Ireland Covid update????

[hammergolf]

12 hours ago, Manbearpig13 said:

https://www.thejournal.ie/us-tourists-travel-rules-5537188-Sep2021/

 

Article that was published today - encouraging to see that Ireland does not plan to make any changes to its current policy regarding American travelers despite the new EU recommendations (at least for now).

THANK YOU FOR THIS GREAT NEWS!!!

[jly]

Sitting in airport in Dublin at end of trip. Courses were all spectacular as was the hospitality. Dream come true.

[hammergolf]

6 hours ago, jly said:

Sitting in airport in Dublin at end of trip. Courses were all spectacular as was the hospitality. Dream come true.

Great to hear! Any issues getting your covid test to come back to the US?

[Copacetic]

8 hours ago, jly said:

Sitting in airport in Dublin at end of trip. Courses were all spectacular as was the hospitality. Dream come true.

Great to hear, been a mostly dry and mild last couple of weeks, perfect timing. 

[jly]

17 hours ago, hammergolf said:

Great to hear! Any issues getting your covid test to come back to the US?

No issues at all. Our last course was Galway Bay and we had them done while in town there through Randox. Easy process.

[jly]

15 hours ago, Copacetic said:

Great to hear, been a mostly dry and mild last couple of weeks, perfect timing. 

We played Ballybunion on a day with absolutely no wind. Never thought that would happen. Lahinch and Dooks gave us some weather but nothing terrible. Every other round was perfect conditions.

[hammergolf]

31 minutes ago, jly said:

No issues at all. Our last course was Galway Bay and we had them done while in town there through Randox. Easy process.

Great. Thanks

[Petethreeput]

I was probably sitting and waiting with @jly for the plane without electricity for movies or reading lights.  Here are some musings about my first trip to Ireland.

1. Fat guys don't metabolize french fries very well, but fat guys when presented with fries for breakfast absolutely love it.

2. Single lane roads do not equate to one way, and your GPS doesn't give a fig about easy routes.  I enjoyed the driving, but a couple of times it was hairy.

3. The Irish are wonderful hosts.  Having been to many places in Europe and UK, by far the kindest most helpful country we have encountered.  At the James Fort we remarked how good the food was at the coffee/ tea house and the owner gave us some recipes and some jam... you can't make this up.  We just felt so lucky.

4. We went to a local hospital to get the Covid test, the guy checking in to return to US next to me at the airline counter had a test which wasn't accepted, so beware.  He was not happy about it.

5. My trip was not a golf trip per se, my wife and went over and I played some golf, and she joined me on two courses.  So here is some golf-y type ideas depending on the group.

6. I used Hidden Links, and Michelle was with me the whole way in the lead up, setting up nice places to stay, good recommendations for both travelers, etc.

 

- Lahinch and Ballybunion are hard tracks for those of us with average games.  I guess people might enjoy it with higher handicaps, but I am glad I played those two solo.  At Ballybunion I was lucky enough to paired up with the pro, who eviscerated the course... I did not.  I get the sense these are "must plays" but I wouldn't expect to cut the place up.  They are hard, and the others with whom I played at Ballybunion had trouble just clearing the heather from the white tees.  Did they have fun?  I don't know.  These two courses also remind me the ideals of American golf course design are simplistic and not essential.  Some wonderful holes were played which my American friends would deem unfair if they were on their home course.

- Waterville is a fantastic track and perfect for those who are not strong golfers.  Very few carries, but the green complexes are difficult.  I really enjoyed it, and of the 4 courses I played, if you held a gun to my head and said, "You have to join one."  This would be the one because it is absolutely challenging, but also playable for everyone.  My wife, who is not a strong golfer also really enjoyed the course, and our caddie was knowledgeable and fun (Connor for those who may be seeking a caddie).  

- Old Head Golf Links, what can be said that hasn't been said before?  We both played this one, and it is impressive.  We had a bluebird day and the views are absolutely stunning, and the cliffs upon which it sits are unreal.  It was a fabulous day.  For the weaker golfer I encourage them to take a lot of golf balls because the cliffs are steep and it is a ball eater.  The history was great and our caddie was absolutely top notch (Terry) in regard to giving me the lines and letting my wife lose golf balls and then walk around to take in the views.  He was the perfect amount of "golf" and then "tourist" when it came to the history and the spots to see.

 

After fries for breakfast, its salad for me...

 

 

Edited September 13, 2021 by Petethreeput

[hammergolf]

5 hours ago, Petethreeput said:

I was probably sitting and waiting with @jly for the plane without electricity for movies or reading lights.  Here are some musings about my first trip to Ireland.

1. Fat guys don't metabolize french fries very well, but fat guys when presented with fries for breakfast absolutely love it.

2. Single lane roads do not equate to one way, and your GPS doesn't give a fig about easy routes.  I enjoyed the driving, but a couple of times it was hairy.

3. The Irish are wonderful hosts.  Having been to many places in Europe and UK, by far the kindest most helpful country we have encountered.  At the James Fort we remarked how good the food was at the coffee/ tea house and the owner gave us some recipes and some jam... you can't make this up.  We just felt so lucky.

4. We went to a local hospital to get the Covid test, the guy checking in to return to US next to me at the airline counter had a test which wasn't accepted, so beware.  He was not happy about it.

5. My trip was not a golf trip per se, my wife and went over and I played some golf, and she joined me on two courses.  So here is some golf-y type ideas depending on the group.

6. I used Hidden Links, and Michelle was with me the whole way in the lead up, setting up nice places to stay, good recommendations for both travelers, etc.

 

- Lahinch and Ballybunion are hard tracks for those of us with average games.  I guess people might enjoy it with higher handicaps, but I am glad I played those two solo.  At Ballybunion I was lucky enough to paired up with the pro, who eviscerated the course... I did not.  I get the sense these are "must plays" but I wouldn't expect to cut the place up.  They are hard, and the others with whom I played at Ballybunion had trouble just clearing the heather from the white tees.  Did they have fun?  I don't know.  These two courses also remind me the ideals of American golf course design are simplistic and not essential.  Some wonderful holes were played which my American friends would deem unfair if they were on their home course.

- Waterville is a fantastic track and perfect for those who are not strong golfers.  Very few carries, but the green complexes are difficult.  I really enjoyed it, and of the 4 courses I played, if you held a gun to my head and said, "You have to join one."  This would be the one because it is absolutely challenging, but also playable for everyone.  My wife, who is not a strong golfer also really enjoyed the course, and our caddie was knowledgeable and fun (Connor for those who may be seeking a caddie).  

- Old Head Golf Links, what can be said that hasn't been said before?  We both played this one, and it is impressive.  We had a bluebird day and the views are absolutely stunning, and the cliffs upon which it sits are unreal.  It was a fabulous day.  For the weaker golfer I encourage them to take a lot of golf balls because the cliffs are steep and it is a ball eater.  The history was great and our caddie was absolutely top notch (Terry) in regard to giving me the lines and letting my wife lose golf balls and then walk around to take in the views.  He was the perfect amount of "golf" and then "tourist" when it came to the history and the spots to see.

 

After fries for breakfast, its salad for me...

 

 

Thanks for the post.

[Serenity Now]

Just returned from 4 days in NI then a week in London.

 

Flew into Dublin from LA thru Philly. Pilot/Ida issue in Philly caused flight to get cancelled so spent and night & extra day in Philly. made the best of a bummer situation but still lost a day in Ireland. Flew all night and drove next morn  the 2.5 hrs up to Portrush. My wife and I played Portstewart Riverside which was fun links course for her. I then played Strand course which is amazing. The opening 4 holes are as good as anything in the world. Seriously. Unreal. No sleep for 30 hours caught up to me on the back but still a great day on the links. Played Saturday on Dunluce and it was everything and more. Got paired up with 3 yanks who flew in from Turnberry on a helicopter. Oh, how the other half must live. 

 

Was sad to lose a day of golf in NI as we flew out to London the next day from Belfast. Didn't require the test to get on plane since we were flying GB to GB. Spent a week in London, no golf but till fantastic. 

 

What I learned:

 

Spread your trip out. Jetlag is real so no need to go crazy and play 36 a day. If I had it to do again, I would have just gone 2-3 days earlier and played 36 every other day. Losing the day sucked but as my wife and I said to each other "Nobody died" so we just did best we could.

 

When you plan these trips, do not count either of your travel days as once we were in country, it was abundantly clear that we were gonna be short on (golf) time. 

 

It was interesting because masks were much more of a demand in NI than they were in London. 

 

Planning a trip for next April and counting the days...

[hammergolf]

On 9/13/2021 at 9:02 AM, Petethreeput said:

I was probably sitting and waiting with @jly for the plane without electricity for movies or reading lights.  Here are some musings about my first trip to Ireland.

1. Fat guys don't metabolize french fries very well, but fat guys when presented with fries for breakfast absolutely love it.

2. Single lane roads do not equate to one way, and your GPS doesn't give a fig about easy routes.  I enjoyed the driving, but a couple of times it was hairy.

3. The Irish are wonderful hosts.  Having been to many places in Europe and UK, by far the kindest most helpful country we have encountered.  At the James Fort we remarked how good the food was at the coffee/ tea house and the owner gave us some recipes and some jam... you can't make this up.  We just felt so lucky.

4. We went to a local hospital to get the Covid test, the guy checking in to return to US next to me at the airline counter had a test which wasn't accepted, so beware.  He was not happy about it.

5. My trip was not a golf trip per se, my wife and went over and I played some golf, and she joined me on two courses.  So here is some golf-y type ideas depending on the group.

6. I used Hidden Links, and Michelle was with me the whole way in the lead up, setting up nice places to stay, good recommendations for both travelers, etc.

 

- Lahinch and Ballybunion are hard tracks for those of us with average games.  I guess people might enjoy it with higher handicaps, but I am glad I played those two solo.  At Ballybunion I was lucky enough to paired up with the pro, who eviscerated the course... I did not.  I get the sense these are "must plays" but I wouldn't expect to cut the place up.  They are hard, and the others with whom I played at Ballybunion had trouble just clearing the heather from the white tees.  Did they have fun?  I don't know.  These two courses also remind me the ideals of American golf course design are simplistic and not essential.  Some wonderful holes were played which my American friends would deem unfair if they were on their home course.

- Waterville is a fantastic track and perfect for those who are not strong golfers.  Very few carries, but the green complexes are difficult.  I really enjoyed it, and of the 4 courses I played, if you held a gun to my head and said, "You have to join one."  This would be the one because it is absolutely challenging, but also playable for everyone.  My wife, who is not a strong golfer also really enjoyed the course, and our caddie was knowledgeable and fun (Connor for those who may be seeking a caddie).  

- Old Head Golf Links, what can be said that hasn't been said before?  We both played this one, and it is impressive.  We had a bluebird day and the views are absolutely stunning, and the cliffs upon which it sits are unreal.  It was a fabulous day.  For the weaker golfer I encourage them to take a lot of golf balls because the cliffs are steep and it is a ball eater.  The history was great and our caddie was absolutely top notch (Terry) in regard to giving me the lines and letting my wife lose golf balls and then walk around to take in the views.  He was the perfect amount of "golf" and then "tourist" when it came to the history and the spots to see.

 

After fries for breakfast, its salad for me...

 

 

How was the condition of courses? Heading there on Friday for 2 weeks.

[Petethreeput]

8 hours ago, hammergolf said:

How was the condition of courses? Heading there on Friday for 2 weeks.

They were great, at least to me they were, of course I didn't have any reference point to them.  It was a super fun trip and I am glad I got to play the few courses I did.  I hope you have as nice a time as we did.  The Irish people are really incredibly nice and helpful.

[Copacetic]

10 hours ago, hammergolf said:

How was the condition of courses? Heading there on Friday for 2 weeks.

You’ll fine most courses in ok condition, but it is the month for most courses to do a fair bit of green and tee box work, especially on Mondays. My course does some gentle scrarifying, tining and sanding of greens most Mondays and serious hollowtining, reseeding and levelling of tee boxes too. 
 

however links courses generally don’t need so much work to prep for winter, so will likely be in ok shape in the main. Weather here is gradually getting cooler, windier and wetter, although the last week has been dry except one day. We had a big comp this weekend and it was 19/20 degrees both days, most players out in shorts. We are losing daylight at quite a rate now though. So first tee time now about 7.20am and dark by about 7.40pm. 

[Copacetic]

A good source to plan weather 7 days out is met.Ie our national weather service. It gives very accurate regional forecasts 7 days out, although obviously most accurate 24/48 hours out. This includes rainfall forecasts on map and up to date rainfall radar so you can see rain coming in the day. You do need to pay attention to the overall forecast though, if it predicts no rain for a course, but you can see large amounts of rain nearby on the map and high winds obviously it can move a fair bit. 
 

Apple iPhone forecasts are generally not reliable for Ireland, if it’s raining anywhere it will predict rain for everywhere. 
 

 

[hammergolf]

On 9/20/2021 at 1:08 PM, Copacetic said:

A good source to plan weather 7 days out is met.Ie our national weather service. It gives very accurate regional forecasts 7 days out, although obviously most accurate 24/48 hours out. This includes rainfall forecasts on map and up to date rainfall radar so you can see rain coming in the day. You do need to pay attention to the overall forecast though, if it predicts no rain for a course, but you can see large amounts of rain nearby on the map and high winds obviously it can move a fair bit. 
 

Apple iPhone forecasts are generally not reliable for Ireland, if it’s raining anywhere it will predict rain for everywhere. 
 

 

Thanks as always!

[Copacetic]

Bit of a turn in the weather last day or so, still sunny but got from 12C overnight to 4C and 18-20C during the day to 10-12C with stronger colder winds. We had a very mild September but October looks to be bringing proper weather. You’ll really get the full links experience now!

[johnspies]

Good to know. We leave in 11 days for Dublin, Belfast, St. Andrews and Edinburgh.

[Copacetic]

You’ll get the good links weather anyway! We’ve just confirmed we had the warmest September on record, october making up for it at the moment but due to be warm again this weekend. 

[Chilidog]

1 hour ago, Copacetic said:

You’ll get the good links weather anyway! We’ve just confirmed we had the warmest September on record, october making up for it at the moment but due to be warm again this weekend. 

Hope it’s warm mid Nov. 

[Copacetic]

9 hours ago, Chilidog said:

Hope it’s warm mid Nov. 

All signs point to no! Or at least it’s never been before!

[Chilidog]

5 hours ago, Copacetic said:

All signs point to no! Or at least it’s never been before!

I’ll take mid 50s during the day and mid 40s at night if I can get it. 

[Copacetic]

9 hours ago, Chilidog said:

I’ll take mid 50s during the day and mid 40s at night if I can get it. 

Shouldn’t actually be too far off that, but you might find the dampness in the air and wind can make it feel a lot colder. You’ll probably get some good days, but as a point of reference all our 18 hole comps finish up in next 2 weeks and it’s 9 hole winter league stuff from  then on. Links will seldom be closed, but for most people November to Feb is for a quick 9 holes (if they golf at all) and then get in out of the weather. 

[Chilidog]

36 minutes ago, Copacetic said:

Shouldn’t actually be too far off that, but you might find the dampness in the air and wind can make it feel a lot colder. You’ll probably get some good days, but as a point of reference all our 18 hole comps finish up in next 2 weeks and it’s 9 hole winter league stuff from  then on. Links will seldom be closed, but for most people November to Feb is for a quick 9 holes (if they golf at all) and then get in out of the weather. 

I might have the course to myself then! 😊 Thank you for letting me know and responding. 

[Chanceman]

Planning to come to Ireland in a few months. What is the current testing, vaccination, isolation protocol? Is it different if you arrive from Europe compared to non-EU counbtries? I realize these can all change in a heartbeat.

[Copacetic]

Travelling to Ireland

If you are travelling to Ireland from overseas you must fill out a Passenger Locator Form (PLF) before departure.

Passengers to Ireland with:

• an accepted proof of vaccination, or
• proof of recovery from COVID-19 in the prior 6 months

do not have to show an additional pre-departure COVID-19 test result.

Since 1 February 2022:

• vaccine certificates for primary vaccination series are not accepted for travel if more than 270 days have passed since the final dose in the primary vaccine series
• vaccine certificates based on booster/additional doses are not time limited

A standard acceptance period of 14 days after the final dose in a primary vaccine series of a vaccine are required for all vaccines accepted for travel to Ireland. Passengers without proof of vaccination, or proof of recovery from COVID-19 in the prior 6 months, must show evidence of a negative ('not detected') PCR test result taken within 72 hours prior to arriving in Ireland.

Only PCR test results are accepted for passengers to Ireland.