The College of Wooster men's and women's golf teams traveled internationally to Ireland this summer. The agenda featured an 11-day trip, and the Fighting Scots visited places such as Galway, the Burren region, and Dublin. The NCAA permits such international trips by teams every three years. A journal of the experience provided by members of the teams is below.
May 18 – Arrival in Ireland, Travel to Galway, and Cregboy Golf Academy – by Melissa Burtscher '24
After arriving in Dublin just after 5 a.m., we made our way to the Cregboy Golf Academy for some range time and par-3 practice. The location was quite isolated. However, the group had a lot of fun preparing for the six rounds of golf on the trip. While at the academy, we made friends with Mike, the owner, and he invited our group to watch him play live music on Friday night. Many of us made our way to the performance in downtown Galway and we had a great time.
May 19 – Bearna Golf Club – by Eddie Papp '24
Playing our round at Bearna Golf Club was a great way to get introduced to the type of golf we would be playing for the rest of the trip. At the start of the round, it was somewhat chilly, overcast, and very windy. The course was very unique, utilizing elevated tee shots and greens, plus creatively-shaped fairways to create a challenging golf experience. The team played fine for our first Irish golf experience, and we learned a lot for the adjustments we needed to make to play well. We learned how big of a factor the wind is in Ireland, and that we needed to figure out how to play with it, not fight it. Overall, it was a great time and a really good way prepare ourselves for the nicer courses on the trip.
May 20 – Galway Walking Tour – by Tyler Hilbert '24
Galway was originally founded in the 13th century and is known for the numerous festivals hosted each year. The city itself has a small old town feel to it with shops side by side down each narrow street. A few of the more notable locations in Galway are the Spanish Arch and the two Roman Catholic cathedrals. The Spanish Arch hosted soldiers and was often the site of merchant trades, and the Galway history museum is housed just 50 yards from there. The two cathedrals, Galway Cathedral and St. Nicholas Collegiate Church, were both grand and seemingly built with old-style architecture, yet only the St. Nicholas Church has much age as it was built in 1320. Music is a big part of the culture in Galway, and really throughout all of Ireland. Each street seemed to be lined with street performers singing or playing an instrument, both day and night. Songs could be heard in all different directions, although ironically, many songs performed were just older American classics. Galway itself is housed just off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean and is home to around 80,000 people.
May 21 – Burren Region, Cliffs of Moher, and Bunratty Castle – by Maddie Moran '25
On this trip, we played so many beautiful courses, but my personal favorite was all of the sightseeing we did. We explored the world-renowned Cliffs of Moher and Bunratty Castle. Some of us started in the information center to see if there was anything in particular that we should look for or have knowledge of before climbing up the many stairs to the ledges. At the center, we found some interactive activities, a few of which were definitely meant for kids, but the youngest on our team certain enjoyed them. The information center featured a virtual reality tour of the cliffs and O'Brien's Tower, which has stood watch there since 1835. Once we got to the top, it became a full photo shoot, but none of the pictures, and honestly not even the virtual reality, could do the view justice. After grabbing a quick bite to eat in the café there, we headed out to Bunratty Castle. Originally, I thought it would just be a castle, but with it came a whole village of schoolhouses, shops where they still sold handcrafted items such as jewelry and pottery, houses of those who were of a lower caste, and even stables with animals still inhabiting them. The castle itself had many tight, winding staircases leading all throughout to bedrooms and dungeons that were all accessible for visitors to explore and even make their way to the top to see the view from the castle's towers. This adventure was a fun look into what life was like hundreds of years ago in Ireland. Many of us were waiting for the modern life in Galway. We found many shops and cute breakfast bistros in the morning and met many locals with suggestions for fun activities at night including visiting the place where Ed Sheeran shot the music video for his song "Galway Girl".
Being Irish, one of the coolest parts of this trip for me was my last name being everywhere I looked from little keychain souvenirs to the 14th hole at Royal Dublin Golf Club. Even the first day there, the guy working the counter at the course we went recognized my name from my credit card and asked if I was related to the family of Moran's that lived up the road. This was such an amazing opportunity and an awesome experience that all of us are sure to remember.
May 22 – Enniscrone Golf Club – by Ally Siewert '25
Enniscrone Golf Club was founded in 1918 and was the first links-style course we played on the trip. A links course differs from regular courses because they are often by water and feature tall grass instead of trees. I played with alumna Kayla Audette and sophomore Maddie Moran. One of the best parts of this day was having a forecaddie with us on the course. Having the caddy helped us know where to hit our next shot and read the layout of the course and greens. Each hole presented its own challenge and the highlight of pay day was driving the green on the par four 13th hole. During our round we took many pictures, had many laughs, and made many memories that I cherish.
May 23 - Esker Hills Golf Club - by Riley Thorr '23
We stopped to play a round at Esker Hills Golf Club on our way from Galway to Dublin. Esker Hills is the home course for PGA player Shane Lowry. The course was a different style than others we played. More trees and a hillier terrain made it feel a bit more like the courses we play during our own season. We were able to play the round with members at the club, including some very talented young golfers. After we finished playing the 18-hole championship course, we went back to the clubhouse, where we were able to eat dinner with the other golfers. After we ate, one of the young golfers and her friends from school performed traditional Irish music and Shane Lowry's uncle even sang an Irish song for us. In return, one of Wooster's own was asked to sing. Sophomore Sam Norris volunteered, and we all helped him sing "American Pie."
Our experience at Esker Hills was much more than the golf. We were able to meet some great people who made us feel welcome at their club. The manager of the club told us we were the first international group to visit Esker Hills since before COVID, which made the day that much more special for us and them. After our trip to Ireland had been repeatedly canceled and rescheduled due to the pandemic, it was amazing to finally have the opportunity to play some incredible courses and meet people like those at Esker Hills.
May 24 – Royal Dublin Golf Club – by John Varley '24
Royal Dublin Golf Club provided us with a difficult, but fair, test of links golf. The course sits on Bull Island in Dublin Bay, which leaves it exposed to high winds, and that made for a fun day. Perhaps the most interesting part of Royal Dublin is its history. The club is over 130 years old and has hosted multiple Irish Opens. Two European golf stalwarts were crowned champions at Royal Dublin in Seve Ballesteros and Bernhard Langer. Seve won the Irish Open at Royal Dublin in 1983 and 1985, while Langer won in 1984. Royal Dublin has hosted multiple winners of The Open championship, including Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus, Shane Lowry, and Collin Morikawa, the 2021 Champion Golfer of The Year. Of note, Shane Lowry played Royal Dublin two weeks before he won The Open at Royal Portrush in 2019.
We enjoyed our day facing the conditions, the course was beautiful, and it challenged our shot-making ability. The course rewarded good shots with its firm fairways and greens, but also punished our not-so-good shots. Thick fescue and the beautiful bunkering throughout the course made for many difficult shots. The weather was fantastic, and we could not have been any luckier to experience Royal Dublin under these conditions. The staff at the course were so generous and made the experience even more enjoyable. We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to play at such an amazing site.
May 24 – Dublin Sightseeing and Taylors Three Rock – by Connor Mitchell '24 and Jack Donahue '24
Our days in Dublin were full of history and culture. Much of our time in the city was spent in the South Docks region exploring sites such as Trinity College which is located right in the heart of the city. Other attractions included St Patrick's Cathedral, the largest cathedral in Ireland, with its foundation dating back to 1191. After our round at Royal Dublin, we went to Taylors Three Rock for a night of traditional Irish food and music. The restaurant was a really cool building with huge stone walls all around the room we were in. They served a great three-course meal. The man who owned the restaurant went on stage before the performance and told the audience how excited everyone was to be back since they had been closed for two years because of the pandemic. The performance was amazing. The singers were incredibly talented and six dancers were very impressive. They came out off the stage during the performance and started dancing on the tables where people were sitting. There were also two musicians that were fantastic. They played many different instruments including the flute, the accordion, and the Wooster favorite, bagpipes. It was about a two-hour performance that was great to see. Many of us were a little skeptical going into this experience as a lot of the audience was much older than us, but everyone agreed that our night at Taylors was one of the highlights of our trip.
May 25 – The Island Golf Club in Dublin – by Melissa Burtscher '24
On May 25, we had the pleasure of playing at the Island Golf Club. Founded in 1890, the Island Golf Club is a links-style course located in beautiful dunes on the east coast of Ireland. The club was ranked ninth in the "Irish Golfers Top-100 Courses" in 2021. I had the pleasure of playing with teammates Ally Siewert and Maddie Moran. While the course was challenging, we had a ton of fun and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. Ally had the highlight of the round for our group when she drove the green on the par-4 14th hole. Alumni Megan Gronau and Kayla Audette played alongside senior Riley Thorr. Our team enjoyed the breathtaking course and took many pictures to capture the amazing terrain.
May 26 – The European Club – by David Dennis '24
The European Club was our last course we were fortunate enough to play on the trip, and it was my favorite one. We had great weather and the course was directly on the east coast of Ireland. Every single hole was picturesque and offered a unique challenge as well. There were two top-500 holes in the world on this course and it also featured one hole that was a top-100 golf hole in the entire world. Two additional par-three holes are another unique feature of the course, and John Varley almost made a hole-in-one. We enjoyed many laughs during the round and a lot of great memories were made that day that I will never forget.