After two days with charming fellows who did little more than clean my clubs, I lucked into Jose. The all-inclusive package at the Playa Grande ensures plentiful food and drink. In the main dining room, breakfast, lunch and dinner are buffet-style. Caddies and carts are extra and mandatory. Even more pleasant is the relaxed attitude the Irish have about the game.
Golfers take their dogs out for a round.
You pass couples just taking a stroll, many pushing a stroller. The Dunluce Links Course, though generally considered easier than Royal County Down, is certainly no walk in the park. Heading east, the Ballycastle Golf Course meanders along the banks of two rivers for its first five holes. The scenery at the most famous hole, called Leg of Mutton, is spectacular, with panoramic views out to Rathlin Island and a glimpse of the magnificent Antrim coast, with its rugged cliffs, white sandy beaches and the nine lush glens. British Airways flies to London twice daily from Toronto, daily from Montreal and Vancouver, with good connections to Belfast.