At £190 per round, the Old Head of Kinsale will be providing the most expensive golf in Ireland this coming season. And individual bookings will have to be fully guaranteed financially, while a 25 per cent credit-card deposit will be required from tour operators.

"We're in pursuit of excellence and excellence costs money," said John O'Connor, joint owner of the facility with his brother Patrick. "Our objective is to provide a standard the like of which may not be found elsewhere in Europe."

In that context, O'Connor is convinced his clientele will not be concerned at having to pay a green-fee which is £15 dearer than the next highest in this country - the £175 at The K Club. After that, it is quite a drop down to the £125 weekend rate at Portmarnock (£100 on weekdays) and the sterling £90 at Royal Co Down and Royal Portrush.

Prices at leading courses in the south-west are: Waterville (£100 any day); Ballybunion, Adare, Lahinch and Tralee (£75); Killarney (£50). Other selected venues with weekday and weekend prices are: Mount Juliet (£85/£100), Druids Glen (£85), Royal Dublin (£75/£85), Portmarnock Links (£75), Portstewart (Stg£55/Stg£75), The Island (£70), Luttrellstown Castle (£60/£65), Fota Island (£55/£65), Mount Wolseley (£35/£40).

Meanwhile, when he refers to the emphasis on quality at the Old Head, O'Connor can highlight an investment of £1 million in the course during the last 12 months alone. Perhaps the most significant of all his marketing decisions, however, was to reduce the number of rounds this season from 26,000 to 18,000.

Those of you proficient at mental arithmetic, will already have worked out from those figures that the green-fee income at the Old Head this year will be in the region of £3.4 million - even with reduced traffic. "We had far too many six-hour rounds last year for my liking," said the owner. "We have now decided on 15-minute intervals between fourballs for the coming year and we'll also be limiting visitors' time to five hours on the tee, with three hours for our members and guests." He added: "As for the booking guarantees: that is essentially a response to the fact that we had far too many phantom bookings last year."

The Old Head is an international members' club where the 300 members paid an entrance fee of $50,000 and an annual subscription of $2,000 As the currency would indicate, the majority of its members are from the US, but O'Connor is anxious to increase the current complement of about 30 from this country.

Since its official opening in June 1997, green-fees at the Old Head have increased from £50 to £90, to £120 and now £190. O'Connor explained: "When we started here, I knew it would never work as a conventional golf club. A small, local population could not hope to repay the high level of investment."

He went on: "So my options were to produce conveyer-belt golf, like you will experience at certain American clubs and in Spain and Portugal, or to aim for excellence, at a price. I chose the latter option and those who would criticise our rates should note that apart from casual, seasonal labour, there are 70 people on our payroll. And our customers make a huge contribution to the local economy, in and around Kinsale."

Meanwhile, O'Connor can point to the fact that the increased rate has not had a negative impact on bookings. "We are selling an unique, golfing experience at the Old Head," he said. "So, strictly speaking, we don't need to depend on repeat business."

But making money is only a part of his long-term objective. "By the time I'm finished here, I want people to be comparing the Old Head with Pine Valley as a course of the highest quality," he said. "That's my objective."