LOOKING at a map with Dublin as a starting-point, it seemed a long, long way to travel. Indeed one couldn't help thinking that to make sense of such a journey, Carne would have to be a rather special links, even if the predictions were for bright, sunny weather in the west.

On the final leg from Ballina, however, a dramatic change of scenery sparked the thrill of adventure. There on the right was Ireland's first windfarm, the propeller blades turning lazily in a fresh breeze, while the sunlit hills in the distance adopted autumnal shades of brown, gold and light green.

Further along the road to Bangor, we passed the ESB power station at Bellacorick, where smoke from its high chimneys drifted towards an unsettled sky. And all the while on the left-hand side, there was the ever-present Owenmore River until we left the N59 for the R313 and the final run into Belmullet.

Approaching the town, Blacksod Bay stretched away to the left, providing the first sight of the Atlantic. Now, it was only a short drive to Carne and its charming clubhouse on elevated ground, overlooking the links. Interestingly, the car-park had as many Dublin and British registered vehicles as those with the familiar Mayo plate.

So, into the clubhouse which left no doubt about its Gaeltacht location. Through the door marked "Seomra Hackett" was the bar and dining area, alternatively described as "Bialann" or "Seomra Bia." And there, over the fireplace at the far end of the room was a large, framed portrait of the course designer Eddie Hackett, expertly taken by local photographer Eamon O'Boyle.

"Mr Hackett paid us his final visit last summer," said a member of the staff. Then, pointing to a small table and chairs to the left of the fireplace, she added: "He sat there, looking out the window."

It was not difficult to imagine the late Eddie taking a long, proud look at some of the finest work of his illustrious career in design. Carne is, quite simply, the most stunning discovery" I have made in golf. Even the impressive reports I heard about the place hadn't prepared me for the splendour of the terrain.

Towering dunes has become something of a cliche in describing links courses but here, the term seems almost inadequate. I suppose one's surprise stems from the fact that the terrain, all 270 acres of it, has been revealed to outsiders only since the official opening of the golf course two years ago.

Eamonn Mangan, a director of the management company, explained its origins. "In an effort at increasing tourism traffic to the Erris region of the North West, we set up a company called Erris Tourism in 1984," he said. "Our most ambitious project was the building of the Carne Links which now incorporates the old Belmullet club."

He went on: "We see golf as a means of getting visitors to Belmullet, but we're also aware of the need to improve accommodation in the town. In fact we are currently planning a major hotel development."

And Mangan is patient. Green-fee revenue of £50,000 in 1995 was decidedly modest by Ballybunion standards. But it was £70,000 last year and the target for this season is £90,000. "We're young, but we're getting there," he said.

Out on the first tee, I met a quartet of what could be described as handy practitioners. Jim Bowe, a past-captain of Enniscrone, offered to be my guide. Pointing to the short second - 164 yards off the medal tees he remarked: "Christy Senior had a hole-in-one there with a six-iron.

With only the flagstick visible from the tee, he couldn't have seen the deep bunker to the right front of the green. But such details would hardly concern the old master of the wedge. Indeed I was also reminded of his mastery of the driver when informed that on a second visit to the course last May, O'Connor had hit two drivers just beyond the pin at the par-five, 543-yard 18th.

There is, in fact, quite a degree of blindness on the course, much of which could easily be eliminated by modern, earth-moving equipment. But Hackett insisted on maintaining a traditional look, with a level of blindness that's accepted at places such as Lahinch and Royal Co Down. And who's to say he's wrong, particularly where visitors are concerned?

As we walked down the third, a light aircraft passed overhead, heading for the airstrip close by. And thoroughly captivated by my surroundings, I headed off on my own to drink in the delights of this wonderful layout. Mind you, Bowe had warned me that I would begin to feel the physical demands of the severely undulating terrain, by the time I reached the 13th.

That was where the Enniscrone man took liberties, in a manner of speaking, with a visiting American. Looking out at the wild Atlantic beyond the green, Bowe remarked: "On a good day, you can see them going home from work in New York." "Oh, yeah!," came the hugely impressed reply.

But I digress. The nines at Carne are delightfully contrasting, the outward journey being set against the backdrop of Blacksod Bay, while the homeward loop winds it way out to the Atlantic coast and back in again.

On the front nine, I was particularly taken by the short seventh (169 yards off the medal-tee) where a rising shot to an elevated green demanded as much as a three-wood from an accomplished striker into the prevailing wind. And indicative of the tasteful nature of the development overall, was an utterly charming, stone-faced shelter, set into the hillside on the way to the seventh green.

Standing on the 10th, at the start of the back nine, it was impossible not to look left, towards the sea. And it was there that I learned the reason for the four swans in flight, which dominate the club crest. Out on Inishglora is the legendary burial place of the Children of Lir - Conn, Aodh, Fiachra and Fionnuala.

As with the outward journey, Hackett has designed two excellent par threes - the 14th by the sea-shore, where only the right half of the green is visible for a mid-iron tee-shot, and the 16th when the shot is from an elevated tee to a well-bunkered green. In between are amazing dunes to the right of the 15th, where the fairway climbs steadily to an elevated target.

With so many wonderful features at his disposal, Hackett could afford to be sparing in his use of bunkers. And with the 298-yard dog-leg 12th, he succeeded in creating a rare gem of a short par four.

Incidentally, Bowe was right: it is a physically-demanding challenge, but one that must be negotiated without a buggy if the terrain is to be fully appreciated. "Faoi scath a ceile a mhaireann na daoine" we are reminded in the clubhouse and from my short stay, there was clearly no shortage of company for the visitor to Carne.

During his lifetime, nobody did more than Eddie Hackett for the development of Irish golf. And if Waterville is to be accepted as the first, major triumph for his design skills, Carne must surely rank as a fitting swansong. Well worth the journey.