An Emerald Odyssey: In Search of the Gods of Golf and Ireland

There are many ways to uncover the history and culture of Ireland. Paul J. Zingg was beckoned by the golf courses and finds them to be a magnificent blend of landscape, history, mythology and mystery. Coastal Ballybunion, Portmarnock and Royal County Down echo Ireland’s isolation, and their severe, elemental nature can lead one to invoke heavenly assistance. Near Waterville Golf Links, Staigue Fort speaks of early invaders and the mass rock below the twelfth green recalls Penal times. It was the Black Watch Regiment who brought golf to Lahinch in 1892, where the goats have acted as a barometer. The Killarney Golf and Fishing Club has a stunning combination of setting, history and natural history, where the tenth hole is called ‘Heaven’s Own Reflex’. At Druid’s Glen in Wicklow at the twelfth, among a grove of sacred oaks, are the remains of a druid altar. In contrast, Mount Juliet and The K Club represent what money can do to the land. Along the way Paul encounters the spirit of Eddie Hackett, first Irish golf architect, Christy O'Connor Snr, the caddie Chuckie O'Connell - a lost ball ‘is captured by the gods’ - and Pat Ruddy, journalist and course designer. This journey through Ireland’s landscape and culture provides a fresh perspective on golf in Ireland and on Ireland.