The cabbage patch theorists don't have a leg to stand on. Once upon a time, there were those who scoffed at the mere notion of a public golf course. They don't look down their noses any more, and the reason is simple: the municipal facilities that have been created around the country are one of modern golf's great success stories.

"If you don't offer quality, then you can't expect customers to pay," says Brian Begley, a former Munster interprovincial player in his own right, who manages the most recently-opened public course at Grange Castle in Clondalkin. It is the latest addition to a public golfing concept that originated with Stepaside and Corballis in the mid-1970s, and extended to include Mahon in Cork, Sillogue and Elmgreen in Dublin, with courses in Limerick and Belfast also in the pipeline.

Ironically, the great advocate of public golf was actually an Ulsterman, Don McErvel, a past president of the Golfing Union of Ireland. And an indication of how much things have changed since the GUI contributed £60,000 from their coffers to develop Stepaside 20 years ago is that South Dublin County Council's recent investment in Grange Castle amounted to £2 million.

The GUI's role in public golf should not be overlooked. Golf's explosion in Ireland can be traced back to the Canada Cup (now the World Cup) win by Harry Bradshaw and Christy O'Connor in Mexico in 1958 and the staging of that tournament at Portmarnock two years later. "The clubs simply couldn't cater for everyone who wanted to play," recalls Des Rea-O'Kelly, who chairs the GUI's Public Golf Facilities sub-committee. "So we pressed the local authorities in an attempt to build public courses."

By the early 1970s, a young politician called John Bruton was parliamentary secretary to the OPW and, in his discussions with the GUI, it was decided that Dublin County Council would make land available if the GUI contributed financially. So it was that the GUI (who then received a percentage of green fees) put up £60,000 for the nine-hole facility at Stepaside, and it proved to be so successful that they got their money back within ten years. "All of that money was then ploughed back into other courses, and that continues to be our policy," adds Rea O'Kelly.

Although the concept was widespread in the United States and Britain, the move towards such public facilities in Ireland proved to be quite slow. However, there has been a degree of catch-up in more recent times - and the quality of the courses is, in many ways, testament to its success.

Grange Castle is a classic example. Designed by Paddy Merrigan - who designed the Slieve Russell championship course and who also had a major influence in the design of the Old Head of Kinsale - the parkland course has been constructed to USGA specifications and has four man-made lakes in play.

The course is marketed and administered by Eurogolf Services (the Carr family company that's also responsible for the administration of the highly successful Elmgreen facility in Castleknock, Stepaside, Marlay Park and Corballis). "Without doubt, it's one of the finest new courses," says Begley. "Paddy (Merrigan) did a great job. It's a competitive challenge, especially where water is in play, but the fairways are generous and the greens are true."

Nestled between Baldonnel airport and the Nangor Road, Grange Castle meets what Begley claims are the two essential assets for any public course, "high standards and accessibility." He adds: "We're the only public course in south-west Dublin and it is a great amenity for the locals. However, with the M50 motorway close-by, we're also accessible to a wider market and we have actually set a target of 25,000 green fees for the year." Given that it opened for play a mere two months ago, that figure provides a picture of the healthy demand for public golf.

Indeed, Eamon Harnett, the course superintendent at Grange Castle who actually works for South Dublin County Council, professes to have "lost two stone" in weight in his efforts to keep the maintenance levels at the standard required. "But there is tremendous job satisfaction," he adds.

Grange Castle is no chicken run. It is a par 72 measuring 6,563 yards and includes a number of gems: the fourth hole, a par four dog-leg, involves a carry over water off the tee and a further lake to be negotiated in front of the green, and wouldn't be out of place anywhere. A measure of the attention to detail at the course is that the greens are cut six times a week to a height of 6mm (any lower and the greens would suffer stress from the traffic) and fertilisers are applied every two weeks using gradual slow release fertiliser and liquid feeds.

In Cork, the success of the Mahon Municipal Golf Course, developed by Cork Corporation with GUI involvement, is emphasised by the number of players who took up the sport there and who now play to a single figure handicap. The Eddie Hackett-designed course opened in 1980 and the manager Tim O'Connor reckons that of 15 players who took up the game then, 12 of them are down to single figures.

"We've also found that golfers' standards have risen. They all think they are Nick Faldo or Colin Montgomerie and they expect the course to be very well maintained. I'd even suggest that our greens now are as good as you'll find anywhere," says O'Connor.

In fact, Mahon continue to respond to players' expectations. Originally a par 66, the par has been increased to 68 and the intention is that eventually it will reach a par of 70. "Generally, we have the same cross-section of the population playing in Mahon since the day we opened, but we are particularly keen to attract young players. We send out circulars to local schools and have professional tuition for them," says O'Connor.

Although the Dublin area is particularly well served, the public golf message is spreading. Limerick County Council - again aided by the GUI - are at an advanced stage in their plans for a facility at Rathbane and the GUI's sub-committee are particularly keen to assist the proposed development of a public course in the Colinglen area of Belfast.

However, the concept of public golf courses is aimed mainly at urban areas, going back to that old adage of "location, location, location".

"Our policy is to continue with the relocation of any money we receive from public golf courses back into the system," says Rea O'Kelly. That initial £60,000 invest in Stepaside in the mid-'70s has proven to be a great investment, and the knock-on effect is that many thousands of golfers who wouldn't otherwise have access to public courses have benefited.

However, it is a tribute, too, to the various local authorities (Fingal County Council's development of Elmgreen, in particular, proved to be such a success story that it spurred on South Dublin in their plans to proceed with Grange Castle) that they have insisted on top-class public facilities rather than merely settling for second best. The use of Eurogolf, a professional marketing company under the Carr brothers, Marty and Gerry, to administer a number of the courses in the Dublin area also underlines the intention to provide the best possible service to the public. So far, it has been a winning formula.