There is such a perfect harmony to their teamwork that you swear you can distinctly hear a voice with an Irish brogue speaking these words as Padraig Harrington and Ronan Flood walk side-by-side.

“There are good ships, and there are wood ships, the ships that sail the sea. But the best ships are friendships, and may they always be.”

Harrington and Flood, after all, personify the words. To consider them player and caddie is to fall miles short of what they truly are – lads with a deep-rooted love of their Irish heritage, of lifelong friendships with your boyhood foursomes mate, of family and Dubliners, and the incomparable joy of Stackstown Golf Club.

And make no mistake about it, before Harrington built a world-class golf game, he helped build a golf course. There was much help, of course, because in conjunction with his late father Paddy, his brothers (Tadhg, Columb, Fintan, and Fergal), and so many others who were family and friends of Ireland’s national police force, An Garda Síochána, Stackstown became a reality.

It is never hyperbole to remind folks that Harrington truly found a love of the game in the dirt.

“When he was just a boy, maybe 5 or 6 and he wasn’t in school, he was at the golf course, in the dirt moving rocks,” said Caroline Harrington, who was asked how she had met her husband, Padraig Harrington.

At Stackstown, of course, where her father, Dermot Gregan, “joined on the first day” and insisted on showing his daughter around the glory of this community pride and joy. “He was carrying on, showing me his name on the plaque.”

As luck would have it, there was a foursomes match going on in the Murfit Cup and Dermot wanted to them to watch this kid Padraig Harrington and his partner, Kitt Flood.

“You’re kidding me?” was Caroline’s answer. Understandable, given that she was 16 and had way more fun things she could have been doing. But Caroline does remember the details of their first looks at one another like it were yesterday.

“It was a par 5 and Padraig hit his longest shot after he saw me.”

Ah, Irish storytelling at its finest, but the fact is, Padraig and Caroline have been together 33 years, 25 in marriage, and the ride has been fashionably rewarding. From three major championships, 36 world-wide wins, a Ryder Cup captaincy, and sons Patrick (a first-year University student) and Ciaran (eighth grade), she has been there every step of the way in Padraig’s forging of a brilliant legacy.

You need to say similarly about Ronan Flood, too.

He provided the calming presence when Harrington fought hard not to totally melt down on the 72nd hole of the Open Championship at Carnoustie in ’07. He offered positive reinforcement when Harrington chose to hit 5-wood for his second shot into the 71st hole at Royal Birkdale at the ’08 Open.

Harrington won both and Flood – who is married to Carolina’s younger sister, Suzie – rightfully was afforded his share of credit and massive respect.

A fascinating partnership, Harrington and Flood, they are like personalities is so many ways. While Padraig is arguably one of the two or three best interviews in golf – witty and insightful, charming and forthcoming – Caroline suggests Ronan is in step with him.

“Padraig is clever,” she said. “But Ronan is really clever.”

Harrington has been lifelong friends with Ronan’s older brother, Kitt, now a successful realtor and partner in a couple of pubs in San Francisco. As is the norm in Great Britain & Ireland, foursomes is a huge deal and Padraig and Kitt were a formidable pairing for years.

Quite good at the game himself, Ronan Flood was on course to make a career in the banking business. Oh, he spent a few weeks in 1998 as Harrington’s caddie, but by 2004 Ronan was eyeing possible jobs in London or New York or Dubai.

“Padraig asked me to come out a few weeks late in the season. I took a leave of absence,” said Ronan. When it made sense to do it fulltime – “Padraig was top 10 player, remember” – the brothers-in-law were fully committed.

If there is a reason why, credit their intensity and the attention to detail. Considered a Harrington strength, Ronan Flood is right there with him, “every bit as intense,” said Caroline.

An unforgettable memory is a practice day at the 2010 Masters when Harrington took three hours to play the first nine, then three-and-a-half to play the second nine. It never was clear which was nuttier – Harrington doing it or yours truly watching all three-a-half hours starting at 10. But there we all were on the second nine late on Tuesday, Harrington and Flood using the spirit level to measure the slopes of every green.

When it was over, Ronan Flood took the time to explain the spirit level and how he and Padraig had information in their “greens book” that would be forever.

As for playing finishing holes after 6 p.m., Harrington explained: “If you want to win this Tournament, you’re going to finish at the time I did. You have to putt in those shadows I just putted in.”

Here was the take-away from that day: Ronan Flood wore a look of total satisfaction, as if it had been a hugely successful day; he was upbeat as Harrington.

It struck me then that they were consummate teammates – great friends, proper professionals – and that only was reinforced a few years later at the tournament in Mayakoba. Dinner was in the same pub each night with the same food (fajitas) and the same Coca-Cola beverages – diet for Padraig, regular for Ronan.

“That’s them,” said Caroline. “They’re a good match.”

In a dominating win at last weekend’s Charles Schwab Cup Championship, Harrington and Flood were in synch, thoroughly prepared, and meticulously aware of all the scoring dynamics.

They’ve come a long way from Stackstown, but you get the sense they are forever tied to the place and to each other.

Which seems to prompt another Irish brogue that offers a reminder: “A friend’s eye is a good mirror.”