We have been looking forward to today for a while, now. Several days ago, Fred said that he had a tee time booked at Beaufort Golf Club, about 15 min outside of Killarney. We couldn't resist joining him, and it was a nice treat since we had been sidelined for several days.
The weather was absolutely perfect! We have had very few of these days, so we would take it! Beaufort Golf Course was surrounded with views of the mountains such as Carrauntoohill (the highest peak in Ireland), 15th century castle ruins, with several trees dated more than 200 years old. The fairways were lush and green.
We arrived in plenty of time to check in at the club house, gather up our club rentals and balls, and do a little putting and pitching before our 11am tee time. We also learned from the manager that the course was closed the last three days, due to so many damaged trees and the need for clean up after the recent storm (from when we were in Caherdaniel). We could still see evidence from the storm along the course.
There wasn't an official starter or marshall on the course. When we got to the first tee box, a foursome came along and said that they were "society" with an 11am tee time. We assumed "society" to be a group such as a league, but it seemed odd that the times would be double booked. I should have listened to my inner voice and called the clubhouse right then, but we accommodated and readied to start after them.
Wrong. Another group came along. Same story. Then another foursome who said they were the last. By now, we were 30 minutes past our tee time. Thankfully, no one else was coming up the cart path. The stall was enough to make you lose your flow, but Bill managed to pull out a birdie on the first hole!
Speed of play wasn't a great priority for the lads in front of us, but we tolerated. We took our time and enjoyed the beautiful day and the fact we were golfing in Ireland. How awesome is that?!
While the lads were digging their balls out of downed branches on the side of the 10th hole - a par three, this sweet creature danced and dove around me for a couple minutes before landing on my arm. Fred was quick with his phone to get a picture.
We were on a time crunch. We had dinner reservations at Cronins for 5pm. It was now 3pm and I had called for our taxi to pick us up at 3:30pm. We wouldn't be able to finish our round.
At the end of the 15th hole were the castle ruins. What a beautiful background to play against. Squinting into the sun, we captured another memory. That was our last hole. We scooted across and came up the 18th fairway to find the first group of lads just finishing.
When we returned our gear to the clubhouse, the manager asked about our round. She was shocked that the lads were still out since they should have been finished an hour ago. Turns out, they played us and were nearly an hour late for their own tee time. The manager made it right with us, though, and returned half of the green fees and club rentals for each of us. She was some turned off with those lads.
On our taxi ride back into town, we drove past the statue of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty. This is the official starting point of the Kerry Way.
After a quick clean up, we walked the short distance to Cronins, in downtown Killarney. This is a busy restaurant! The only availability here, over the weekend, was at either 5pm or 8pm. They didn't serve Guiness 😱, so Fred and I shared a bottle of Malbec. Bill stuck with his beer.
What an enjoyable day!