Big is beautiful

No expense has been spared on The Heritage, in Laois, Seve Ballesteros’ first course design project in this country. Charlie Mulqueen visited the €100m development.

BEARING in mind the extravagant claims to championship status that one hears from just about every new facility that opens its doors, one hesitates to speak in those terms when yet another comes on stream.

After all, what IS a championship course? Is it one on which championships have actually been played, or is it one that aspires to doing so some time in the future? Or, perish the thought, could it be an owner attributing a standard of excellence to his property that is more than slightly overstated.