Blame it on McGinley

Irish Open Diary:Down by the new tee box on the eighth, there is a lovely stone plaque - "McGinley's Tee," it says - recognising that it was the idea of Europe's Ryder Cup star Paul McGinley to move the tee back to make it a hole capable of putting the fear of god into the most hardened of tour professionals.

It was the idea of Adare Manor owner Tom Kane to install the plaque tee-side in time for the Irish Open, and course superintendent Joe O'Flaherty was given the job of commissioning a stonemason to make sure all and sundry would know of McGinley's input into the extra length. He wasn't disappointed. The order was placed on a Sunday, and it was put into the ground on a Tuesday.

Except, apparently, that the tee wasn't located exactly where McGinley intended. He didn't mean them to go back that far from the old box in extending the hole, where players in practice have been hitting three- and four-irons to the green.

"I was having a pint with Tom (after winning the Irish PGA title here in 2004) and he was asking my opinion. You know, Adare Manor is my favourite inland course in Ireland and I said he could do with a couple of new tee boxes to make it a really challenging course. It did need a bit of lengthening . . . (but) I didn't walk out and tell him where to put the tee or what to do: 64 yards is just too far back."

Oldcorn is really good

You know, these guys are good. Really good. You want proof? Clubmakers in the workshops that move from tournament to tournament on the PGA European Tour are used to players coming into their work stations looking for clubs to be tweaked, extra weight to be added or sharper angles to be applied to clubfaces.

However, the precise request from the former Volvo PGA winner Andrew Oldcorn left the seasoned clubmakers incredulous. Having had work done on his 60-degree lob wedge, Oldcorn returned to the trailer insisting the shaft was shorter than it had been.

When the club was measured, it was shown to be precisely one millimetre shorter.

Mixed forecast

Tour officials are keeping their fingers crossed, although they remain entirely hopeful, of some decent weather over the next four days. Last year's Irish Open at Carton House was dogged by inclement weather, which included high winds on one day and thunderstorms on another that forced the tournament into a finish on Monday.

The forecast for today's first round predicts a mix of sun and clouds with southwesterly winds gusting 25 to 30 miles per hour. It is tomorrow that is causing most concern, however, with winds gusting up to 40 miles per hour.

While that is likely to make shot-making and club selection difficult, at least the many trees on the estate should provide some protection against oscillating balls on the greens.

Ace prizes

Those golfers with good aim have added incentives to be aggressive on the par threes. McInerney, one of Ireland's leading development companies, has put up a prize of a a490,000 holiday home in Marbella for the first player to record an ace on the 230-yard 11th hole . . . while Audi Ireland are offering an A5 Coupé as the prize for a hole in one on the signature 16th hole, a 167-yard par three played across water.