Goin' Golfin' in Ireland

By: Jeff Shelley

This missive is the equivalent of the old "Gone Fishin' " sign posted on storefronts throughout rural America. This one, however, has a more appropriate twist for our website.

From May 8-18, your faithful editor will be on a golf trip to Ireland with the boys. While I'm away, our staff will make periodic updates to the content on Cybergolf.

I'll try to provide golf and travel news from outposts in the Emerald Isle. But unlike the Guinness taps in the Irish pubs, I can't guarantee that the online hook-ups and our schedule will cooperate. Just expect new entries for Jeff's Journal upon my return.

Our adventure begins in Dublin, where we play three golf courses. Then a short flight to Kerry will take us to the west side of the country, where four more links await. We'll have our mettle tested at such traditional and modern classics as the European Club, Island Golf Club, Portmarnock Old, Ballybunion Old, Waterville, Doonbeg and Lahinch.

In between golf rounds of most certainly varying levels of success will be side trips. Highlights promise to be the scenic drive along the Ring of Kerry, and dinners at Nick's Restaurant and Bar in Killorglin and the Black Oak Restaurant in Doonbeg - both ranked among Ireland's best eateries.

The hosts for our trip are Jim Bocinsky and Kevin McGrath, proprietors of Irish Golf Experience (www.www.irishgolfexperience.com), a travel company with home bases in Sammamish, Wash., and Ireland.

Since I've already kissed the Blarney Stone during a previous trip with my wife and daughter, I hope that that volubility will serve me well in conveying tales of the Auld Country when I return. Until then, I wish you well.

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