NI golf club's surprise as NFL legend and country music star pay visit: ‘They extended hand of friendship to staff and guests'
The former New England Patriots quarterback and the Tennessee musician were spotted chatting with members and staff alike at the famous club.
Wallen skipped the Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards in Frisco, Texas, on Thursday night to enjoy a round with Brady.
According to the club's general manager, Bill Donald, having such 'high-end' guests take to the greens shows the quality of golf courses on the island of Ireland.
He also described how friendly the US celebrities were to staff and fellow guests.
'I can honestly say they were real people people. It was very low-key — that's what we like. They came to enjoy the club and the course with the facilities,' said Bill.
'They extended the hand of friendship to a lot of the staff, to the members or guests that they were around. They were very sociable.
'I can see why they are such good personalities and talked about in such high regard. Because they were such good people. [Their] management skills were absolutely fantastic.
'They wanted to talk about the course and how they played. Tom birdied in the last 18th and he was delighted about that. Then off they went.
'They had spent some time chatting to the staff in the shop and some of the guests as well as members who happened to be around.'
Golf courses across the island attract many famous faces, he said.
'I think it shows that golf in Ireland is thriving. And you feel very grateful for that,' he added.
'I think them playing golf here is symptomatic of where we are, where we are seen in world golf.
'We are very appreciative of all the people who come to Royal County Down to play golf. It's nice that our reach extends as far as it does.
'It's great for tourism. Most visitors to our course, such as Tom, for example, they post references to their Instagram.
'That has a very deep effect and long reach within the walks of life that they are engaged with. I think that all helps for Northern Ireland and the island of Ireland.
'We do get, from time to time, many different, varied backgrounds from sports, through all walks of life.
'We are very grateful for it. We're very proud of the club and the course for where it is positioned in world golf, that we are able to attract such personalities.
'We get a lot of friends — we call them friends of Royal County Down — that are based throughout the globe.
'We get very high-end celebrities, but I think they are all under the umbrella of the golf community.
'We treat everybody the same. That is the way we liked to be viewed as well.'
American footballer Brady (47), who retired for the second time in February 2023, won seven Super Bowls — six with the New England Patriots and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In 2024 he became the lead analyst for the NFL on Fox Sports.
Brady is also a minority owner of Birmingham City, who this season won promotion from League One to the Championship.
In August last year, Wallen, before a show at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, was joined by Brady and Mike Tyson during his now-famous walkout to the stage.
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