Lessons Learned for the Full Irish
Some perhaps obvious things I need to incorporate for this massive golf trip.
I’ve previously detailed in this space my plans to go on an epic, three-week trip of Ireland where I will be playing golf almost every day. I’ve called it “The Full Irish,” because I’m clever, and it’s less than six months away.
For those who are more recent subscribers, this trip is fairly epic and I’ve detailed it here in a prior post.
Since really getting into the weeds planning this thing, I’ve taken two golf trips that were amazing, but also potentially useful guides to how to best tackle this bad boy this summer. Remember, most all golf in Ireland is walking only and while many of the courses aren’t terribly hilly, there are plenty of hikes up the gigantic dunes I’ll need to be able to walk without collapsing.
There’s a lot of things I am already working on to prepare for this trip - working out (desperately needed in life, but especially for this trip), getting my golf swing in better shape, etc. But once I’m there…what’s the plan?
Anyone who has ever taken a golf buddies trip knows that the first night, one has a tendency to go too hard. It’s so exciting, whether you’ve played that day or not, to just be sitting in a pub with your buddies knowing that days and days of golf lies ahead, as well as catching up. The beer or liquor goes down far too easy … and the next morning, that round of golf is SO much harder than it should be.
I’m not going to pretend I’ll be an angel that first night - we will have flown in that day and played 18 holes at Portmarnock, so there’s going to be some post-round chatter, some excitement about Ardglass the next day, etc. But overall? I’m really going to try and minimize the amount of drinking on this trip. There’s just too much golf to play to be hungover or shaky.
On a related note, it’s shockingly hard to eat well on these trips. I’ve nicknamed our trip The Full Irish, which is of course the name for a serious breakfast there. Let’s just be clear - if I eat the below for three weeks straight, things will NOT go well.
At the least, packing some energy bars to minimize how much fried food I consume isn’t the worst idea. Throwing those in the bag might add a bit of weight, but it’s worth it - and so is carrying a water bottle with some Liquid IV (or your hydration packet of choice). It’s so easy to get dehydrated playing golf and not notice it when it’s not really hot outside. It matters a TON and impacts your game. Forcing myself to drink water on the course has made more difference than I ever expected in terms of keeping me focused physically and mentally. Turns out that water stuff is sort of critical. Similarly, carrying a box of Power Bars across the world seems foolish, but stocking up on these while in country makes sense.
But the best thing I plan on doing is stretching and sleeping. This is your official notice that you are reading an article written by an old. But sheesh, I tried to stretch after each round at Bandon and did my best to get some sleep (harder when that sleep is powered by a few too many Jameson and Gingers) and I felt SO much better than some of the guys we were with who are in much better physical shape. I have several of my favorite lower body stretches on the Peloton app bookmarked and plan on doing one every night after golf, and if I can, one in the morning to stretch out before we play. That’s aspirational, but if I can stick to it, I know it will make a huge difference. One thing we were lucky enough to have was some Therabody leg sleeves, and AC and I are chatting about investing in a pair to bring to Ireland as it felt like it made a substantial difference.
For those of you who take long athletically inclined trips, be it golf or something else, any other tips?
you forgot about bringing home Irish candies for your brother