Fresh off St. Patrick's Day, here's the next Ireland update. I played Doonbeg Golf Club, which is owned and operated by Trump Golf. I have several observations, both about the golf and how this golf course is viewed / treated by folks:
1 - It feels different. This is hard to articulate, but the Trump brand has a certain, real or perceived, opulence and east-coast (of the US) old-money, private country club vibe to it. The resort on property, the clubhouse, the restaurant, the service and the overall feel is that way, which is fine, but frankly, a little "fish out of water" in the charming, friendly and welcoming arms of the Irish, especially those on the west coast. So, to be frank, I felt a little strangely out of place or strangely enough, in America, when I was at the resort before and after my golf round. To many, this feel will be an attraction, to me it was a bit unexpected/ uncomfortable.
2 - The politics. My son and I watch a certain famous golfing pod-cast group that, among other things, do a golf travel series, which is absolutely fantastic, except for this one thing: one of their first ones was to Ireland and they spent half of the Doonbeg review hinting at politics and "not being able to separate" the golf course from their dislike for the owner. To be clear, I'm not very political and I have no allegiance to the owner at all. However, I'd just like people stop posturing when it comes to these things. If you want to make a statement, don't play the golf course and put your money where your mouth is. If you're going to play the golf course, then treat the golf course separate from it's owner and enjoy it or not on it's merits. Stop mixing and matching your supposed political convictions and actual activity Americans, it comes off as disingenuous, especially when you're just making money off it (hmmm...sound like something somebody else would do?).
3 - The golf. I'm sorry to put this third, but the golf course is actually pretty good. It's not top notch compared to some other Irish gems, but it has many memorable golf holes, some good views and a solid challenge to it, even from shorter tees. On a standalone basis, if one can ignore the above two items (and a pure golfer should) then it's worth the trip, as long as you can afford the over-priced tee time (my only real complaint).
1 - It feels different. This is hard to articulate, but the Trump brand has a certain, real or perceived, opulence and east-coast (of the US) old-money, private country club vibe to it. The resort on property, the clubhouse, the restaurant, the service and the overall feel is that way, which is fine, but frankly, a little "fish out of water" in the charming, friendly and welcoming arms of the Irish, especially those on the west coast. So, to be frank, I felt a little strangely out of place or strangely enough, in America, when I was at the resort before and after my golf round. To many, this feel will be an attraction, to me it was a bit unexpected/ uncomfortable.
2 - The politics. My son and I watch a certain famous golfing pod-cast group that, among other things, do a golf travel series, which is absolutely fantastic, except for this one thing: one of their first ones was to Ireland and they spent half of the Doonbeg review hinting at politics and "not being able to separate" the golf course from their dislike for the owner. To be clear, I'm not very political and I have no allegiance to the owner at all. However, I'd just like people stop posturing when it comes to these things. If you want to make a statement, don't play the golf course and put your money where your mouth is. If you're going to play the golf course, then treat the golf course separate from it's owner and enjoy it or not on it's merits. Stop mixing and matching your supposed political convictions and actual activity Americans, it comes off as disingenuous, especially when you're just making money off it (hmmm...sound like something somebody else would do?).
3 - The golf. I'm sorry to put this third, but the golf course is actually pretty good. It's not top notch compared to some other Irish gems, but it has many memorable golf holes, some good views and a solid challenge to it, even from shorter tees. On a standalone basis, if one can ignore the above two items (and a pure golfer should) then it's worth the trip, as long as you can afford the over-priced tee time (my only real complaint).
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