A Gentleman's Game

With merely two weeks remaining, our Ireland adventure was concluding. Although this made us sad, we still had a lot to celebrate. We had already experienced nine unforgettable weeks, and with class already at a close, we had the chance at Irish leisure without constraint. Sounds like trouble, right?

Our time was spent celebrating some birthdays and playing a simulation of golf; you know, the gentleman’s game.

Pub golf is a very complex game. Let me explain. It is a partner game (a scramble, so to speak). Each pair of players makes their way through 18 different pubs, drinking a pint of beer at each one. Strokes are counted as lifts to the mouth (a complete chug being a hole-in-one). There are also two bunkers, where shots are to be taken and two water hazards, where bathrooms may not be used.

One of the “golfers” suggested an addendum that brought an entirely new dimension to the game. We created a variety of awkward, yet humorous sentences, to be chosen at random. If one of these were to be said to a stranger, a stroke would be subtracted from that team’s score. “ You would look great in Periwinkle”.

Okay, “simulation” may not be the best word choice, and “gentlemen’s game” may be a stretch, but I think we kept our composure quite well considering our aggressive drinking approach. When in Ireland, do as the Irish do, Right? Until morning, we stood along side some of our Irish friends and did it the Irish way. We danced to songs of laughter and drank to songs of sadness; singing all along. No amount of nausea or degree of aching head could diminish the joy that the nights companionship has brought me.