The early 1990s saw a number of courses open for play in Ireland, some in a blaze of national publicity, others to the welcoming applause of local golfers.

Galway was somewhere in between. It opened in 1993 and only a year later went on to host the Irish Professional Championship, so its quality is not to be underestimated.

It is a Christy O'Connor Jnr-designed championship links course with the growling waves of the Atlantic Ocean on three sides. It is, therefore, unsurprisingly susceptible to mother nature and all her elements.