As if one K Club wasn't enough . . . we will shortly have two. The exclusive Co Kildare Country Club has just got permission to build an 18-hole golf course on the opposite side of the Liffey, complete with club house and 40 expensive houses for members. The club has also got permission to built a new bridge inside the entrance, linking it to the 200-acre site on the western side of the river. Michael Smurfit's decision to build a second course has been prompted by plans to stage the Ryder Cup in 2005. As the course will be closed for up to eight months before the major event, the second course will come in useful for members who have paid through the nose to breath the rarefied country air at Straffan. For the privilege of playing the course, there is a joining fee of £30,000 on top of the annual sub of £2,500. For people who like to plan ahead, there is the lifetime membership fee of £125,000.