(Not necessarily in order.)
1 Druids Glen video
Druids Glen asked me to create a video for the resort’s social media channels celebrating fall on the golf course. It was short – one minute – but it was both an educational and exciting experience putting it all together. I spent two days on the course, recording dozens of clips, editing them to size and adding music. There may be more to follow in 2026, but the first will always carry a certain pride.
During my visits I also got to see the elusive kingfisher that calls the par-3 8th hole home. It happened too fast to capture on camera or video, but I’ll try again next year.
2 Dingle and the battle for clubhouse food
Golf clubs have a real challenge when it comes to clubhouse food. It is difficult to make it financially feasible. I’ve visited over 70 Irish courses this year, and while I haven’t eaten any at all, I’ve eaten enough to know that while the majority serve good food, it’s the rare ones that serve exceptional food. And that rare one is too Dingle Golf Links. The restaurant is a destination in itself.
3 Meeting with Jerome Bettis
Absolutely nothing to do with golf… but through golf I met one of my American Football heroes. Jerome Bettis, nicknamed “The Bus,” was the full back for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1996 to 2005.
Fairways and FunDays looked after the Pittsburgh Steelers management team, who came to Ireland for the Steelers vs Vikings match in Croke Park. Jerome (far right in photo below) played with Ben Roethlisberger at Portmarnock and I was assigned to take photos of the Steelers day on the famous links. It was a real thrill and I was able to talk to Jerome on the famous par-3 15th.
4 Cover page
As a photographer, there’s nothing better than knowing you were in the right place at the right time… for just a few seconds.
After playing What Sligo with friends I left the bar at sunset because I wanted to get behind the 17th green for a photo across the sea. A teenager was preparing to take a photo, heading 18, with the sun directly behind him. I had just enough time to make a few frames.
Not only was I lucky with the photos I took, but after I posted it on social media, the Irish Examiner contacted me and said they wanted to use it on the front page of the newspaper. It’s my first cover page.
5 Par. to make
6 Patron’s Day at Royal Portrush
Who wouldn’t want to play an Open Championship course the year the Open is held?
I was invited to play at the club’s Patron’s Day. The championship stands were being set up, the course was ours for the day and the sun was splitting the sky. I’ve three-putted at least ten times and been badly beaten at every turn, but when you play on a world class course like Royal Portrushwith good people and a track in excellent condition, how can it be anything but an unforgettable experience.
My goal of posting three to four golf course video reviews per year has been forgotten – again – as I have only been able to achieve two: Bunclody and Macreddin. Still, it’s a lot of fun to film and put the videos together.
Find them here:
8 Curracloe links
I have visited the course several times over the last two years and it is a privilege to see a brand new golf course taking shape. I photographed it when there were still trees and I have photographed it several times since, as things took shape little by little and the trees disappeared. Straka and Fry form the core design team – of Erin Hills fame – with Jeff Lynch, the Irish architect, managing the day-to-day activities.
The course will be fascinating to play and will be unlike anything else on this island. It will open in 2026.
9 Royal Portrush (valley)
The second course at Royal Portrush was given a major makeover by Mackenzie & Ebert a few years ago, ahead of the 2019 Open Championship. In 2024/25 it received another major upgrade by the same designers, with three brand new holes added.
There are other changes too, but when you have a link of this caliber – and in my opinion very underrated – any changes made will generate interest around the world.
It was an honor to visit and play the course.
10 Druids Glen clubhouse frames
The new clubhouse at Druids Glen needed some serious color to brighten up the club. Bare walls everywhere. Now they have 14 large frames of my images spread over the two floors.
It’s a real buzz to see this work featured so prominently.
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