Singing in the rain at Rosses Point on 249

Posted by Jamie on 14 September 2010 | 0 Comments | Tags: Rosses Point, Sligo, links, Ireland, Mount Falcon Estate, rain

Maureen at Mount Edward B&B fixed us a hearty breakfast to get the ball rolling in the right direction.  Porridge was once my nemesis (it might�??ve had something to do with the fact that mum & dad would use the phrase �??back to porridge�?� at the end of the school holidays, arousing disgruntled emotions in the subconscious ever since when I hear the word), but now I�??d rarely go for anything else given the choice.  After having guzzled down a trifle bowl of fresh grapefruit, followed by a good old fashioned dollop of sticky porridge (no Bushmills sadly, but probably a good thing �?? at least I�??d managed to stay away from the Famous Fry Up), I was thoroughly replete and ready to take on the rain gushing down through the air outside.  Sadly the time had quickly come to move on from Maureen�??s place; a shame really, because it felt like we�??d just arrived.  It was a shame too that we didn�??t see the views from the place on a bluebird day too, because you could just tell they�??d be mind boggling.  However.  Life marches swiftly on.

And so, 15 minutes or so later, we pulled into the car park at Sligo Golf Club �?? otherwise known as Rosses Point.  To say it was raining would be akin to saying there�??s a bit of water in the Pacific Ocean.  Torrential doesn�??t quite cover it.  To be sure though, we�??d had a grand soft day at Murvagh the day prior, so it didn�??t come as a huge shock to the system.  Just a wee splash.  A very fine gentleman by the name of Jim Robinson �?? the Head Pro �?? was kind enough to loan us a couple of umbrellas for our foray into the monsoon; as it turned out, they may as well have been constructed from tissue paper, because the rain was a�??comin�?? in sideways and hard.  Very quickly we just accepted we were going to get saturated and then embraced our fate.  Keith the Assistant Pro took a �??before�?� snap of us outside the clubhouse, while our clothes were still the colour they�??re meant to be.  There was an air of inevitability about it all...

Right from the outset �?? off the 1st tee �?? I found myself in a fairway bunker, which proved to be a sign of things to come.  I can�??t quite make out whether the course is very cleverly bunkered or whether I was just plain reckless (and/or could hardly hold onto the club); in any case, I got plenty of practice.  Standing on the 3rd tee I said to Mike, �??I reckon on a normal day this would be a pearler of a view�?�; sadly on this day we could hardly see 5 feet in front of us, let alone far off mountains and beaches.  I have it under good authority though that that view is in fact one of the best you�??ll see in Ireland.  Gorgeous spot.

By this time Jim had come back out again, this time in a buggy.  Given the calamity he was insistent that we take the buggy for the remainder of the round, in the hope that we�??d keep dry enough to at least be able to hold onto the club.  Not only that: Jim also took us back into the pro shop and generously kitted us out with a couple of rain-grip gloves.  Though they�??re black and thus look somewhat devious, the things did the trick �?? opening up a whole new world to me that was hitherto unexplored.  Rain-grip gloves...who knew?  Anyway a huge thanks to Jim for this gesture of kindness �?? it certainly helped our golf.

Which, by the way, was still rubbish.  Ha!  For several reasons though I wasn�??t a bit bothered.  First, it was something of a matter of survival in the conditions.  Second, and more pertinently, it was a pleasure to be playing such a quality golf course �?? the elements notwithstanding.  Even in torrential rain and a biting wind, we were aware of Rosses Point�??s calibre.  Holes like the par 4 14th or the nigh on impossible 17th (which I somehow managed to escape from with a par) were memorable.  As was the little par 3 13th.  Y�??er man Tam Watson apparently has a notion for the 14th �?? perhaps not surprising given it�??s a real ball striker�??s hole (a good drive and a 3 iron in the wind we had).  Though the Watsons and Nicklaus�?? and Players and Palmers of this world appear to have 6326 favourite holes each (at least, according to the clubs), they do on the whole appear to have good taste.  I remember back on Day 71 at The Dunes near Melbourne, reading a plaque commemorating complimentary comments Mr. Watson had made about the rather fierce par 3 17th hole.  At that time it felt a real rarity to be playing a hole that a Great of The Game has singled out as being of particular virtue.  In the 180 or so days since, we�??ve been fortunate to play one or two more such holes, the novelty value having worn off ever so slightly.  That doesn�??t change the fact that the 14th at Rosses Point is class though of course!  

One of the more endearing memories that sticks in my mind was the list of hole names etched on the scorecard.  Like �??Metal Man�?� (the 3rd), �??The Jump�?� (number 5), �??The Chum�?� (8), �??Cast a Cold Eye�?� (the 9th) or �??Christy�??s Farm�?� (the 18th).  You could write a whole book on the interesting stories behind hole names, if indeed you had the inclination or the time.  My favourite to date has been the 7th at Cruden Bay - �??Whaupshank�?� �?? although the collection at Sligo would be up there.  The little things in life...

It was such a shame that the sun didn�??t burn down on us, because �?? forgive me if I sound like a broken record �?? would�??ve been something to behold.  Thus no photos (at least no sparkling panoramas).  However.  The good people at the Golf Club have put together a photo gallery which you folks should check out, to whet your appetite.  Do so here.

Donal ran the show inside in the bar / restaurant.  Donal was a character, of the type you tend to meet on a regular basis in Ireland.  He�??d chat the ear off you and keep chatting to the ear once it was off.  To further endear this tremendous man to us, he brought out a couple of the biggest and most plush filled baguettes You Have Ever Seen.  Seriously.  I nearly died with euphoria.  Hell, if you go to Rosses Point and get rained off �?? not everyone Has To play golf when it�??s pouring �?? do me and yourself a favour and have a baguette.  You�??ll thank me for it afterwards.  

At this point we had nowhere to rest our heads for the evening.  (What�??s new?).  The B&B hunt was about to commence.  But.  A Fairy Godmother in the shape of Alan Maloney appeared from nowhere.  Well, he didn�??t appear, as such �?? rather he was on the other end of the phone.  Alan had read about our adventure in The Irish Times and wondered where we were staying.  It was a happy coincidence that 1. We hadn�??t organised anything; and 2. He�??s the proprietor of a big old country house, Mount Falcon Estate, which was smack bang on our route.  Happy days.   So Goldy�??s gone downstairs after ordering his lunch, to take the call; and reappeared with this propitious news.  I love it when a plan comes together.

We didn�??t know what to expect, truth be told, and really it would�??ve been hard to imagine that Mount Falcon was as opulent as it is.  Alan along with his brothers and a couple of investors got together and bought the property 8 years or so ago.  It was developed at a cost of the GDP of Australia over the next couple of years, then opened in 2006 (some 130 years after it was first built).  No expense was spared.  They�??ve done a fabulous job of preserving the original stonework, some of which is left naked within the dining room.  

Alan�??s curiosity got the better of him, so he joined us for dinner downstairs; and what a feast it was.  Every now and then we�??re fortunate enough to have a flash of luxury, which is all the more satisfying and appreciated given the moderate existence we tend to lead on the road.  The lows sharpen the highs.  And this was one of those highs.  A starter of quail (which I�??d never tried before), a ribeye of beef and a chocolate fondant go down a real treat when the night prior we�??d had fish and chips.  

Alan�??s good company was a tremendous match.  He�??s had an interesting path that�??s led him to where he is now, and I�??m sure �?? given the hands on role he assumes at Mount Falcon �?? that many a guest have been entertained and intrigued by him since 2006.  Plainly, an affable chap with a good story or two.  The kind of gentleman it�??s quite easy to while a few hours away with, without once checking your watch.

Mount Falcon then was a truly pleasurable experience.  The staff were kind enough to do our laundry for us overnight; the pool & spa facilities provided a welcome distraction to golf for a moment or two; our twin bedroom was so big that we could hardly see one another from our respective beds; and the food, well, I�??m sure you can guess.  After a very wet game of golf The Gods really must have been smiling upon us, for Alan to come across our story in The Times.  Maybe they took pity on me after all the fairway bunkers I�??d visited at Rosses Point...!

Thanks to Jim, Donal & co at Rosses Point for being tremendous hosts, and for allowing us the pleasure of (half)-seeing your glorious course.  Can�??t wait to return in finer conditions and witness it in its full glory.  Thanks also to Alan & the team at Mount Falcon for allowing us to live as kings for a brief moment in this manic odyssey.  Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.....

JP