American Visitor in 1960s Brought Fame to Golf in Ireland


Ireland is still a place of castles and thatched-roof cottages. But golf has long been woven into the fabric of the Emerald Isle. Over 400 golf courses dot a landmass that's about the size of Maine.

But it wasn't until the early 1960s that the country was put into the crosshairs of American golfers. To research the new account he had been offered by the fledgling Irish Tourist Board, New York advertising executive John DeGarmo made a journey through Southwest Ireland at that time. The deal was that if he could not come up with a suitable strategy to "sell Ireland to Americans" he'd pay for the trip himself.

After spending a number of weeks driving along the island nation's narrow, twisting roads in an effort to familiarize himself with his new product, DeGarmo landed in Ballybunion.

"In golf there are certain places that send emotional charges through the bodies of avid golfers but few can boast the awesome power of Ballybunion," DeGarmo later wrote in his now out-of-print book, "The Road to Ballybunion - A magical Journey Through the Golf and Lore of Southwest Ireland."

"Carved out of towering dunes, 'Ballybee' is the greatest golf course in the world. As wonderful as Scotland is, Ireland is better."

In 1969, Herbert Warren Wind played Ballybunion and, after a leisurely 18 holes with the club's general manager Sean Walsh, wrote in New Yorker magazine: "Ballybunion is the finest seaside links that I have ever played."

Almost immediately the steady trickle of American golf tourists that had begun with DeGarmo's advertising campaign turned into a stream. When Tom Watson extolled its virtues after winning the Open Championship at Royal Troon in 1982, the number of visitors heading Ballybunion became a flood.

Then came the 2000s, when Ireland and Northern Ireland produced four major champions - Padraig Harrington, Graeme McDowell, Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy - as well as Europe's 2014 Ryder Cup captain, Paul McGinley.

Ballybunion Golf Club has changed dramatically since DeGarmo's first visit. There are now two courses and a palatial clubhouse featuring fine dining and a pro shop stocked with merchandise. The course looks different, too. It's manicured and can no longer be described as a "rough and ready, rabbit warren."

Earlier this year, the local membership voting to remodel all 18 greens on the Old Course, next winter. The goal is to improve the overall appearance, define margins and increase the growth of the native, fescue grasses. Although the course will look more difficult because the playing corridors will appear narrower, it will remain exactly the same.