The new links course at Doonbeg in Co Clare has received a huge vote of approval, before it is even officially opened for play: the influential American magazine Sports Illustrated has ranked Doonbeg at number two in its selection of top 10 new courses in the world.

Although the course has enjoyed some privileged play for the past number of months, it won't actually open for full play until next spring. Already, it seems, Doonbeg is destined to join the ranks of top links courses in the world with SI senior writer Gary Van Sicle calling it designer Greg Norman's "Mona Lisa".

Doonbeg is the first course to be designed by Norman in Europe and is set along a one-and-a-half mile stretch of beach amid high duneland. It has been developed by Kiawah Development Partners as a private club with some public play.