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A mean Atlantic southwesterly howls up the sand dunes, blasting a wintry chill across the grassy headland. Out on the exposed hills a slow procession catches my eye. Leaning into the gale is a hardy knot of Arctic adventurers, pressing on and pausing, driving forward for all their worth. They’re buttoned from head to toe in woolens and waterproofs yet they’re out enjoying themselves, chasing after a small white ball. There’s no doubt golfers are a breed apart.
Do they ever look excited at the first tee? “Oh Jesus, yeah,” replies Martin Shorter, director of golf at the recently opened Doonbeg club in Co. Clare. “Shannon airport is in close proximity to us so American visitors will get off the plane and want to play here or Lahinch on the first day they arrive. It’s 8:30 in the morning and there they are, dead tired but they can’t wait to tee off. You see the sleep in their eyes but the adrenaline is kicking in and they can’t wait to go.”