The Firm & Fast Golf Podcast Shane Derby

The First in a four part series that cover the F&F Spring Break to Counties Sligo and Mayo. Myself and a good mate set off from Dublin to the Atlantic West Coast of Ireland to explore the delights of links golf at Rosses Point, Strandhill, Enniscrone & Belmullet.


Please take a look at the F&F Instagram page to view a number of reels showing County Sligo, Strandhill, Enniscrone and Carne in all of their early season splendour.


Please find a few links below for accommodation, eating and non golfy stuff that might be of use to you when planning a trip Westwards


Radisson SAS Rosses Point
Glass House Hotel Sligo


Otto Pizza Sligo
Flipside Sligo


Bartragh Restaurant Enniscrone GC (the curry was divine!)
Diamond Coast Hotel Enniscrone


Shraigh Air BnB Belmullet (sleeps 4 comfortably - highly recommended)


Broadhaven Bay Hotel Belmullet
Talbot Hotel Belmullet


Blacksod Lighthouse
Ceide Fields


We hope you enjoy both this episode and the series which will dive a good bit deeper with some of the characters we encountered.


The West is Awake!


Episode image credit to Nick Wall, Air Swing Media


Music under license from Epidemic Sound
Special Guest: Niall Higgins.

Tony Cunningham is a long standing member at County Sligo Golf Club at Rosses Point. While visiting recently we sat down with him to explore the origin story of ine of the grand old dames of Irish Golf. Founded by members of the Sligo Militia in 1894, the club celebrates 130 years in 2024.


The Club has hosted the West of Ireland Championships since its introduction/inception in 1923 - the West heralds the beginning of the elite amateur golf season and is held over the course of a week every Easter. Former champions include Shane Lowry, Rory McIlroy, Padraig Harrington, JB Carr, John Burke & County Sligo's very own Cecil Ewing.


As part of the 130 year celebrations, County Sligo are also hosting the Irish Amateur Open in May 2024.


This episode is the second instalment from the F&F Spring Break 2024, future episodes feature a great catch up with Mark Millar the Superintendent at County Sligo and Council Member David Dunne who is acting as the main point of liason between the club and their consulting architects MacKenzie & Ebert on a 5 year improvement plan for the links which is scheduled to commence later this year.


Thanks for tuning in, we hope you enjoy the show.


Episode Music, under license from Epidemic Sound
Special Guest: Tony Cunningham.

Leo Barber the GM and Course Manager at Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club on the Kapiti Coast of the North Island of New Zealand joins us for this episode.


I have had the great pleasure of playing the links at Paraparaumu Beach on a number of occasions, over the course of 4 rounds there, thus far, the washboard fairways and associated dunescapes really resonated with this self confessed links junkie.


Leo recently marked the 75th anniversary of Alex Russell's arrival at Paraparaumu with a presentation to the members of the club and joins us today to recount both the story of the links and his own journey which began a mere 15 minutes down the road from the club in Pukerua Bay.


We hope you enjoy our chat!


Please check out the following links for some additional supporting content


Leo Barber's pictorial history of PBGC


Ran Morisset's course tour of PBGC on Golf Club Atlas


Christian Cullen best try's link


Clyde Johnson website - Book on North Island Country Golf in NZ


Intro and outro music - _Shoreline Serenade by Dye O _- under license from Epidemic Sound
Special Guest: Leo Barber.

In this final instalment of my chat with Pat Ruddy we take a look at his work in County Donegal - revising Eddie Hackett's work at both Murvagh and Ballyliffin, revising Morris, Vardon and Colt at Rosapenna, creating muscular modern links courses at Ballyliifin (Glashedy) and Rosapenna (Sandy Hills) and a revitalisation project at the Colt and Alison designed County Sligo Golf Club.


Apologies for the, at times, slightly stratchy audio, we hope it doesn't detract too much from the conversation.


We hope you enjoyed this series, many thanks to Pat for his time and to you for listening.


Intro and outro music - _Shoreline Serenade by Dye O _- under license from Epidemic Sound
Special Guest: Pat Ruddy.

This is part two of my chat with Pat Ruddy (final part due in a few weeks), we hope you enjoy our conversation!


In this episode we focus on the origin story of The European Club which is located in Brittas Bay in County Wicklow - how the site was eventually found, the opening day, a course of 20 holes, sleeper shod bunkers and a 127 yard green..... it's a cracking story.... well told!


Apologies for some scratchy audio throughout, we hope it doesn't detract too much from the content.


Intro and outro music - _Shoreline Serenade by Dye O _- under license from Epidemic Sound
Special Guest: Pat Ruddy.

Pat Ruddy may be known to many of you as the owner and course designer of The European Club located at Brittas Bay, Co. Wicklow.


That association is central to his story, however, it does not tell the full tale. In addition to course design Mr Ruddy is a Golf Journalist, Author, Bibliophile, Historian and Magazine publisher.


A native of Ballymote, Co. Mayo, Ruddy would often cycle 20 miles from his home in Ballymote to play the great coastal links of County Sligo Golf Club at Rosses Point, where he was a member.


His early days in Ballymote fueled his love of the game of golf and those that wrote about it like Longhurst, Warren-Wind and Darwin.


He completed his first design for Castlecomer GC in 1969 and would go on to make revisions at Ballyliffin (Old), Rosapenna (OTM), County Sligo (Championship) and Donegal (Murvagh) in addition to new courses at Rosapenna (Sandy Hills), Ballyliffin (Glashedy), Druids Glen, Druids Heath, St Margarets and 36 at Club de Golf de l'Île de Montréal in Canada.


This is part one of the Pat Ruddy story, we hope you enjoy our chat!


Intro and outro music - _Shoreline Serenade by Dye O _- under license from Epidemic Sound
Special Guest: Pat Ruddy.