by It is a great privilege to call this “work”, and our experience in Northern Ireland was the trip of a lifetime. But it is still work. We’ve run ourselves ragged from pre-dawn to midnight sprinting around trying to capture the courses and people, while seeing and playing courses ourselves. My Whoop recovery scores have not come close to green in two weeks. It’s especially hard on Cameron, Matt, and Andy, our superior photographers and videographers. It’s a nonstop rush to maximize each minute of light and every possible angle. You’d think that kind of fire-drill hustle would mean keeping moments of reflection to a minimum. But we were in the kinds of places, and among the kinds of people, that make it hard not to stop and consider what’s around you. To appreciate exactly where your feet are on the ground.
Cameron often referred to a round or seeing a certain course as “restorative.” Rory McIlroy described to us his vivid memory of seeing Portrush for the first time, coming around the turn at the top of the hill, the dramatic vista unfolding below him from the coastal road high above.
It wouldn't be a proper trip to Northern Ireland if we didn't talk to their four-time major champion. Rory McIlroy joins the latest edition of the Eggsplorations podcast to talk Royal Portrush, Royal County Down, and much more.
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— Fried Egg Golf (@fried_egg_golf) March 19, 2024
We were told a story at Portrush on our last day about how Rory teared up in the pro shop ahead of a practice round during the 2019 Open, talking about making that same drive and coming around the corner to see all the infrastructure going up, making it more real for him that the oldest major championship in the world had in fact come back to that place and to his home country. According to the recounting, he got emotional when he saw it coming around the bend, and was still emotional talking about it in the pro shop moments later.
These stop-you-cold moments will happen on a trip like this, and when they occur they hopefully make you consider a few important things. It happened to me daily, it felt like. Little snippets I presume I’ll remember for a long time.
A few of them already branded on my memory:
The corner of the 11th tee box at Royal County Down’s Annesley Links: I’m not sure why this happened here. It’s not the most scenic spot on the property. But we had a moment to wait after a few players jumped in front of us. I went to the back corner of the tee box and looked around for a bit at the sea and all the incredible dunes and golf holes below me. I grew sort of overwhelmed with gratitude for being there.
Few better places to reflect (Photo: Fried Egg Golf)
I thought of getting to play what is sometimes rated the No. 1 course in the world, and getting to do it with work colleagues, as my job. I thought about how in the world I got there. I thought about my grandfather, who came from nothing but dirt in western Ireland, and his sacrifices. And my parents, and their sacrifices, and my co-workers, and their sacrifices, and all that those people had to do before me that led to me standing in that precise spot. The weather was awful, but these settings, their histories, and how they mix with your own personal story have a way of making you stop and take it all in.
The Lost & Found coffee shop, Portstewart: Between the setting looking out over the sea, the quality of food, an excellent menu with something you could eat at any point in the day, the coffee itself, and the precise design in every detail, this is one of the best coffee shops you will find anywhere in the world. We went there three times in two days, sometimes to fuel up, other times for a mental reset. The one moment there that stopped me was when I saw a mom and son sitting in the window, the mom speaking softly to the fidgety kid as they both stared out at the expanse. It was one of many times I wished I had my family with me on the trip to see and do the same thing.
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Reflections both figurative and literal at Lost & Found; you can listen to our Eggsplorations episode with the owner of this shop for more on the place and what it's like to grow up in Portstewart (Photo: Fried Egg Golf)
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Reflections both figurative and literal at Lost & Found; you can listen to our Eggsplorations episode with the owner of this shop for more on the place and what it's like to grow up in Portstewart (Photo: Fried Egg Golf)
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Reflections both figurative and literal at Lost & Found; you can listen to our Eggsplorations episode with the owner of this shop for more on the place and what it's like to grow up in Portstewart (Photo: Fried Egg Golf)
I suppose that was one of the mild surprises. There were many moments I wanted my wife and kids with me, most notably in the Causeway Coast towns of Portrush and Portstewart. There are some “golf trips” to various resorts or parts of the world where that would not be the case. But these towns were so cool and full of life — food and drink, nature, culture, and design — that I know we could have a killer family vacation there for a week (with a little golf mixed in, even.) Come here for whatever you want — that you scored a tee time at Portrush being the most likely catalyst — but I think there are a few reasons I’d do it again. The Portstewart Strand was a charming strip of shops and food that struck a balance of offering plenty to do without feeling like a massive industrial vacation spot. That image of the mother and son stuck with me, along with so many other families we saw. It made me eager to get back to mine, but also made me wish they were there with me in that place having their own memorable time.
The 17th tee Castlerock: We got a sunny blue day at Castlerock, and after playing some great linksland holes that run along the dunes and a ridge, you get to a peak on the 17th tee. On a clear day, you can see three countries — Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and Scotland — and we did. These Causeway Coast courses will all have these spots: the 1st tee at Portstewart, the 5th green at Portrush, and so on. Good views should not carry the day for a course, but if they provoke an extra moment of gratitude for where you’re at, then all the better.
Jammed in the corner of the Harbor Bar: It was one of the few moments I was not engaged in conversation at this legendary spot, the virtues of which are explained most precisely by Dr. Joe in our Eggsplorations episode. The Harbor Bar is a place that retains its authenticity despite the fact that a ton of tourists probably visit. But that night it was all locals in rugged, scaled-down spot, which has served these locals in pretty much the same fashion forever. It was our last night in Portrush. There was live music. Everyone was locked into conversations with said locals. And I caught myself just scanning the room, which you can do in a couple seconds given the size of the place, feeling grateful for the co-workers I’d spent the last 10 days with on this trip. Everyone was exhausted, but they looked happy and energized for one final night in Portrush, feeding off the conversation and the music.
A final evening for the Eggsplorers. (Photo: Fried Egg Golf)
These were just a few instances when I stopped to look around on this trip, moments where I’ll remember where my feet were and what I saw. You don’t have to travel to Northern Ireland to create these stop-and-reflect moments. They happen in many places, but I can confirm they happen here in abundance. For me, the stop-you moments to think about where you are and how you got there are the most valuable thing I’m taking home with me, more than a hat from the Portrush pro shop or a t-shirt from Royal County Down. But those are also pretty sweet.
Previously in this Journal:
A guide to Newcastle, home of the oft-ranked No. 1 course in the world
Rory’s Holywood hill and what it says about where our golf stars come from
Also on Northern Ireland:
