed to be waking up to another life and exiting the dark ages of the 80s. I was genuinely blown away – my mind was opening up to , why can’t I play on a course like this, why can’t I have a life like this , why can’t I dream like this , I guess I can try……

I felt physically and metaphorically outside the ropes – I wanted to be inside the ropes.

We had an amazing time at that Irish Open – the glamour and stature of Faldo (physically, mentally and he was a true world star) – the crankiness of Montgomerie – I could be merging years here , but I do recall Monty getting a hole in 1, winning a car and was still miserable with everyone – after our epic walk, not even owning a car , the disgust in my father – a man born between the canals (LOL).

The years went by – and I still chased various sports and team sports, but in the back of my mind golf had a deeper place – it was past a sport – was like an escape. But it really wasn’t a sport I had any access to at the level I wanted.

Eventually – I got into the work society scene, friends golf and a distance membership. I still loved the game – but I’m not sure golf has much of a place in life, for most of your 20s anyway. Your working on your “career” – your working out how you want to spend the rest of your life and most importantly – with who.  Your trying different sports and hobbies and discovering things you never knew about – be it new sports – arts – travel – life and love.

Fast forward 10 years – and I had a great Job – a great family. But I seemed to be missing something – there seemed to be something I couldn’t put my finger on. I for some reason at a subliminal level, returned to the golf clubs. It was only when I started to actually try get better that I realised, I wasn’t ever good at all. I could hit a ball naturally well – but there is a massive difference in that and actually scoring in a round of golf – a massive difference.

I was looking around the internet – trying to find ways to improve in golf. There was YouTube and at that time – forums were massive. I hit Boards and there started a golfing journey to dream of. I suddenly wasn’t waiting for my friends to play golf. There were similar people out there – that wanted to play and wanted to try understand this game at a way deeper level. The access I was unable to achieve as a teen – was suddenly out there – without judgement – or class. There was a different set of rules – almost no rules (a problem at times too). That chaos of the forum was simultaneously brilliant and disastrous. But within the noise and chaos, there was amazing information and opportunity – and people there to help you and be an anonymous advocate, coach and mind coach.   

I got involved in the Boards golf society and met a few guys who wanted to play year-round and play the top links courses. The opportunities I never had, seemed to open up (thanks to users) – I was for once moving inside the ropes (metaphorically), not looking in from the outside.

I played amazing courses and played some good golf along the way – a few rounds in the low 70s – a few hole in ones and a few days that will not leave you. But most importantly, I seemed to find that thing I was looking for – something that was unfinished , unresolved, a regret.

So, as we hit the final event of the year – I’m delighted to return to part of that 30 year + golfing journey. I used to be terrified, excited, but insecure entering the top courses, but I’m now in a different space and point of my golfing life. I can only thank Boards and the Boards golf society for playing a massive part of that internal resolution and discovery.

I can say for certain now, that golf is my “Heaven on earth”.  

Did you read that, that quickly - lol