A SUMMARY OF THE KITTYS KABOODLE TOUR IN IRELAND

After months of planning, in Stockholm, London and Southampton, the day finally came for the Kitty’s Kaboodle team to gather in Killarney, on the west coast of Ireland.

2 cars drove from Dublin after having played St Anne’s (a medium class Links) and the fight about who where to drive was lost by Mr Bengstrom and Mr Nilsson. As usual it turned into a competition about who can get to the Hotel first, but lets not go in to who won (a lead: it was the ruling rally champion of CSC Sweden).

When the 2 cars finally arrived (after 4 hours of driving on the wrong side in heavy rain, on cow paths) we gathered in the Bar of Michael and Geraldine, in Killeen House.

The welcome was great, especially the part about the HYS Bar.

Everything we had guessed about the hotel and our hosts where true. The place was great, cosy, with good food and a Guinness Pump (One of us now knows how to do the Shamrock). 2 lucky guys (by coincidence the 2 travel arrangers) even had single rooms.

After we waited for another couple of hours the car from Cork finally arrived after having searched the whole region for the hotel, including a visit to Macdonald’s in Killorglin,

In the evening everybody was in a good mode, except Ingvar, because Anders had lowered his handicap in London on the way to Ireland

THURSDAY

In the morning we where served a full Irish breakfast with Bacon and Eggs and whatever we could think of, and then we took of towards the Dooks Course. Some of us spent a fortune in the shop and then, when we went the first tee, we got to experience Irish weather for the first time. Rain that came from everywhere, storms that came from everywhere, and people teeing off from the wrong tee in the middle of everything (have we decided on what to do about that yet ?).

The only ones who played well where those who decided to get wet, instead of trying to squeeze into their rain clothes in the middle of their swings.

Whilst playing the course in the horrible weather I am not sure anybody really appreciated it. Not until afterwards have I really started to like the course, apart from the stupid first whole.

Bosse had a great day and the weather did not seem to bother him at all.

After the "Shrimp Trolley" competition we played a scramble over 7 holes (?), and it turned out to be very tight between two of the balls. We decided to play the 13^th (a short par 3 that was impossible in this wind, and with a green that only a mother can like)(impressing birdie by the way Patrik). Anders Falk settled the scramble with an impossible chip with a following par. Something that the other balls failed to do.

In the evening we all gathered around Mike, and the ones who pared the 11^th (Peter and Lars) collected their free Guinness.

By now we started to realise that the house made the best Irish Coffee in the world, and I think that from here on we must have had 20-30 Irish coffees per night.

As usual we had a great dinner in the hotel, and then some of us went into town to study the local night life.

Well back from the local night life, we decided to have a few drinks in the bar, and Little, who complained he could not speak English in the beginning of the evening, now spoke fluent.

By 3 or 4 in the morning I think that we where all in bed. Well prepared for the next day on Ballybunion.

FRIDAY

Ballybunion doesn’t look much when first approached, but that is a mistake. It is not a golf course, it’s an experience.

Mike told us that the new course (the one we played because the old one was not open) should be for single handicaps only. After playing the first 9 we did not understand what he was talking about. But then we played the last 9.

50 meter high dunes, and 50 meter deep holes. Fairways so narrow we could hardly walk two persons next to each other.

Ballybunion was the best, and we still have the old course to play.

In the evening some of us left to study the night life, and afterwards we all returned to the hotel (notice that I did not comment further on the night life) and in the bar we could study a new bartender (Ingvar) who hardly recognised us any more. But if we came really close to him and shouted he made us a beer.

SATURDAY

Killarney was a dream for those of us who still likes parkland courses, and it turned out to be even better than expected. Some of the wholes (Killeen’s 3^rd, 10^th etc…) where just fantastic.

It is no point asking Ingvar about the first 17 holes, because he don’t remember. But he played well.

Peter and Patrik made their last bets on beating Little and Ingvar. It was very even but they lost with 16-0. The worst was the 16th whole where Peter made a par, Patrik made a birdie. But Ingvar and Little won the whole.

SUNDAY

The trip to Dingle was spectacular and the scenery different from anything we had ever seen. After consulting with a drunk Irishman we managed to find the course, and we where definitely the only ones there.

The shop opened specially for us, and we where advised to get out there as quickly as possible because the afternoon might be wet.

On the 6^th we had a long driving competition and finally The Computer Guy hit the driver well and took a big lead. Until the leader ball came, and all four of them out distanced him.

We also had a "Nearest to the Pin" competition (Ingvar announced it as Nearest to the green, which would have been better), nobody hit the green.

We then moved the "Nearest to the Pin" to another hole. Again nobody hit the pin, and we gave up.

When Peter and Lars came to the 18^th Peter informed Lars that they where equal in the competition so that all he had to do was to play for Bogey. Lars immediately shot the ball into the water and made another 6 shots from there, to loose against Peter.

Bosse and Ingvar where equal when the day started, with a good chance to catch up on Little. But after 9 holes it was clear that Little intended to win this tournament, and Ingvar was clear as runner up. Then Bosse did 12 points in 3 holes, and suddenly Ingvar was threatened. They checked the score and they turned out to be equal on the 18^th tee. Bosse then did 8 shots and lost to Ingvar. His second shot landed 5 meters behind him.

When the leader ball came to the green the crowd (Peter, Lars and Anders N) went crazy, and the noise reminded very much of when Kitty’s Kaboodle visited the US Open.

After this fantastic day we all returned to our FANTASTIC HOTEL for dinner, Irish Coffee and Guinness.

MONDAY