How To Walk In His Authority

Crown coins to single winning never sounded so good. What would you do if you won big at Crown coins casino real people win real prizes every single day? Hi, this is Michael from Dallas, and I won 40k and finally renovated my home. Visit crowncoins.com sign up in seconds, enter code crown and get a free lucky wheel bonus. You may win up to 10,000 sweeps coins. Crowncoins.com, that's C-R-O-W and coins.com, no purchase needed. Code Val for new users on void were prohibited by law 18 plus terms and conditions applied. Crown coins to single win never sounded so good. Hi, this is Chelsea from Dallas. I just hit the jackpot. 1 over 1,500k! Crowncoins.com sign up in seconds, enter code crown and get a free lucky wheel bonus. This is located on North Bull Island. And to get there, you have to cross this long wooden bridge from Clontarf over to the island. And you can feel it, right? Yes. You hear the wooden planks rumbling under your tires, you see the water of Dublin Bay, and it feels like an airlock. An airlock, that's a great way to describe it. You are actively shedding the noise and the modern hustle of Dublin. You're crossing a physical threshold into this preserved 19th century sporting sanctuary, featuring a classic Harry Colt design. And Harry Colt was a genius. He routed courses so that the wind hits you from a different angle on almost every single hole. Which is maddening, but brilliant. Totally maddening. But if we are talking about dramatic arrivals, we have to look at what is often considered the hidden gem of the East Coast. The island, Colt Club. The island, yes. The origin story of the island is basically a 19th century adventure novel. It really sounds completely made up. It does. It was founded in 1887 by a syndicate of Dubliners who literally discovered the terrain by boat. By boat. By boat. They were sailing along the coast. Saw these massive towering sand dunes and realized the land was just perfect for golf. Think about the logistics of that for a second. I know it's wild. They didn't have any machinery to carve fairways out of these towering dunes. They had to skillfully route the course through the natural valleys. Just weaving through the sand. Right. They used the towering sand formations as natural amphitheaters and hazard lines. And for decades, literally decades, the only way to access the club was to take a rowboat across the estuary. Just incredible. But book a loved by guest property with Virbo. And you get a top-rated vacation rental that's love for all the right reasons. Oh, I love my Virbo for the location. Good reason. Oh, and for the pool, because pools are cool. I feel the love. Book a Virbo that's loved by guests. If you know, you're Virbo. At Virbo, we understand that even the best of plans sometimes need a little support. So we plan for the plot twists. Every booking is automatically backed by our Virbo care guarantee, giving you confidence from the very start. Whenever you need help, it's ready. Before you stay through the moments in between and after your trip. Because a great trip starts with peace of mind. And maybe a good playlist. But we've got the peace of mind part covered. Looking for the perfect rental? Discover top-rated stays loved by guests. Rated highest by real guests through authentic reviews. These traveler-loved stays are recognized by the details that matter most and validated by real experiences. Choose confidently from rentals you can trust. Virbo, book now of vacation rental loved by guests. Booking a Virbo vacation rental means you get Virbo care in 24/7 life support. Verified reviews from real guests and top-rated homes with the love by guest filter. I just booked my Virbo because there was a sweet line for each. We all have our reasons. If you know, give Virbo. Terms apply. See Virbo.com/trust for details. Support is available 24/7 with Virbo care. We're here day or night, ready whenever you need help. Because a great trip starts with the right support. And here is where I want to push back on this whole picture we are painting. Okay, let's hear it. We are talking about the K-club, Portmanok, Royal Dublin, the island. Right, all heavy hitters. Exactly. These are globally prestigious historic institutions. Now, in the United States or even around London, when you hear prestigious historic golf club, that translates to something very specific. Gated communities, basically. Yes. Giant rot iron gates, security guards, multi-million dollar initiation fees, and a culture specifically designed to keep the general public out. Exclusivity as the primary product. Exclusivity is the product exactly. But the Irish model seems entirely contradictory to that. Are we romanticizing this or is it actually different? Oh, it is fundamentally different. Though, I mean, you are right to question the economics of it because it sounds too good to be true. Who does? There is certainly high-end, expensive resort golf in Ireland, like the K-club or a Dare Manor, which operates on that luxury hospitality model. But the traditional historic members clubs, the Portmanok's and the islands, they operate on a uniquely Irish sociological model. And the guide brings us up with David and Neely, right? Yes. David O'Neely, who is an assistant golf professional at Portmanok, highlights this brilliantly. These are private members clubs, yes. But they actively open their T-sheets to visitors on designated days. And he notes that visitors never feel like they are intruding. They are treated as welcomed guests for the day. Welcome guests. But why? I mean, really why? If a club has the prestige to lock the gates and charge crazy money, why don't they? Because the Irish definition of prestige is tied to the land and the history, not to social isolation. Oh, wow. That's a massive distinction. It is. In many global club cultures, value is derived from who you can exclude. Right, keeping people out makes the people inside feel special. Exactly. But in the traditional Irish club culture, value is derived from stewardship. The members view themselves as caretakers of these historic, naturally formed landscapes. And there is a deeply ingrained cultural instinct to share that pride. So it's more like, look at this beautiful thing we get to take care of. Yes. When you finish around at a private club in Ireland, a local member is highly likely to approach you in the clubhouse. They'll ask you where you traveled from and they'll definitely want to know how you played the treacherous 14th hole or whatever it is. They want to share the experience. Exactly. The exclusivity is about protecting the golf course itself, not enforcing a social hierarchy. Which makes so much sense when you look at how that welcoming instinct bleeds into Dublin itself. I mean, you step off the 18th green and the city is just waiting for you. And you have to embrace the city to really understand the golf. Right. And if you are going to understand the culture, you have to understand the fuel of the culture, which of course starts with again a storehouse. Naturally. But this isn't just a generic brewery tour. It is a lesson in the science and history of arguably the most famous stout in the world. It's an institution. Learning the mechanics of the nitrogen poor, understanding the roasted barley. It really grounds you in the industrial history of the city. And for the academic history, you transition straight over to Trinity College. A completely different vibe, totally different. Walking the historic campus, experiencing the book of Kells, and stepping into the long room in the old library. The long room is just it's breathtaking. It is one of the most stunning architectural spaces in all of Europe, with its barrel vaulted ceiling and those endless, endless rows of ancient texts. It feels like a cathedral of knowledge. It's so quiet and reverent. But then, to completely flip this crypt again, you go from the quiet reverence of Trinity College to the absolute chaotic roar of Kroke Park. The Whiplash strikes again. The Whiplash. Kroke Park is the headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association, the GAA. And if you want to understand the sporting DNA of Ireland, you have to watch a hurling match. Hurling is, well, it's an ancient indigenous sport. And the physical mechanics of it are fascinating to observe, especially if you're a golfer. Oh, I've watched it, and the similarities to the golf swing are wild, but it's on fast forward. Fast forward and full contact. Yes. You have 30 players on a massive pitch running at top speed, carrying a curved ash stick called a hurly, and they're trying to hit this small leather ball called a slitor. And the way they hit it is what's so interesting. Right. When they strike the ball midair, they are generating immense power through ground reaction forces and hip rotation. They use a swing plane that looks remarkably like a flattened out golf swing. The biomechanics are so similar. The way transfers identical. But it is incredibly physical. And it's completely amateur in the true sense that players represent their home counties without massive salaries. They're playing for pure pride. Pure pride. And the passion in that 80,000 seed stadium is literally deafening. It is the heartbeat of Irish community identity. And you know that community identity is deeply reflected in the culinary history of the East Coast, too. Oh, the food. Let's talk about the food. You aren't just eating food over there. You are consuming centuries of adaptation. Look at a place like the Gravediggers pub in Dublin. The Gravediggers. It has been pouring pint since 1833. 1833. And it literally shares a wall with glass-fed cemetery. Right next door. You have generations of famous Irish political figures buried right there. The pub was originally built to serve the Gravediggers working the cemetery. They would actually handpint through a hole in the wall. Just sliding beers through the brickwork. Yeah. You're drinking in a place that treats the boundary between life and death is just another part of the community fabric. That integration of daily life, history and mortality is very, very Irish. And you see that deep historical connection in the other food recommendations from the guide as well. Like Leo Birdock. Right, Leo Birdock for traditional fish and chips. And buoys on Grafton Street, which has been the gold standard for the traditional full Irish breakfast for nearly a century. But the stop that really fascinated me is Gallagher's Boxty House. Oh, the Boxty. Now, a Boxty is a traditional Irish potato pancake. But it represents a very specific part of agrarian history. It's not just a side dish. No, it's a survival mechanism. Before refrigeration, the Boxty was a way to utilize potatoes. You grate raw potato, mix it with mashed potato, flour, and buttermilk, and fry it. It was a way to preserve the crop and feed a family. which was in court. incredibly important historically. - Exactly. And Gallagher's takes these recipes, dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries, and re-imagines them for the modern palate. - It is the perfect encapsulation of the East Coast experience, really. You are eating a 17th century survival recipe in a modern bustling European capital, just hours after playing a 19th century golf course with 21st century titanium clubs. - Time machine with a scorecard. - There it is. In Ireland, the past isn't some museum exhibit you visit on a Tuesday. It is the literal foundation you're standing on. - Beautifully said, but, and this is a big but, if the East Coast is about accessible history in this beautiful blend of serene links and city life, heading across the country to the West Coast introduces a completely different paradigm. - Completely different world, honestly. - The West Coast is untamed. It is dominated by towering dunes and the raw fury of the Atlantic Ocean. - It is wild. - But ironically, our conversation about the West Coast right now has to start with a anomaly. - A dare manor. - A dare manor. - A dare manor is a fascinating geographical contradiction. It is set on this expansive 840 acre estate featuring a massive Gothic revival manor house. - It looks like so at the end of a movie. - It really does. - But unlike the rugged coastal links the West is famous for, the golf course at a dare manor is a lush, meticulously manicured parkland layout. - Designed by Tom Fosio, right? - Yes, designed by modern architect Tom Fosio. It weaves through mature trees and the sweeping banks of the River Mike. - And it is gearing up to host the 100th Ryder Cup in 2027. - Which is a massive deal. - But wait, let me stop you there. Why build a parkland course in the West of Ireland? When you have all that natural links land available? - It comes down to the financial and logistical demands of hosting a massive modern event like the Ryder Cup. - The infrastructure. - Right, you need infrastructure, you need luxury accommodations and you need a course that can handle tens of thousands of spectators walking around without destroying the place. - That makes sense. Links courses are pretty fragile. - Very fragile. So Fosio incorporated incredibly advanced agronomy here, including these sub-air drainage systems under the greens. - To pull the moisture out. - Exactly, to literally vacuum moisture out of the turf, ensuring championship conditions regardless of the unpredictable Irish weather. It is a masterpiece of modern engineering dropped right into the ancient landscape of County Limerick. - It's the ultimate polish venue. - But once you leave the gates of a dare manor and hit the actual coast, the true rugged nature of the West really asserts itself. - Well, the gloves come off. - They really do. - You cannot talk about links golf in the West without confronting Bally Bunyan Golf Club. - Bally Bunyan is iconic. And Bally Bunyan offers what might be the starkest architectural dichotomy in the sport, all on one single property. - It provides a literal timeline of how golf course architecture has evolved. Bally Bunyan sits on a dramatic stretch of sand dunes right over the Atlantic. - And the primary layout is the Old Course, which was established in 1893. - 1893. - And the Old Course is the epitome of that found architecture we talked about earlier. It was artfully woven through the towering dunes. - The fairways just follow the natural valleys. The greens sit on natural plateaus. - It looks like it has been there since the ice age. - It really does. But then you look at the second course on the property, the Watson Caching Course. - Oh, the Caching Course. - And it is a completely different beast. - Completely different. The Caching Course was built nearly a century later and the design philosophy is violently different. - Violently is a good word for it. - Right. Because where the Old Course relies on natural integration, the Caching Course relies on manufactured difficulty. It features higher dunes, deeper valleys and these incredibly severe green complexes. - It is actively described as more erasible, spectacular, brutal and unforgiving than the Old Course. - Brutal is the consensus. - Which brings up a great question. Why? I mean, the Old Course is universally beloved. Why would architects in the late 20th century come in and build a course that is intentionally brutal and unforgiving? Because the game changed. - The equipment. - Exactly. By the time the Caching Course was developed, golfers had better equipment. The ball flew further, the clubs were much more forgiving. Architects realized that to challenge the modern golfer on a links landscape, they couldn't just use the natural valleys anymore. - Because guys would just hit right over them. - Right. They had to force the player to carry the ball over massive dunes, navigate blind shots and hit into elevated greens exposed to the high winds. - So they were weaponizing the terrain? - It was an intentional pushback against modern technology, using the extreme elements of the terrain as a weapon. Yes. - It's a Jekyll and Hyde experience. The Old Course is a smooth, classic Irish whiskey. And the Caching Course is a bucket of freezing, salty Atlantic water thrown right in your face. - That's a perfect analogy. - And the crazy thing is, golfers actively seek out that punishment. - They pay good money for it. - They really do. And during a 35 mile an hour wind on an unforgiving course like that is a badge of honor. It's a survival test. - Looking for the perfect rental? Discover top rated stays loved by guests, rated highest by real guests through authentic reviews. These traveler loved stays are recognized by the details that matter most and validated by real experiences. Choose confidently for rentals you can trust. Verbo, book now of occasion rental loved by guests. With Verbo care, help is always ready. Before, during and after your stay. We've planned for the plot twists, so support is always available. Verbo, book of vacation rental loved by guests. And that test continues down the coast at Lahinch Golf Club. - Lahinch's legendary. It sits just 10 kilometers from the cliffs of Moore. - This setting is unbelievable. - And it's architectural pedigrees, basically a who's who of Gulf history. You had early work by Old Tom Morris, who's the pioneer of the game. - The absolute legend. - Then Dr. Alistair McKenzie, who went on to design a Guest and National. He came in and transformed the routing. He utilized the massive humps and hollows. And then later, Dr. Martin Haughtry modernized it. - Lahinch has this incredible visual on the seventh hole of the castle course, where you are literally playing under the shadow of the ruins of Doe Castle. - Just a 14th century castle right there on the course. - Yeah. But what I love most is the juxtaposition. You are navigating these ancient rolling fairways steeped in 19th century history. And if you look just off the course toward Lahinch Beach, you see modern surfers. - Right, and full wet suits. - Writing massive Atlantic swells. - History and extremes for its sharing the exact same coastline. - It perfectly illustrates the dynamic energy of the West Coast. And finishing up the major stops, we have to look at Waterville. - Ah, Waterville. - It is a remote old-style links that traces its origins all the way back to the 1880s, sitting right on the edge of the ocean. But Waterville brings Tom Fazio back into the conversation for a very different reason than a dare manor. - Right. At a dare, Fazio is building a pristine parkland from scratch. But at Waterville, his job was a massive renovation to protect the course. - Protect is the key word. - And we aren't just talking about protecting it from long-hitting modern players, like the cash and course did. We were talking about protecting it from the Atlantic Ocean itself. - Coastal erosion is a massive existential threat to these historic links courses. - 'Cause the ocean just wants to take the land back. - It is a constant battle. The winter storms on the West Coast are incredibly ferocious. - Fazio's renovation involved not just elevating the aesthetics experience, but executing complex environmental engineering. - Like what? Where they have due. - Well, this means altering doon lines to block destructive wind tunnels for one. - Wow. Literally changing how the wind flows. - Exactly. Revetting bunkers with stacked sod to prevent them from just blowing out. And encouraging the deep rooting marim grasses that literally hold the sand dunes together. So the grasses acting is structural support. - Yes. - You have to fortify the land against the sheer power of nature so the course can survive the next century. - Which brings us to the most practical part of this deep dive. Because that same awesome power of nature that threatens to wash away the dunes is going to actively terrorize your golf score card if you don't know what you're doing. - Oh, it will ruin your day. - If I take my normal swing, the one I use on a soft, tree-lined municipal course in Ohio. And try to execute it at Le Hinch in a 30 mile per hour wind. I am gonna be miserable. - You will lose a lot of golf balls, yes. - A lot of them. - Link's golf requires a complete tactical rewiring of the brain. The guide includes some vital advice from Paul McLeod who is a PGA of America master professional and director of instruction at McLeod golf. - And what does he say? - He explicitly says you must hit half or three-quarter flighted shots. You have to take extra clubs to control the spin and crosswinds or headwinds. - Now, I've always struggled with this conceptually, but I think I finally understand the physics of it. - It's all about physics. - Right, if I am 150 yards away, my normal club is a seven-iron. I swing hard, the ball goes high, it lands soft. - Standard golf. - But when I try that in a heavy Irish coastal wind, the ball just balloons into the sky, stops mid-air and drops dead, or blows me down. 40 yards to the right. Right, because of the spin. It feels like the wind catches the backspin. So, McLachlan's advice to swing easier with a bigger club is basically a hack to kill that spin, right? Exactly. It comes down to a metric called spin loft, combined with the Magnus effect. The Magnus effect? Yeah, which is how a spinning object interacts with the air. When you take a hard full swing with a lofted club like a seven iron, you impart massive backspin on the ball. Which is normally a good thing. In calm conditions, yes, that spin creates lift, keeping the ball in the air. But in a heavy headwind, that lift becomes exponentially multiplied. The wind hits the spinning grooves of the ball, creates extreme high pressure under it, and forces it to balloon straight up. So, it just goes up instead of forward. Right. It loses all forward momentum and gets completely dominated by the gusts. So, by taking a five iron, a club with less loft, and only swinging at 75% effort, you drastically reduce the backspin. Precisely. The ball flights lower, pierces through the heavy air, and hits the firm ground, running toward the hole. It requires you to completely check your ego at the door. You can't try to overpower the course. No, you have to outsmart it. You are forced to be humble and creative. And McLachlan also advises using lower-risk clubs, like an eight iron, or even a putter from off the green. Because Link's turf is sand-based fescue. Right. Right. The grass around the greens is cut incredibly tight and firm. There is no fluffy cushion under the ball at all. None. If I tried to take a 60 degree sand wedge and slide it under the ball, the leading edge is just going to bounce off the hard sand. And you're going to skull it. I'm going to skull the ball 50 yards over the green into a gorse bush. Exactly. The margin for error with a high-lofted wedge on tight Link's turf is virtually zero. So, what's the play? The safest, most effective play is to keep the ball in the ground as soon as possible. Use a putter from 30 yards out. Bump an eight iron into the bank and let it roll. You have to learn to read the contours of the ground, not just the air. Adapting to the environment rather than trying to conquer it. That is the fundamental theme of the West Coast. And that theme extends far beyond the golf course when you look at the historical and natural wonders in the region. You have the cliffs of Moeer, rising over 700 feet straight out of the Atlantic. Show casing the raw, violent power of the ocean. Just incredible power. You have Blarney Castle, where the lore of kissing the magical Blarneystone mixes history with Enduring folklore. And you have the stunning Dingle Peninsula stretching 30 miles into the sea. But the site that most profoundly captures this theme of human adaptation is Skellig Michiel. Oh, this place is fascinating. It is a UNESCO World Heritage property. It's this remote jagged island out in the Atlantic, accessible only by boat during select months. Because the water is just too rough for the rest of the year. Way too rough. And it is famous for these beehive-shaped stone huts built by monks prior to the 13th century. Think about the mindset of those monks for a second. It's hard to even comprehend. They rode out into the most violent ocean in the world to seek isolation. But when they built their shelters, they didn't try to build towering flat walled stone castles to fight the wind. Because the wind would just knock them down. Right. They used a dry stone corbling technique to build these aerodynamic dome shaped huts. The wind and the rain would just whip right around the curved stones without destroying the structure. That's genius. They survived by working with the physics of the environment. Wow. It is the exact shame philosophy is hitting the low running five iron under the wind. It really is. The monks figured out the aerodynamics of survival in the 12th century. And golfers are just applying the same logic to a small white ball today. It is a continuous line of cultural and physical adaptation shaped entirely by the geography of the island. And while surviving that geography requires serious sustenance. Very true. You need calories out there. The food culture on the west coast reflects that same rugged and during spirit. But it also reveals a modern twist. The guide points to Dick Max pub and brewery, which is an absolute institution. I've heard so much about Dick Max. It is provided an authentic no frills Irish pub experience for over a hundred years. It is exactly where you want to be to thaw out after a brutal round at belly bunion. Oh, absolutely. And for true regional history, you have Moran's oyster cottage. Now this place is incredible. This isn't some trendy pop up. It has been a family business for over 250 years, 250 years, that's older than America, right? Two and a half centuries of serving varieties of local Galway flat oysters pulled straight from the cold Atlantic waters. But just when you think you have the west coast figured out as this deeply traditional unchanging place, you hit a culinary curveball. Yes, the inclusion of the spice bag from Cheyenne street food. It is a brilliant touch in this guide because it completely disrupts the stereotype of Ireland as a museum trapped in the past. I love this part. The spice bag is an iconic, modern Irish street food. It is inspired by the flavors of the historic city of Cheyenne in China. But it is an entirely Irish take on Chinese food. It's a true cultural mashup. It's this wild cross-cultural fusion of crispy chips, shredded chicken, peppers, and incredibly addictive spices all shaken up at a bag. Think about that culinary juxtaposition for a second. It's mind blowing. In a single day on the west coast, you can eat 250-year-old traditional oysters grounded in ancient maritime history. And then for dinner, you are eating a wildly modern fusion street food that represents the globalized, diverse reality of 21st century Ireland. The culture reveres its past, but it enthusiastically embraces the present. And you see that community embrace perfectly at the milk market and liberate. Oh, the milk market. It is a massive, vibrant gathering spot to find fresh local flavors, artisanal crafts, and unique treasures. It is a bustling hub where the community comes together. Which brings us full circle to the very sociology of the golf clubs we discussed earlier. It really does. Whether you are at the milk market and limerick, leading against the bar at Dick Max, or stepping off the 18th green at Port Monoc, the defining characteristic of the country is the eagerness to share their space, their history, and their culture with you. That's the secret to the whole place. So if we synthesize this entire deep dive, planning the ultimate golf trip to Ireland is about leaning into the dynamic contrasts. You have the lush, hyper-engineered Parkland luxury of the K club in a dare manner, standing in stark contrast to the untamed, ancient, found dunes of belly bunion in Lahinch. And off the course, you have the quiet academic reverence of Trinity College's long room, and the remote endurance of the monks on Shellig Michael, contrasted against the loud, vibrant chaos of an 80,000-seat hurling match at Croke Park and a modern spice bag from Shion Street food. And most importantly, you have these historic world-renowned golf institutions that, instead of locking their gates to protect their prestige, actively throw their doors wide open to welcome you for a round and a pint. You really do not need to be a scratch golfer, or even a golfer at all to appreciate what is happening here. Not at all. A trip to Ireland is a masterclass in hospitality and adaptation. You are stepping into a living, breathing history book, where the locals are genuinely excited to invite you into the story. You might travel there for the golf course architecture, but you will remember that people who handed you a pint when it was all over. We started this conversation talking about how Ireland shatters the neat little light inner area of a normal vacation. The sport is the history, the history is the food, and the food is the culture. It is all one brilliantly chaotic, windy, beautiful tapestry. And every single thread of that tapestry is fundamentally shaped by the physical environment of the island itself. The geography dictates the game, the architecture, and the community. Which brings me to a final thought for you, the listener, to mull over today. We have spent this time seeing how the harsh, windy, sandy terrain of the Irish coast literally birthed a creative, low-running style of golf and forged a resilient, fiercely welcoming culture over centuries. So, look out the window at the physical environment where you live. How is your local geography, the weather, the soil, the landscape, secretly shaped the games your community plays, the comfort food you eat, and the way you welcome a stranger into your home.