I got this book for Christmas following a number of recommendations, and I was taken in by it to such an extent, I couldn’t resist reaching out directly to Tom which meant we were lucky enough to get him onto the podcast (Episode 012) to talk about his experiences. Firstly, Tom is a superb writer and I suspect he would make a good page-turner of making his cereal in the morning, or checking his tyre pressures on the car if the need were to arise, however the adventure he sets out on in Ireland before the days of iPhones and having access to GPS and accommodation bookings at the touch of a button is simply incredible. This needed meticulous preparation and an ability to throw caution to the wind.

Driven partly by nostalgia and wanting to acquaint himself with the land of his ancestors, Tom sets out to walk the entire coastline of Ireland playing every golf course in his way (in effect playing Ireland as one long golf course).

By walking every day, Tom was well and truly off the beaten track and with that brings some fascinating stories from his travels, the company he falls into and the more rugged and authentic parts of Ireland that people often don’t stay, visit or have even heard of!

Whilst Tom clearly tee’s it up at some of the most distinguished courses in Ireland, (queue Royal Country Down, Portrush, Old Head and Ballybunion), it’s the hidden gems that he visits that clearly strikes a chord with both author and reader. Courses like Cruit Island and Carne clearly leave a significant impression on Tom and as a reader you cannot help but feel on the one hand, as though you are on the journey with him sharing the experience, whilst also wanting to check out flight costs and piece together an abbreviated version of his trip for yourself!

The book also helps uncover an altogether unfamiliar aspect of golf travels abroad, becoming part of the communities he visits for 24 hours at a time, and enjoying local golf courses, for local people. An honesty box on the tee, a portacabin for a clubhouse, and an army of local teens out with half a dozen second hand clubs playing till the sun goes down!

The writing style makes this a real page-turner, with the golf becoming very much the backdrop for the story which revolves around the people he met on his travels. The stories are laugh-out-loud (‘lol’ for the millennials) funny. Particular favourites are when Tom is joined by his family who go out seeking their distant relatives, or the incident with the three bears! I won’t spoil it any further!

A course called Ireland is exactly what the golf reader of today needs! This is not a biographical account of every course and hole, with pages of information that any other traveller can find out for themselves, this is a story of a true golfing tragic who has set himself one of the most outrageous personal goals imaginable and sets out to achieve it in the wind, rain, on foot and against all odds.

This is the first in a series of ‘A Course called…’ books by Tom, with ‘A Course called Scotland’ the sequel also available, and ‘A Course called America’ due for release in MAY 2021.

5*