Masters Picks Locked In & Ireland’s Wildest Links Golf - Full Program Golf Podcast #30

Episode 30 of The Full Program Golf Podcast is here - and it’s a big one.

On the eve of the greatest tournament in golf, we lock in our final picks for The Masters and break down who we think will be slipping on the Green Jacket come Sunday.

We then dive into Josh’s recent adventure along the wild west coast of Ireland, where he took on some of the most remote and rewarding links in the world. From the towering dunes of Carne to the raw beauty of Enniscrone, this is rugged, untamed golf at its finest - true bucket list territory. The trip also included a stop at Trump Doonbeg, sparking a comparison with our recent visit to Turnberry. Josh rounds out the Irish recap with insights from past rounds at Tralee and Ballybunion - two more heavyweights that live up to the hype.

To close the episode, Stevie brings things back home with a hidden gem in Sevenoaks - Knole Park. Set within a stunning 1,000-acre medieval deer park, it’s a unique and beautiful course that perfectly caps off a globe-spanning golf conversation.

Masters picks, world-class links, and a touch of hidden local magic - this is one you won’t want to miss.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome back, full programme golf podcast with me, Josh Conlan, and as always, Stevie Mack in the studio. This is episode 30. Who'd have thought we'd have got 30 podcasts out of us and plenty more to come? Today we're going to be previewing the masters. What a week of golf! As well as just clipping off a couple of those nice trips that we've been on and talking a bit of golf across the UK and Ireland. Let's get into it. Stevie Stevie, how are you doing? Joshua, my dear friend, how are you, good sir? The sun is out, it is shining on us. And uh you know what? I feel like we always start with the sun and the weather, but so we should. We're in England, we don't get it. I'm feeling good, the sun is out. How are you? Yeah, I'm good. Yes. Uh beautiful day today as we record this. And I think, you know, we we wanted to say spring had sprung the last couple of weeks, but I think officially spring has sprung. There's some uh greenery on the trees, it's a bit firmer underfoot, and it feels like golf season. The clocks have changed, that's always a big one. Competition season's underway. I'm on the golf course at 10 past seven tomorrow morning. It's a sign of things to come, it's a sign of the summer. I can't wait.

unknown 1:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:25

I was able to um clip off first comp of the year actually yesterday, and and you know, a post evening round, you know, post day, full day, evening round of golf. First one of the year, feels great. Um I will say, and I have to say, to bring it back to the resolutions that we made at the start of the um start of the year, it was the first club throw of the year. Uh we got to the eighth, we got to the 7th of April, and we uh yeah, I I actually went whole hog. I cobbed the four eye uh the sorry the 50 degree wedge um quite a good distance, took a bit of a branch out, and then this is sparted the bag, you know, when he like full on like boo right into the middle of the bag and just sent that one going. So I gave it I gave it some good beans to be honest. Um we've got out of the system, we start again, it's like you know, like Alcoholics Anonymous, how many days sober have you been? I'm back to this is day one. I am Josh, I am a club thrower, and um great to meet you all. This is day one of my journey once again. Oh well, no, okay, lots to unpack there. Let's let's settle into this one. So, first of all, disappointed. I'm disappointed myself, but I've got to bring it out. You got you got to April, but it was your first real well motherwell, real your first competition round of the year. So if you could argue the first really meaningful competition, uh round, sorry, and and the club's gone. So um, you know, restart, come back, better, stronger. I believe in you. A little bit. Um, what hole did the throw happen on? Just I just want to just experience the potential build-up pre-throw. Yeah. And you know what? It's a hole that I've got previous with. It's a hole where I've snapped my putter on, it was the sixth hole. Um I started, you know, I didn't start well. I um I didn't hit many good shots. Um, and I got to the sixth, and I'd still not really hit a shot, and I'd finally put it down the middle. Um and I had, you know, 138 yards in, hit a 50-degree wedge, expecting it to be uh fine. And I just as it came out, I was a bit of a piss missile, really, and just sent it straight over the green, pulled it a bit as well, and knew it was left and long. And so that was where the um the club toss went. And then didn't hit a very good chip. I actually was trying to get too cute, chubbed it a bit, pitched it on, hold the pup for my bogey, and that was when this is Sparta came out, and I just fully just middle of the boot, middle of the bag. So you could argue there were two separate occasions, but I thought, you know what, we're on that same hole. Um, after that, there were no more club tosses. I I realised the error of my ways. Um, the golf was heinous. I'm really excited to have my first lesson of the year, which is why the golf was heinous, because I've not been paying attention to the game. Our boy Sammy Truman, friend of the pod, been on the pod. I get to go and um just go to the guru tomorrow and I can't wait. I can't wait. I have let myself down, I've let the viewers down, I've let the listeners down, I've let you down, um, but back stronger. Um and we we will remember them. Uh we will we will be back, and I'm not gonna throw another club for the year. Can I can I ask? Well, what was it just kind of, you know, was it the were the the goals that we set just not forefront of the mind and the the the miss came and it happened, or as you were doing it, did you know you were breaking the promise that you made to the loyal FPG listeners? I knew I was breaking the promise. Yeah, uh the club could have gone every hole previous. So I I'd actually I'd argue that they were they're they were the reason it got to six. They're like that is that is what it was. It was it wasn't the first occasion, and and you know what? Over a longer period of time, I've been you know, a bit like Happy Gilmore, where you you start like you start the club throw and you stop yourself. Oh no, he's gonna stop. I've had a few of those. So it wasn't it's not come out of nowhere, but it will not happen again. That is my commitment here on the 8th of April. Well, good good luck to uh Jan Truman tomorrow. I think that's what we'll we'll uh we'll leave leave that on. Yeah, he's gonna need it. It was all appalling, appalling, yeah. Nice. Well, I'm I'm now three lessons into my little block, my little improvement block that I'm putting into place. And um it's looking good. I've put I've put a couple of swings on video, which I feel like are some of the best visually I've seen in this 14-year journey that I've been on. Haven't spent a huge amount of time out on the course, which does worry me slightly. So I can't remember exactly the the goal that I put with something about practice sessions. I've actually had quite a lot of practice sessions, but I'm probably not marrying enough course time with it. So out tomorrow morning, as I said, and um the hope is that miraculously we're just better all of a sudden, which it's never quite worked like that, but you can dare to dream, can't you? So uh yeah, Stone Market Golf Club, 7.10 tomorrow. Let's see what we can do. Love it, absolutely love it. Um that's a look. Thank you very much. All right, let's let's get into some golf. So last week, final tournament before the Masters, the Valero. A couple of things that immediately spring to my mind from it. JJ Spawn, absolutely no interest in him winning events, so good for him. Great eagle on 17, I think it was, and and and good that got the job done. But um, yeah, doesn't really do much for me. I thought McIntyre looked really good, fell away, didn't he? Um, was it was in good position, but as we'll move on to, do like him going into the Masters as a lefty. I know he doesn't fall into all these stats that we've been seeing, but um good to see Bobby Mack with a bit of form. Aberg again, up there, falls away on Sunday. So, all in all, it was one of those ones that I can't say I I watched a huge amount of it, and it was um, yeah, just the kind of almost like the bye week prior to the big one. Yeah, I think there's always a couple of good stories there in the Valero because there's people playing the hearts out for that last spot. Now, I was I was very surprised, and I believe I'm right in saying this, that they had they had to win. It wasn't just there is a spot available and the top finishing non-masters entrant gets in. That's not the terminology I was looking for, but you know, like I was looking at Matt Wallace, and I like Matt Wallace. I like that he also has heads off on the golf course. Um, and he played his heart out, and I actually thought he'd got the winning score when he got in at 16. I thought, you know what? Hats off, especially when Spawn bogeared 15. Um I thought, brilliant, he's gonna be in the Masters. And then obviously he didn't go on to win it, Spawn went on to win it. And I was they didn't cover in enough detail that that means he's now not in the Masters. Because I was like, does he is he still in? Like he's still the top finishing non-masters player. Um but no, interesting he didn't. I think I agree with you in many ways, JJ Spawn's not the the most riveting winner. But wow, he likes to hit just drive a green and make Eagle when it matters, doesn't he? He did it on in the US Open at 16, didn't he? Without I think he made Birdie in the end there, but hit an unbelievable t-shirt. And then to go Birdie Eagle 16-17 to take it by one, he's pretty good nads. And I I've got you know, you've just got to go. He's seized his bollocks and he's just done it. So fair play. Uh fair play. So I like that. I like that. You mentioned Bobby Mack. I I don't know, I think his dress sense just kills me. Just kills me. I can't get behind him when he just wears the worst night kit you could possibly find in the catalogue. So, like, okay, yeah, whatever. Doesn't particularly float on a boat. Auberg. He just he's just gonna become a serial second placer, the way I'm seeing it. And it's a big early shout. Is he gonna go in the Shane Lowry camp, earn lots of money, have a great living? Always gonna be light, perennial underachiever, albeit I'm sure he'd happily be in the Shane Lowry camp and take an open. Yeah, yeah. Well, yeah, I wonder if you asked um Ludvig right now, you were like, you get to win the open, successful Ryder Cup player, a couple other wins here and there, and that's your career. Do you reckon he'd sign off on it? I mean, you've got to, haven't you? He probably wouldn't because that's how he's got to that level. I mean, all of them have got to have elite mentality to be as good as they are. But you've got to. It's a seriously good career, you know. It's a it's a really, really good career. It's he's an open he's a major champion. I think you take the major out of it. No, you don't take it at all. But he's a major winner. Throwing all the hole-in-wands he's got at all these different places, you can have those as well. Winning, winning take. I don't I don't think he would, but I think he should, because I think in the end he'll win less. Yeah, no, I agree with you. I actually listened to him on the four-play pod, uh, and he actually came across like a really, really nice bloke, Ludvig. I was just like, he really like elevated himself in in my in my world, and so I really am pulling for him a little bit more now. Uh, really enjoyed the story of his mate from Sweden came over to America. Uh, good golf would grew up playing together, and Ludvig and told him that they were going to play Augusta on the Wednesday, and on the Tuesday, his mate was like, Oh, like we got a free day tomorrow. Like, do you think we could maybe get a game of golfing somewhere? And he just turned to him and was just like, Yeah, it's actually already booked playing Augusta National. Could you imagine? That is sensational. That would be unbelievable. Yeah, Bobby Mack. Um, Bobby Mack is the least Nike Nike athlete I think I know of. Yeah, and he's always been Nike, isn't he? I just I don't really I don't really see that marriage at all. He looks like I'm trying to think, he he's the kind of person who'd be sponsored by Pringle. You know what I mean? Just like pretty, yeah, just like average old school golf brand. I feel like that would be more the making. Um, but as I said, and I think we can segue uh quite quickly into I know listeners will probably be listening to this either during or postmasters, but it's it's the Wednesday here for us, so we're gonna have a little dabble before it all kicks off. I've kind of been ignoring the the left-handed success, Augusta, and not really paying attention. You know, we've thrown loads of names out, we've had lots of stats being fed our way in the last couple of weeks. But when you think of the lefties in the field, I think it would be silly to ignore them as a collective completely. Keen for your thoughts. And the history suggests that they're gonna be right in the mixer, aren't they? Um, you know, Mickelson, Weir, Bubba all don't Bobby Mack not won it, but he's finished top 10, certainly top 15, because I know he finished high enough to get an invite back a few years ago when he was not quite as high as he obviously is now. Um how do I think they'll get on? Off the top of my head, Bobby's the highest ranked left-hander. There's no Philly Mick in the field. 16 to 1, Bobby Mack is. I think that is if any if anyone is taking him at 16 to 1, give your head a wobble. Like you're a joke of a better. Like it's an appalling better 16 to 1. You know, you've got Tommy Fleetwood 16 to 1. He's a different calibre of golfer. And even that at 16 is probably not that much. And it depends on what your sons are, right? I mean, if you're spending big money, then crack on. But the mill gambler. Have you got the odds in front of you then? I do, yeah. What what's just just just fire off some you know, top couple, then maybe just a couple of a couple of interesting names of note. I'd love to. Um, so as expected, favourite is Scotty Sheffler, nine to two. Then you move to John Raum at eight to one, and then McElroy and DeChambeau at nines. So then you sort of we'll we'll do the top. I know that's four players, but we'll do the top six, because then they're different levels. You've got Xander Shoffley at ten, and then Ludwig at eleven, which I think again is crazy, crazy short for a guy who is a cash machine, but and you know what? Each way, yeah, maybe. Okay. Cam Jung at 16 is better value than Bobby Mack in my book. Justin Rose is in at 16 now. I mean, I I actually I've got some money on JR, obviously. Obviously. I've got some money on JR. I've got JR at um what have I got him out? What have I got my boy at? There with me. As I find him, I've got him at 22. I'm feeling good about that. Feeling good about my boy at 22. We've got about the boy. Um, some exciting names. I've actually I've actually got a few bets on myself. So let me tell you where I've gone. I've used a bit of the stats that we had, and then just a bit of a feeling in the gut. Yeah, that's a feel in the gut. You know, it could have been something I ate dodgy last night, but I felt it in the gut, and I just wanted a few of them. So um you better you better I've got a few. Like I've I've I've really dabbled across the pen. So many will say Matt Fitzpatrick at 14 to 1 is too short. I would agree with them. Have I got money on him? Yes, I have, because I'm enjoying it. And I like the narrative that that brings. JR at 22. I got Colin Morikau at 22. He's just he's he's statistically the best iron player in the world right now. I got Patty Reid at 25. I like Patty Reid. It's just I don't know how fit is Morikau, that's the question. Yeah, and that's why you can't put him in the in your in your four for the for the sweep state we've got, which we'll get on to as well. I said it on the last pod. I've got Nikolai Huygard at 40 to 1. He will finish inside the top 15. I said it on the last one. I'm doubling down, he will do it. I've got my boy Sepp, just vibes in a way, just proper vibes in a way, 45 to 1. He's got a terrible record at the Masters, though. Ah, has he? Because stats-wise, he's up there, isn't he? He kind of ticks a lot of the boxes. He's right in it. And then I've got three more, and you could argue I've got half the field at this point, but I've not got a lot on, and I'm just enjoying it. I've got Alex Norrin at 100. Wow, like that. I've got Sergio Garcia at 125. Like, I'm not being funny, he's won there each way. Just worth a dabble. And then I've got Corey Connors, 45s. Corey Connors doesn't know how to finish outside the top 20 at the Masters. He just doesn't. He's gonna be thereabouts. There you go. Pick out of that one of 65 playlists that have could win. Like it. Well, I was gonna ask you for your three top picks, not necessarily the the ones that your heart's crying for, but the ones that your head's asking for. Um and so there were some heart and head ones within there. Maybe if you just strip back and go, look, you know, take the person out of it, take the where they're from out of it, like what who who are your three top picks? It I I I like value because I'm not putting enough on to go for I'm gonna answer that with how I picked the I'm gonna go four if I may. I'm gonna answer that with how I picked the sweepstakes. So we have a sweepstak, uh, one of our our dear friends, Kurt, puts it on, and it's you've got to pick a golfer data golf, top one to ten rank data golf, 11 to 20, 21 to 40, and 41 plus. So there's quite a nice variation, and with it being data golf, you get the live the live guys on there as well. So I went in the in the top one to ten category, and the reason I'm using this as the example is because I think it gives a couple of it'll give a couple of runners and riders and then a couple of maybe maybe outsiders. Um so I've gone John Rom in that first camp, that first category. I think he's just been playing great. I I think he's right up there. I've gone um Bryson in the second camp because again, I feel like that's almost a joker. He should be in the top 10. If he's not, it's a bit of a it's a bit of a bonus to be able to nibble him alongside Rom. But I did fancy Mara Coward, but again, to your point, how fit is he? Who knows? In the third camp, I was going Rosie, but I do think he's good. I think it I I do think now at 14s, I think that's a little bit short. I think at 22 is it's a decent value, but unfortunately that he'd already been taken, so I've gone with Set, which I don't hate, at 45. I think I said I got him at. And then in the fourth slot, 41 plus, um Patty Reed, loves Augusta, knows Augusta, and actually he's pretty short at 25, but I think it's a pretty good value. And not out of the four, but I've called him out, and I'm gonna say it again: good value at 40 to 1, Nikolai Huygard. Nikolai Huygard. Love it. That's right. The the onus is on me to get this pot out early enough so people can get these these gems that you're what you're you're spitting on the on the mic. Yeah, I think I agree with you completely. I think Rahm is the favourite. I think he is playing the best golf right now of the big boys in the world, and so he is my pit if I had one. I love Patrick Reed. He was on fire at the beginning of this, you know, only a couple of weeks ago, really. When you look back uh on the DP World Tour, one at Augusta, mad for the moment. I think he's a dark horse, and then I'm going to give you one other name that hasn't been mentioned. Um, I was listening to Kevin Kisner speak about his picks, and he says, Jordan Spith is playing really, really good golf at the moment. He's just not holding any parts. However, he knows the Greens and Augusta. He can get round that golf course, and so don't be surprised if the jacket is being slipped on Speith kind of out of nowhere on Sunday. But he's 28 to 1 short. I just thought I'd bring up the odds as well and see where that was. But yeah, hey, he'd be he'd be a pretty popular winner, wouldn't he, amongst quite a few people? Yeah, um outside of the actual go. I'm I'm not sure there's you know, with McElroy and the Grand Slam done now, we've got no tiger playing, you know, is he gonna make the cut and all that? What's what's the narrative of the 2026 Masters, other than the fact it's it is the Masters? I I'm not really sure there is a massive one, and I'll be honest with you, I think the biggest narrative going into this week is this is Frankie Fleawood hitting the green tonight? That that is the question that is on the on the top of my top of my brain and on on the tongue, end of my tongue. Is he gonna do it? Uh I'm I'm sorry to say, I I couldn't care less. Uh yeah, it just doesn't do anything for me, that sort of stuff. Um great if he does, if he doesn't, what a shame. Do you watch the partering? It'll be on in the background. Some years I do, some years I don't. When it got rained off, I think it was a couple of years ago. Before that, I watched them all. And we got rained off, Champions League football tonight. I'll probably put the Champions League on. It's just the way it's dropping this year. Um I'll probably I'll probably I'll probably catch it, have a look. You'll have a dabble. I'll have a dabble here and there. Yeah. I'm uh yeah, it is it's it is what it is at this point, isn't it? Like I don't really get it. Like no one wants to win it, and it's just it's the old boys just trying to clip it to try and show you they've got it still, but they inevitably haven't, and someone who finishes in the bottom third of the tournament wins it every year. Final thought for it, which I thought was really interesting, and I just couldn't believe this is the case. So um, Champions Dinner was last night. I read that the past winners have the option to order off the like standard menu alongside the menu set by the champion. And I just thought that is absolutely bizarre. Could you imagine? I I would feel so rude if whoever champion throws on a menu and you're just like, you know what? I'm okay, and I'm just gonna order the cheeseburger. Burger off the menu. Like, I just I couldn't believe that that was an option. It really made me laugh. That is wild. But you know, if Bubba Watson's serving up that absolute was fest that he tried to put in place, you know, almost out of a lack of thought that's gone into it, I'd be like, you know what, mate, I'm gonna order the burger off the menu, not have your burger or whatever the difference was. Like, you can do one. Um he he served the same menu both times as well, which is just crazy. Caesar salad, grilled chicken, and I think it was like confetti cake or something. Confetti cake, yeah. Whatever that is, and I was just like what I learned, what I learned today, yeah, this morning, was that the past champion picks up the bill. So yeah, I didn't know that. I always wondered uh who who picks the bill up, how is it? So clearly Bubba just wanted a cheap bill to pick up. So he's at tight. So uh whereas Macaroy's gone pretty whole hog, hasn't he? I still think the best menu was Matsyama's. Well, it's unbelievable. Matsyama's good. I think the Texan menus are always pretty good. Um Rom Garcia's were good. Um, yeah, that's definitely I I just thought Macaroy's was pretty solid this year, uh to be honest. But yeah, his will probably be the most expensive. I think Matsyama's was the most expensive to date. Yeah, but imagine we've got McElroy. Yeah, I think with the wine, McElroy will probably nudge that. But uh yeah, Mike Weir said he could have spent over 20 grand on his in back in 04. So like I think they're I I do think this though. Like, if you're in the field with a chance, like Ram, for example, like how talled up are you getting on a Tuesday night before the Masters? Like, that is quite close to uh to game time, isn't it? Yeah, I think you're having a couple of glasses, aren't you? And you're just leaving it like that. Um, there's no Miguel Him and Miguel Angel in there just pop quaffing his Rioca and uh cigars on the side. No, obviously, DJ, did you see the video that came out from DJ um today, I believe, again it was um interview. He's tweaked his back. And they're like, Oh, how have you done it? Was it swinging on the range? And he was like, No. They were like, Oh, oh, was it was it um, you know, picking up the kids? And he was like, Yeah, we can call it that if you want. Yeah, we'll call it picking up the kids, and made it so obvious that him and Paulina have just been going at it and he's done his back. What a great guy. Just enjoy it. Hey, I'm you know, love love that for him. What I don't love for him was the black tie on black shirt look underneath the green jacket. Like, I'm sorry. I'm actually sorry. That is there were some bad shirt tie combinations out there, but like that was by far the worst. That was that was criminal and actually should have lost his spot in the Masters for it. Uh, the other one that I thought was criminal, and actually he's been mentioned on the pod. And if Spith is in with a chance of winning, he should just be DQ'd. The purple on purple was also just not open. Yeah, yeah, no. Anyway, what a week it is. Masters week. We're here kicking off tomorrow, uh, and I can't wait. And hopefully it's a good one. Like if it can be even close to the drama of of last year, that'll be unbelievable. And obviously, we're crossing fingers, Justin Rowe's winner. And if it can't be Justin, Fleetwood will be fine, but um, either or I think. Right, we've got some golf to chop up. You are just back from the Emerald Isle, and we I want to hear all about it. Yes, and um gotta start by saying, as you know, a lot of listeners will know, the golf is just sensational. It really, really is. The the hospitality that accompanies the golf um is is also phenomenal. The Irish, the Irish hospitality, um as good as ever, really fantastic. Um, so yeah, I was staying with uh with obviously my girlfriend whose family are in Westport. Great, um, great town, very good fun. Actually, one of those towns that quite a few stags go to and Hendus and go to because it's really fun. There's lots of pubs, lots of, you know, right on the west coast, County Mayo, um, right in the middle of nowhere, really. Um flying to Nock Airport, flying to Nock, it's about 45 minutes from there. Uh Island West Nock. Um, and that is, yeah, you're probably saying you're about two and a half hours to Shannon, which has the US flights into it. So you're north of Shannon, you're north of Galway. So you're sort of in between where we've coined the the Wild Atlantic Way south and the Wild Atlantic Way North when we think about where we've we've got those loop inspirations on the on the FPG page. Um so being in the middle of there, I thought, you know what, I've got to go and try a little bit of both. So yeah, managed to clip clip off three different courses. Um Carn, Eniscrone, and then um Trump International Island, formerly known as Doombeg, in that order as well. So uh I want to start again by saying what just sensational, like really, really good. You've obviously got Doombeg is down in the in the southwest, much closer to your trillies, your ballied bunions, right in the mixer with it's not far from a dare, you know, you're right in that camp of tribe-tested known venues that people are travelling for. Carn and Ennisgrown are right out on a limb, they're on their own. Um, they as I mentioned, it was it's about it's it's probably a good two and a half, three hours from a dune beg by car. Of course, they've all got helicop heli helipads, lots of ability to helicopter around. We can sort that. Um, what to do? Not there yet, are you? No, not there yet. So I didn't need to be. Yeah, I didn't need to be. I was based in the middle, so I was popping either side. Um right out on a limb, and what that gives it is the that feel of the it's almost that unpolished diamonds, you know, that you get better value, they're it's not as expensive because they're still it's almost like what I would anticipate the Trilise, the Bally Bunions to have been 10-15 years ago, in that there's phenomenal value, but the golf is still just sensational. They've just got to entice you in because they're so remote. But part of that remoteness is why they are so good. If I start at Carn, if I may, and I'm gonna talk in order um with that, and this is a bit of a monologue, but I just want to go on because I can't explain how good that golf course is and how good the golf in general of the three I played was. You know, I'm just starting looking at my notes of carn. It's the ninth ranked golf course in Ireland, Republic of Ireland. Um it has the largest dunes in Europe, and right from the get-go, it's it's three nine holes, so really interesting. And Fiona was phenomenal there, um, the general manager there. She was fantastic. I want to give her a shout out because the the hospitality there was sensational. Told me all about the backstory of uh of Khan, how the Wild Atlantic Dunes course was created, and and they they previously had the um the famous course architects Hackett, something hack it. They've got the Hackett course, that's ended up being nine, and they've now got this Wild Atlantic Dunes 18, which every hole you are just rapping through these different dunes, you can't really see other holes, and you've just got these steep banks on the side, you've got views of the sea. It was and and it got crazy windy, crazy windy, but got a blue sky day, beautiful condition, other than the wind, which you can live with on a Lynx course, right? I can't recommend it higher. I messaged you, didn't I? I think I was about three holds in, and I was like, holy shit, I think I might have a new top five golf course. Uh that's how good it was. It was it was so good. So I've not been over to the West Coast, so it's my understanding is yeah, the dunes are much bigger, it feels kind of wilder than it does in Scotland. 100%. Yeah. I would say it's you know, you've got the English links courses that are the flattest, I would say. You've then got the courses that I've played, and I haven't been up to Aberdeen, you know. I've played Dornet further up. I haven't been to Aberdeen where it looks like there's some real pretty big dunes and good mount, good good area with there. But my experience of golf in Ireland, having been on Tralee, having been on Bally Bunyan, and now being on Carl Mennis, going Doom Beg, is that yeah, the dunes are just bigger, the landscape is just more spectacular. And as a result, the vistas are sensational. We've said it before, big vista guys, the golf courses are brilliant, the hospitality is fantastic, as I've mentioned, but these courses in particular were a little bit wilder. I would say Doom Beg, not so much. It's a Trump course, it's manicured to perfection, even at the end of March, early April. Um, they're hosting the Irish Open. I'll I'll get onto that uh there, but you can tell that that's a course that's styled slightly differently than the Khan and the Ennis Groans of the world. But yeah, a little bit wilder, a little bit more um severe in their drops and slopes and dunes and just an all-round phenomenal experience. Love it. Um so Khan, how how far away was the drive for to get to Khan? Like, you know, and maybe if you're you're in a a central location coming on a trip, like where how far are you actually having to go to get to Khan? So from from Nok, I'd imagine it's about an hour and a half. Um what I having chatted with with the owner there, a lot of um lot the lot of the people that that are going to Carn, and you know, what we're seeing is really it's a you'd play Khan, you'd play Enniscrone, and then you'd probably head north up towards your Narin and Port News, your Rosa Pennas, your Bali Lithings, and you and you'd you'd move it there. But you're talking a still still a good to carn uh to Enniskrone, sorry, you're probably talking for an hour, call it an hour, but then you're looking at a good two and a half, three hours to then get yourself up to Rosa Penna. So it's a it's a really good drive. Um, and and that's why they have it has to be sensational because it is out in the middle of nowhere. Um as I say, I I can't recommend enough that that the drive is worth it. Get in the coach, get the heli if you if you're lucky enough to be on the heli uh and just put yourself there because it's so worth it. Love it. Alright, so hit us with a bit of a course and a three P's rating. So I think if I played the course in the summer and it had been in slightly better, like summer conditions, it was still on the edge of winter, they had to have the greens a little bit longer just because of the s the wind. I mean they they called off the medal on day. Like it was if they call off a medal there, you know it's humming wind. Um so I'm gonna give the course a four and a half, but I think it's a 4.7, like just in the four and a half, but like right up there. I loved it. I thought it was sensational. Um they the Pro Shop, the Pro Shop's cool, it's right under the dunes and it's kind of cut into the hill, so it kind of looks weird. It's really cool, it's nice in there. Um great kit, great merch. I don't love the logo, but I think the logo is it's good. We'll get on logos when I get to Ennischrom because wow, that might be the worst logo in golf. Um, but I like I it's okay. So the the Pro Shop is is decent enough, and then they've got full grass range, they've got a short game area, they've got an extra nine holes that you can go and play as well, even if you just wanted to warm up. So I have to say that the four P's are probably a solid four again. So you're talking a really highly ranked place, hospitality is sensational. The patio, they've got both indoor and outdoor benches that overlook the um the 18th, the 13th, and the first, and indeed the first of the other nine. So you can just see the loads, and you can then have dunes, and then it's like fairway cut between the dunes, dunes again. It's it's a really impressive setup, it really is nice. Um, the bar stays open as long as there's people in it. Like just great things like that, you know, just what you expect when you go into Ireland. You want to sit there and drink Guinness, you can sit there and drink Guinness. You want to go outside and play some more golf? Crack on, go and enjoy your golf. You want to go to the local, local bar restaurant, they've got it all set up. It's just a great place. Um I loved it. I thought it was brilliant. Amazing. That made me smile. We we've got a group out of South Africa at the moment, and they're stuck. They were staying in a relatively small kind of boutique hotel in George, and uh they ended up paying a fortune to the hotel, being like, here's some money, keep the bar open until we go to bed. None of that in Ireland, it just happens. Yeah, they're happy to just keep taking the money. Amazing. All right, as well. So I mean, Khan's now firmly on my list. Like, you've definitely sold me the dream, you sent me some pictures and definitely rolled me up about that. So that was your opening gambit, really strong start by the sounds of it. So let's roll into to your second course. Yeah, so then I moved to Enniscrone and again want to give Keith a shout-out. Great bloke, um, really welcoming again. Um, the whole team there were lovely, and you get a nice little goody bag. You know, that was that was one you know, you know, when you go to you know we went to the Ailes and we got the nice goodie bag of the course planner and a little memento, and got that in Enniscrone, which was lovely, and you got a little bag tag that's like where it is in Ireland, like really nice, really good. Um, I've got to start on the logo because I've got to start with the bad stuff, and then I just want to rave about it again because it's sensational. But the logo is the worst logo in golf. I said might be, it just is, it's horrific. Um, it is a rainbow over a piece of land. It's go and look at it. Please go and look at it, check it out, I'm sure it will be on the front of the video. It's it's heinous, it's heinous, and everyone will look at it, and I have absolutely Oh no, I'm not being that. Yeah, have a look. It's it's appalling. I don't mind here and there, but for me, it's great, it's it looks like a rainbow flag, like an LGBTQ plus sort of thing. Absolutely fine as a as what you're doing, as a as a movement. Doesn't need to be a golf club logo, it's just quite an odd thing to have. I think so. I think it's appalling as a logo. You know, you think about minimalist designs that you want, and it's giving clip art. It really is. It's appalling, and actually, as a result, they had some nice kit in the shop that is just ruined by this clip art on your left chest. You just like, I can't go near that stuff. So they gave you a nice bag, but it's got the logo on it. And I'm like, well, I don't really want the bag, thanks. It's not nice. Anyway, enough about that. Moving on to the course. Sorry, I just because you know we we just posted out about logos the other day on Instagram. I was trying to think about it, and I think America is way further ahead of the UK in terms of having good logos. Now, is part of that because a lot of the clubs are newer, and so they come at it with a slightly more refreshing point of view, and they get a designer in and they get it done and they do it properly, and they understand the value of having a good logo. Maybe some of these golf clubs have just been sat on these logos for 150 years, and so they don't want to update them because it's part of the history. And so if that is the case, I suppose I'm not gonna let them off, but I at least can understand for certain point of view, like what hand they've been dealt here. So it'd be interesting to hit know what the backstory is. I'm just you know, yeah, like if it is a rubbish logo, but like is it has it always been this rubbish logo? And so would be changing it just for commercial gain, be actually not really in the spirit. So I actually because of how bad it was, I had to say to Keith, I was like, what is with your logo? Like, thanks for having me, but what on earth are you doing? Like, it's that bad. And to be fair to him, he just went, Yeah, um trying to change that for a while, it's just been here forever, can't get by it. So he knows, he knows, bless him. That's quite funny, yeah. Even the GM knows it's not the best. But when we then get to the golf course and we start talking about what is like worth going to, oh wow, what a golf course. I mean, you know, I mentioned Carney's number nine in Ireland, Ennis Crone is number 13 in Ireland, so we're talking two courses that yes might be a little bit off the beaten track on their own, so worth going and taking the time and going to play them. You know, the the quote that Shane Lowry said, and it's it's on their course power is the best course in Ireland off the beaten track. And I don't whilst I don't quite agree with him because I do think Khan just just tips it, and that's my personal opinion. I thought that the golf course at ESCRA was sensational. I mean, you start off with this this dog leg right part four with the outer bounds on the left, which is then the range that people don't love in terms of out of bounds, but on the right, and and then it goes sort of dog leg right into a dune that then has an amphitheatre for this path four, and then you go into the second, and you've got part five, sort of snake goes left, goes right, kind of bottlenecks in, so you kind of have to lay to a chute and go up through then third path through, and they're all through these dunes. So you just start, you just start on this like outrageous set of holes. You just go, oh my god, this is gonna be a joke. Now, the reason I don't quite think it's as good as Khan is that Khan had these really um beautiful holes through the dunes throughout throughout the 18 on the main 18. The other nine slightly less so, but that's not what we're ranking, you know, that's just an added nine. And don't get me wrong, Enniscrone also has another uh nine holes that you can play just on the side, and so all of these places you could spend a full day at and really enjoy it if you were going off to be attractive to go there. It's a full day experience. But Enniscrone between the 5th and the 11th goes away from the dunes. And whilst they're okay holes, there's a there's a couple like five is okay, six is okay, but then you're kind of like seven and eight, you could be anywhere, they're a bit poor. Nine and ten, you've got then the sort of the um this the river comes in and you've got a bit of water on your left, and you're kind of on a bay, and it's it's okay, like it's cool enough. But so you've got six holes really there that aren't as good. You know, you you've got a third of the golf course is not as good as two-thirds. So you've got one to four and electric. Giving like wallacy vibes almost, where you've got exactly yeah, very similar to that. You've got albeit there's more in the dunes at Enniscrone, and the dunes are bigger. But yes, exactly that. You've got the the drop-off in the holes at Enniscrome was more than Khan. Like the bad hole at Khan was still like a good hole, whereas the bad hole at Enniscrome was just average. But then from 11 in, it's just electric again. It's just outrageously good. So you've got you've got 12 holes that just go, wow, this is outrageous. This is such a good test. Great combination of tough par five, easy par fives, long par threes, big drop-offs, short par threes, drivable par 4s, tough parts like it's got everything, and they're all cut in between the dunes. You've got dog leg left, dog leg rights, a couple of straight work, like everything is tested. It's brilliant, it really is brilliant for for the most part. I could only say I can only say it's worse than Khan because it's got a few weaker holes. Nice. Alright, well, that's how does it check out on the numbers? I'm gonna give it a four and a half, so I know it's gonna come out the same as Khan. Look at the end of the day, it's 13th and Ireland, it's still brilliant, and it and it really does warrant a visit. Where Khan's a 4-7, this is maybe a 4-6, a 4-5-5. You know, it's it's a ru it's still above the 4-5, but we're talking we're talking halves, don't we? So that's where it's at. Um in terms of the club, the three P's. Three P's, I'm gonna give a three. I've full practice facilities, great practice facilities, um, nice grass range, really good short game area, patio's decent. But I've actually knocked marks off for the logo, so it's getting a three. It could have even got two just because of the logo, um, which means that there is it's actually losing points for its Pro Shop, and which is no reflection on the kit in there. That might be the first time we've ever had that. Minus points. Do you know what? I mean, there's a world, and we'll we'll we'll take this off pod, but I there there might be a world where we have to start allowing some more decibel point variations because I feel like we spent our whole time being like, it's a four or five, but actually it's a Four seven. And do you know what? It's our scoring system, we do what we want with it. So like end off. End off. Love it. Alright, so four and a half, three, seven and a half. But by the sounds of it, from a pure on-course experience, it's right up there alongside Khan. Absolutely. It's it's brilliant. Yeah, it's it really is brilliant. Worth going to and then I'm I'm almost most interested by how then Doombeg slots in. Because I I got the gist from you that Khan and Ennis Crone kind of are the same kind of thing while June Irish golf courses. Now, geographically, obviously Doombeg in a similar spot, but has a Trump influence. So really keen to understand how that kind of um shakes out in the resort. Yeah, so instantly you go to the, you know, when I stayed on property, and again, what a call-out Marie, sensational. Um, the hospitality was fantastic, and everything that you want is there at Trump. You know, it's it's a five-star resort hotel because it is. You know, you've got you've got the cottages that are sensational for like groups of guys, groups of whoever, but just rowdiness because it's a slightly bit further away from the main the main hotel building. It's got its own putting greens down there, all free shuttle service, doesn't matter. But you can get they've got fire pits, they've got barbecues, you can get people to send out steaks and cook them for you on your barbecues whilst you're putting away. Like really good, well thought-out setup, right? You can then go into the courtyard, which is just off the hotel, right next to the hotel. You don't need a shuttle, like you're right next to the hotel, but really big, sort of like lodges that have like a couple of rooms in them, like full kitchen, lounge, downstairs toilet, you know what I mean? Like there's like it's like a full little cabin type vibe, similar to what it felt like when went to Bandon and that sort of thing, and that sort of vibe. Again, great for like families, great for groups who want to maybe do like four to a room, and you can kind of do that. And then you've got the suites and those in the actual hotel, which again is a step up once again, and they give you that ocean view. And again, you can have four person, four bed suites in the hotel, and that's you, you're in there, and you get the full you get the full treatment in there. So instantly you come on property and it's just a completely different experience to what you're seeing at Carn and Ennisgrove. Where where did you find yourself? Placed up for the night. Slotted in the courtyard, right in the middle, got a feel for it all. Um yeah, didn't need the full family, it wasn't taking a full family, but you know, just it's always nice to have a lounge. You can just go and sit in the lounge and just take you put your feet up. Um yeah, slotted into the into the courtyard, which was was lovely, very close to the breakfast, which is always a good start when I had an early tea time at Doombeg. Um Doombeg there. They've then got a couple of restaurants on site. So you've got the Trumps Bar and Grill. It's got some TV, you know, we've got the sport on, had some of the golf on. Um I was there Thursday night, Friday night, so we had the golf on, watched some of that, they had some of the rugby on, they had then some of the gay league football on. So I always all loads loads of that, and typical sort of bar food, really nice, good stuff. And then they've got the ocean view restaurant, which is sort of their like fine dining. Thought the menu was was small. Well, I wasn't that impressed by that menu, to be fair, and we actually ended up not eating there. Um that was just a bit of feedback for them. Um, but beautiful restaurant, really nice, and that's where the breakfast is, which was like all served to you very good. Great, great like bar in between as well. That's right in the hub of the clut of the hotel itself, overlooks the 18th green. You can kind of see the first tea, but right in there, fires are on, TV again if you want, a little bit of quiet, a bit of dim, beautiful. What was the pricing like? Because I know Turnbury, like it was it was solid, like Turnbury had you, and you uh you were just settling in for what it was. Like, was it kind of similar kind of vibe there? I actually thought it was really reasonable. I genuinely thought it was really reasonable. And they also have a um free of charge shuttle service that takes you into Doombeg town or village that they and you just call behind any of the bars in Doombeg and they'll come and pick you up. They've got a relationship with all the bars in Doombeg. That's how small a place that little villain village is, which is just fantastic, right? And the hospitality, you know, the stories go that they've found people 3 a.m. that they've been picking up from bars and this and that, and they've got the tea timers the next day. If you're staying on property, they look after you, and you really feel it there, which which is great. So, yeah, what was a very inexperience was like you're staying on property, you you know the the helicopter um travel people, they have a fueling station at Dunebeg. It's a real hub of being able to then get out and go and play golf elsewhere, um, and they're really keen to do that and be able to host people, and they do it really well as a result. Nice. All right, let's let's get on to this golf course then. Really interested to hear about it. So as a golf course, you're number 10 in Ireland, so it slots right in behind Carn, a few ahead of Ennis Grown. They've made a lot of changes. So um one and eighteen have been completely changed. In the the first used to be right outside the clubhouse, and you could literally sit in the Trump's bar, watch people tee off, and just give people dogs abuse if you wanted to, and then 18 sort of wrapped around right up the sea and went right up the side of the clubhouse due to um erosion, and then also because there's a crossing on one and eighteen, they've they've changed that so that now one is gonna be further over towards the sea, kicking it off, and then 18 is um gonna be now a part five that starts further back and comes right up to the front of Trump's. So instead of seeing a t-shot, you're gonna see people finishing in the patio will all look onto the the end of 18, which still still works nicely. Um as a result of that though, one was shortened and 18 was out of play, so they had a substitute extra tenth. So still played 18 but missed the 18th hole, it doesn't open until the middle of May. Now they've done this because of the erosion, and they've also done it, as I said, because they always, when when the Trump family bought the place, they um had always wanted to ensure that the you didn't cross walkway. So you to get to the 18th, you have to cross the first, essentially, was what was happening. And they didn't want that. And now that they've got the Amjun Irish Open in September, they're doing all of these works over this winter so that it beds in and it's ready to go. But it it shows the scale of what they can do there in that they've they've literally picked up dunes, pulled them across, and created two fairways with dunes up the middle. It's really quite cool. Well, when we had um Josh Simpson Ginger Golf on, he said that when they built the new course at Aberdeen, they were bringing in refrigerated grass. So like budget is off the charts here, and so uh yeah, it it doesn't surprise me that they can do what sounds like quite a big task quite quickly. Yeah, absolutely. And the reason that I said all of that when you asked me where it fits and what I thought of the course is that I had it three out of the three courses. I had it, I have it going carn, eniscrown, doombeg. But I have to caveat that with that I haven't seen what are probably the gonna be two signature holes of Doombeg, like in their glory. And so I want to be fair to that in that it might be completely different. It might be one, it might be two, it might still be three, who knows? But we're talking three really top-tier tracks anyway, even being three is 13th violent. Okay, so so so to be clear, you're saying that if one and eighteen are both like out of this world golf holes, then the other 16 were good enough where you could make an argument this. So we're talking about really fine margins between the three. Yeah, absolutely, yeah. The thing that the the Trump courses, we saw it at the Ailsa, you know, I've I've not played the the Aberdeen ones, you know, but like all of it's pristine. It is there isn't a grass like cut out of out of shape, out of way. Like all of the the paths through the dunes are just perfectly grass, like beautiful grass, cut to the same length, clean, all goes one way. You know, all those small things that you don't even realise you notice until you play carn and screen, where it's slightly wilder. You get on Trump and you go, wow, this is manicured, like to the tits. Are the dunes still kind of as significant at Trump? Like I feel like you've quite clearly been like, you know, Khan had these massive dunes, and that felt quite consistent. Ennis Grown was like dunes for two-thirds, but then maybe came out of them ever so slightly. What was for the 16 holes, maybe like what was the vibe for for Dune Back?

SPEAKER_01 53:30

Yeah, it's a great question. Yes, there's there's plenty there are dunes.

SPEAKER_00 53:34

I feel like they're mainly to the left of you, and you play a few holes through them. And don't get me wrong, there's there's a couple of holes, like the sixth year. It felt a bit like abandoned in that you're on the side of the beach, a bit like high up, so the beach is down below you. I mean, we're talking like you could jump and you do yourself some damage. Um, but then your dunes on the right, and you kind of cut in between the the beach and the dunes, so you're kind of like left of it. There's a par three, 14 for believe it is. I played it as 15, but it's 14 normally, which is like this downhill dunes behind it, some really quite big ones again behind you and around you, down towards the beach and the sea that you can see. I would say it's it's it's there are dunes, but they are less in play, and the holes are more cut slightly away from them and in smaller pockets with like a little bit of water here and there. Don't get me wrong, there's probably six or seven that impact the holes and they're right up into the dunes and up by the by the coast. But yeah, again, we're talking six or seven as opposed to twelve, as opposed to eighteen. So, like, nice that's why it's less prevalent in that golf course. All right, here's with the score. Now, obviously, as you mentioned, a bit of a caveat here, first and eighteenth out of play. Um, so yeah, pinch of salt, but where are we at? I'm gonna give it, I'm gonna I'll give it, I'm gonna give it a four-five. I am, but again, if we're doing the micro weight ratings, it's a four-three with those holes out of play because I think it slightly changed the tenth, which is a great par five, like right into the corner. Didn't see all of that. You kind of play a couple of holes. So I'm I'll give it a 4-3 so it gets into the 4-5 category. As I say, with those two holes in play, I think it goes significantly higher, you know, rather than it being a shortened one and no 18 and you kind of get a random 10 elsewhere. Um, I'm gonna give it a yeah, a four, a four-five, but much lower rated four-five than the other two at this present moment, just because of they're doing changes and that's how it is. It's still sensational. Um, I think then the three Ps, you've got again full grass range, short game area. Um, the Pro Shop is massive. Um the logo is again, I don't I don't love it. It's like at the D with Doombag. Um got a lot of things. I was gonna ask you what I was gonna I was gonna ask you what the um logo situation is there. So Turnbury obviously had the Trump coat of arms with Trump Turnbury as one logo and then the lighthouse as a second logo. Is it similar? I'm looking now. So it's uh it's it's the flag with the D and the Doombag, and then I assume they have a Trump version as well. Is that and you've got the Trump, you've got the Trump coat of arms as well on on some of the bits. Um, yeah, exactly, very exactly the same as as what Turnbury was. It's got the logo that it had before it got taken over, and then it has the Trump stuff. Um, loads of kit, big, big shop, nice enough. Don't think it's the best logo again. Patio's good, it's a good patio. Um, be keen to see what it looks like when it's all finished because I think there's loads of space for them to put tables and chairs out on what was the old Circe T and sort of create an amphitheatre. I think what they're planning to do for the Irish Open is have a big amphitheatre around the back of 18 and up one. So I think seeing that would be really cool. And I appreciate that's not a patio, but I think that will get them thinking about what things could be. I think the patio at the moment is is it's not quite there. They're changing where 18 is, so they're moving all that around. So I'm gonna give it I'm gonna give it a three and a half for the three P's, and that's not including then the beautiful hotel and all of that, but I think it's just in a little bit of a um obviously it's redoing its course, and I think if I went this time next year, it would be much, much higher. And I'm really excited to see it uh in what will be all of its glory in um in the Irish Open later in the year. Nice. Well, like I said, it sounded like a hell of a good trip. I think even though it's very it's quite spread out over that part of the world, the golf experience that you get just seems to be on an almost unrivaled level, I would say. Uh I've not done it, but I just I just thought what I'd just ask you to do, maybe not in as much detail as as the ones you've just done, but I know you have also done Bally Bunyan, I know you have also done Traley. Maybe just a c a couple of notes on each of those and maybe where your scores are for them as well, just so you give a bit of a more rounded picture. Trilli Bally Bunyan, there's a ferry from Doombeg that goes straight to Bally Bunyan as well, and Ballybunion Trilli area. So it on the map, you think you've got a three-hour drive, you haven't just get the ferry or get the helicopter. Like so much cheaper, uh so much quicker, go runs until eight o'clock, goes to Doombeg. So you can really clip off those three courses in a lot um shorter space of time than maybe what the Google Maps or whatever, whatever maps brand you use. And we're not Google Cine, it's everything right now. Um I got an all-time day at Trelee. It was shorts, t-shirt, very little, very little wind, middle of July. For me, Trilli is in the top five courses I've ever played. Um, I think the closest course that's come to that is Khan in its styling. I think Trilli and Khan are very similar in having these really pronounced dunes. Obviously, Khan's got the biggest, biggest in Europe. Um, but I just saw it on a much windier day, was togged up, a little bit colder than and and I played it on my own. You've got to remember there's there's those subjective elements of I played them on my own, I've gone out in a one ball, cracked on, whereas round trilogy, you've got a bit of the 2v2 match going and the sun's out, and then a few drinks afterwards and all that sort of vibe.

SPEAKER_01 59:41

So I think I've got a trilli at a five. I've got a trillion at like a four, like a four-six.

SPEAKER_00 59:51

Like uh sorry, what am I talking about? Like a four-eight, a five. If I've got it at a five, yeah. It's I it's in my top five, it might even be more than that. I think it's brilliant. Again, had a great day, played nicely on it, but I think it's very similar to a carn, and it's very similar to a carn in Ennis Grown in its styling, very pronounced tunes, very beautiful. Um, and then Bally Bunyan architecturally is I mean it's top 100 in the world golf course. You like that's a fact. I have it as a five again, but I've got it at like a four, seven, five, like it's just in its five for me. Um that's I loved it, I thought it was brilliant. Um the way I would rank them would probably be, and you've got to bear with me now, been a few years, I'd probably go Trele, Khan, Bally Bunyan, Enniscreme, Doomberg. Boom. There you go. That is the insight everyone wants to hear. And by the way, all of them are phenomenal. Like Doomberg at five is not like a five, it's like it's not like a fifth course or fifth choice. If you end up going there, like if someone will turn around to me and go, that's number one. Like they're all that close, they're all sensational. Yeah, and and other ones to throw in there. Obviously, you've got a dare having the rider cup, slightly different styling, obviously. Um, inland course, but Waterville, um, hogsheads, old heads, like I mean, there are a lot of unbelievable looking golf courses. I'm absolutely going to have spins to get out there. And just from what I was seeing on emails, the hot like you know, they rolled out the red carpet for you, they look like they were so hospitable. And I just think that is a good omen for what they probably are like with groups as well. So I think if you went over there, you'd just have an unbelievable golfing experience and an unbelievable off-course experience. And so it really could be the ultimate golf destination, like it really could. I I think you're you're hard pressed um to to find somewhere. Maybe it doesn't have quite the history with open championships and stuff like that. But I mean, what a spot! Yeah, and you know, anecdotally, just to sort of say as well, just to add, is I played with a couple of American guys um on Doom Beg, great guys, Rob and Ryan. Um, shout out to those boys. Uh, they were they would they'd been over quite a lot of times in Ireland, quite a lot of times in Scotland. Rob had paid played 48 of the top hundred in the world. I was like, wow, that's really good going. Um, and their their words were, I don't know why you'd all come to the States when you've got all of this golfing phenomenal, like golfing land here. And I was like, Yeah, it's fair, it's fair. What everything that's a little bit further away just looks a little bit shinier. So you just want to always just try something that you've not got to play. But it was a really interesting take, and you know, they were saying that you can't beat Lynx Golf in Scotland Islands, they've not the bit of Southport, but but Scotland Island was what we were talking about mainly because of the um the landscapes that we talked about. Um, so I just thought that was a nice, nice tidbit to add in there that we all like to find shiny things from afar, but actually we don't realise how good we've got it at home. Yeah, no, it's a nice point. And you know what? Quite a good segue, I think, to uh to a little bullet point I just wanted to talk about before we we head off. I watched a video from I think they're called Gulfy City on YouTube, and they'd done an hour YouTube video basically reviewing their stay at Sad Valley, which is where we're going to in the summer. And let me tell you, I am frothing at the mouth to get out on that trip. Like I am so excited, and like you said, it's it's a it's a big shiny toy over in America, and the the courses just look so varied. Now, obviously, with you know, you've gone on this island trip that could have been with eight people, let's say, obviously, wasn't it by myself, but like hypothetically, you have played three golf courses which stylistically are from the same tree, maybe from a different branch, but like the same tree. What's so interesting about Sand Valley, what I'm really excited about, is they all look so different, the courses. And it was the first kind of video I've really taken in where you've got Mammoth Dunes with the huge dunes, you've got Sand Valley, which seems to be a kind of bit of a blend of everything. Sedge Valley is more like your Surrey Heathland, like English Heathland golf course, and then you've got the Lido, which is just really quite an abstract design by the looks of it, and just the on-site cabin, like the whole shebang. Like, I haven't done it. I know you've done Bandon before, but I'm just so excited about it. And and it's just like the little things, like they've got like a taco shop when it's just like one dollar taco. So, unlike where you know, I griped a little bit about Turnbury and you're paying 18 pounds for a bree and bacon toasty, San Valley obviously just charge you up front and subsidize the food and then just make it really cheap. And and I personally think that's the way to do it because let's all be honest, when you pay a deposit seven months in advance, it's basically free by the time you get there, isn't it? And so then when the food's only a dollar, you're just like, oh my goodness, what an unbelievable value this is. Little do you know you just paid 15% more than you need to when you booked it in the first place. But anyway, I know it's quite a long way away at the moment, but I just wanted to speak about it because I am so excited about it. I can't wait to sound value this time. It's fast approachable. I mean, we're only three months away. Yeah, like it's it's not that far away. Yeah, it'll soon be with us. Um it's gonna be sensational. Really excited to play it, really excited to also throw in Aaron Hills there that we've got lined up. If if anyone at Whistling Straits is listening, we've been trying to get through. In a nightmare. Can you sort it, please? We're gonna throw that in as well. So yeah, there's gonna be some really good comparisons being able to be made. I'm really excited to be able to to see how it compares to Bandon. Um, because for me that is the ultimate destination, and if they can come anywhere close, then they've done a phenomenal job. Uh, don't get me wrong, we've not done the cabo, um A couple of cabo bits and things like that. I want to see those. Yeah, really excited to see it. Really, really excited. Yes, excited indeed. And then just wanted to leave you with this. You mentioned like courses in your top five, and that's obviously a list that's kind of brewing and churning around in Josh's brain on a day-to-day, I'd imagine. I think a secondary list, which I'm just trying to form at the moment, is a list of hidden gems, ones that just just you get unexpected unexpectedly good. You get taken off guard by the quality of it. And I think it deserves its own list. And let me tell you, when you were off in Ireland, I went and played a golf course, which was not on any radar whatsoever. However, got the invite, and of course I said yes. Yeah. Headed down to Knoll Park in Sevenoaks last week, which I believe is in the is about 77th in England. So it's a ranked golf course on one of these lists out there. Worth worth gonna go in and nibbling on. Had no expectations whatsoever going down to this golf course. And let me tell you, Knoll Park is unbelievable. It cost 75 quid on a weekday in April, and I just had an absolutely sensational time. The closest thing, I was trying to think of what I could try to compare it. So it's it's in this a thousand-acre old deer estate, medieval deer estate. They've got this huge estate home building complex. Like it's more than just a single building in the middle of it. And so, you know, vast amounts of lab. They could have four golf courses there, but they've got routing for one. Get there, full range. You know, you could hit two drivers and not make the end of the range. Maybe you couldn't, but I certainly could. Short gain area, putting, all the rest of it, and then you tee off. And the course just like rolls so beautifully through really actually quite like dramatic land for Kent, which you know, inland Kent, you're not really expecting it to be that crazy. And you just got loads of kind of half-pipe tunnels that you're shooting through for par fours, scorable, fun. You've got deer running around everywhere, trees kind of lining. It was honestly like it was unbelievable. It the close thing I compare it to, it was kind of gave a little bit of Hollingwell kind of vibes. You know, Hollingwell felt quite wild wild, and the holes really like worked with the land. Yeah, and so yeah, it was good, it wasn't quite as gorse and Heathland lined, it was more it was Parkland, but just just a really, really great course, and one of you know, one of the best hidden gems that I've played in a long, long time. And so, yeah, not far from London. And so, if if you ever get the chance, Null Park is well worth doing. Yeah, well, we're gonna have to take that off. And I agree with you. I think whilst we all talk about what's our top five and the big courses that we all want to tick off, there is something really beautiful about being pleasantly surprised, excited, enjoying a lesser-known hidden gem that's just really looking after itself. It's doing the best, and I'm not trying to be patronising here with any of these courses. It's doing the best it can with the piece of land it's got, it's in great nick, it's been fun, great welcoming, and they they're doing everything that they they should be doing, and it's a top hundred in in England golf course as a result. And I think that that golf is is getting very expensive. I think that's that's one of the things that we're all we're all experiencing. Finding these hidden gems that are at 75 quid, no one's gonna say it's cheap in the grand schemes of life, but it's cheap in terms of a golf fee, um, which is scary, and I think it's you know it's only going upwards. They that it's really pleasant to get those experiences and experience that. So I love to hear that. Let's keep some segments on top five hidden gems, biggest hidden gem of the year, wherever we're at. Let's keep plugging that because they they're the unsung heroes of the golfing world. They they are indeed, and and I think we'll we'll leave on this point. I really truly believe this. If you're in the UK and you want to go play new golf courses, April is the month. Weather's turned, conditioning's looking really, really good, and a lot of golf clubs jump up to their summer pricing in May. So if you're looking to play new places, go and clip a couple in April. It is the month to do it. Yeah. Ditto. Nice. All right, mate. Well, good to hear. Glad you enjoyed Ireland. Enjoy the Masters. Be interesting to see if any of your picks come off. I hope they do for you. And uh, as ever, we're full program golf, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and I will see you, Joshua, in the next one. See you soon.