The Island in Glorious April

Hunter lets rip on the 5th

Playing golf at The Island is a rare treat. Playing it in perfect April sunshine, in t-shirt conditions, is a joy that goes beyond words.

“I met an American here in conditions like this,” Trapper told me outside the Pro shop. “He’d never been to Ireland before and was wearing waterproofs and Under Armour because his father, who had been here four times, had said it only ever rained. He had to buy new gear in the Pro shop.”

Golf Photography and the Copyright Conundrum

No, I’m not happy about it, but you get used to it because there’s no failsafe any more. You can kick up a fuss but it’s probably not going to get you anywhere. Once you put something on the Internet, it’s there to be used by anyone else – be it words or music or imagery – no matter what copyright gets trampled over.

The 2nd hole at Portsalon

My photographs have often been ‘borrowed’ . I’ve seen them on travel company websites promoting Irish golf holidays, on Twitter & Facebook, and Irish golf course websites. None of them credit me… which explains why I now insert my copyright so blatantly. It used to be along the bottom but it was too easy to cut off. Now there's a risk that it interferes with the image itself.

Royal Curragh in a Perfect Light

The par three 14th hole... golfer on the tee

Taking photographs of golf courses calls for patience. Lots of it. And patience has never been my strong suit on a golf course. But combining my passions of golf and photography has given me a different insight into the game. It has made me respect the beauty of a classic golf course and the natural landscape that flows around you. That breeds patience... and devotion.

The Selfie, The Felfie... and now the Golfie

How the Selfie has evolved! Get your phone out, snap a picture of your mug in front of a shop, in a plate of food or in a group of mates, and let everybody see it. What Ellen Degeneres and Barack Obama did for the worldwide spread of this self-promotion, the IFTAs single-handedly deconstructed. OK, so it wasn't that bad, but the IFTAs themselves were so far gone down the road of naff, cliche-driven boredom that a Selfie was never going to redeem the occasion.

The Felfie is a more recent phenomenon - basically a Selfie taken by a Farmer. Who knew they'd start their own in-thing!

Then some bright female celebrity spark got the idea of doing a Selfie with no make-up... and someone else saw this as a way to raise awareness of and money for cancer. Each Selfie nominee made a donation to the cancer society and then posted a Selfie of themselves, as well as nominating the next person. It was an ingenious tactic and it has and continues to raise millions.

Now We Have The Golfie

Yes, snap a picture of your good golfing self and let the world see you. If you thought wearing no make up was a bad idea, wait till people see your appalling golfing fashion sense! Golfers will forgive you... the world and your wife, not so much.

The idea was started by JustTreats Golf, and the idea is similar to the No Make Up campaign - take the shot, make a €4 donation to the Irish Cancer Society and then nominate two more golfing pals. Upload your Golfie and your donation screenshot to Twitter/Facebook and include the tag #golfieforcancer and you could win a spot prize thanks to Just Treats.

Here's what you need to know (and you don't even have to be on a golf course to show off that lovely mug): Just Treats

Social Media Links Challenge 2014 - The Best of Irish Links Golf

Views over Carne's clubhouse

The Social Media Links Challenge is another in the growing line of amateur golf events taking place around Ireland. And, as always, this combines quality, thrills and value, coasting along the Mayo and Sligo coastline.