Rory McIlroy cut his week short at Bay Hill, withdrawing from the Arnold Palmer Invitational by one pale back. But when he’s healthy and moving freely, there are few golfers with greater access to the game’s most coveted courses.
Take it Augusta National Golf Clubwhere McIlroy earned a lifetime invitation after winning the Masters Tournament last year. OR Seminole Golf Club, where getting a car isn’t too much of a problem when your dad is a member. (McIlroy has joked that he should be a member, too, since he pays his father’s dues.)
McIlroy himself belongs to a large group of elite clubs, including The Bear’s Club in Florida, Queenwood Golf Club outside London and the R&A. That’s not to mention the steady rotation of world-class venues he sees on Tour, from Pebble Beach Golf Links at Harbor Town Golf Links for Riviera.
In other words, McIlroy plays a version of golf — and lives a golf life — that most of us can barely imagine.
But in one respect, he is just like the rest of us. He has a bucket list.
McIlroy recently split it at one interview with Kevin Van Valkenburg of The Fried Egg, chowing down on a handful of courses he still hopes to see.
Among them: New South Wales Golf Club in Australia, an Alister MacKenzie design that ranks 46th in the world’s top 100 GOLF courses, having jumped 18 points on the strength of a MacKenzie & Ebert renovation. “I haven’t been there,” McIlroy said. “That looks really cool.”
Another is Fishers Island Club, Seth Raynor’s famous private design where Long Island Sound meets the Atlantic.
Despite living in the US for years, McIlroy admitted that he has left a lot of American terrain undiscovered. “There are so many in the States that I don’t have,” he said, singling out Chicago Golf Club and Pasatiempo Golf Club. Even at home in Ireland, there are glaring gaps. “Waterville,” he said. “I haven’t played. I’d like to play there.”
When his schedule allows him to play golf for fun more often, McIlroy plans to start picking some of them up. He’s already had a taste of such wheelless adventures, including an outing a few years ago at Tara Iti Golf Club in New Zealand.
But he hasn’t quite reached one of the biggest names in destination golf. He has never been in Dunat Bandon.
“I’d love to go to Bandon and do that,” McIlroy said.
Let’s hope he doesn’t rush it. The place is busy enough without crossing the line.
