Day seven took us to a course simply called The Island—and it was probably the most unique course we played during the entire trip.

The landscape was dramatically different from what we had encountered up to that point. Many of the holes wound through enormous dunes rising 50 to 80 feet into the air, creating constant changes in elevation and scenery. Most of the courses we had played had been relatively flat. Jameson Links had a few hills here and there, but The Island felt more like an American course transplanted onto traditional Irish linksland.

It was a really, really fun course.

We played that day with Brian and Ryan, two genuinely great guys.

At one point, I hit one of my only bad drives of the round. I was frustrated and dropped my club—not a huge reaction, but enough that I had to bend down and pick it back up. 

Ryan looked at me and said, “I feel like you’re quite a bit like me. There’s some rage in there that you have to keep tamped down.”

I started laughing, and Beth looked over and said, “You think?”

Ryan was a pretty funny guy, and Brian was fantastic as well. We had a great time playing with both of them.

Our two caddies were both named Senan (seh-nan), so they appropriately dubbed themselves Senan 1 and Senan 2 at the start of the round.

The Island ended up being my favorite course of the trip, and I believe it was Beth’s favorite as well. The towering dunes, dramatic elevation changes, and stunning scenery made it unlike anything else we played. It was simply a beautiful place.

It certainly didn’t hurt that Beth and I also played phenomenal golf.

We finished the round with 51 Stableford points. As I described in an earlier post, Stableford is scored differently from the traditional system most Americans are accustomed to. Rather than adding up every stroke, players earn points based on their score on each hole. The better the hole, the more points you receive.

After the round, we were sitting down and enjoying our customary pint when Declan walked over, flipped our scorecard around, and stared at it.

“Are you guys serious?” he asked. “Fifty-one, lads? That’s just beautiful.”

He was impressed—and for good reason. Our 51 won the day and ended up being the highest score posted during the entire tournament.

As luck would have it, Mike and Eli later gave the Jorgensens a shout-out on the Chasing Scratch podcast (14:07 if you decide to listen). They had been discussing their own chances of posting one of the highest scores of the day before admitting, with a chuckle, that they had been beaten by the Jorgensens.

With that, Beth and I became officially emblazoned in Chasing Scratch lore and history.

The Island was a phenomenal course. Maybe it became my favorite because I played so well. Maybe it was because Beth played so well—or because we won. Whatever the reason, it was an unforgettable day.

After our round—and our pint, of course—we packed everything up and headed back to the hotel for a low-key evening. We ate at the pub inside the Portmarnock Resort for what was probably our second or third visit, then spent some time with friends, played cards, and turned in for the night.

It was a pleasantly relaxed Friday evening before our final round of the trip, which would take place Saturday at Carton House.

We’ll be back to tell you about that in the next post.

Beth & Jeff ☺️