Carton provides goods in perfect package

Caddie's Role Colin Byrne

My recent enforced vacation has given me time to carry my own clubs round the course instead of someone else's. Most of us caddies who still enjoy playing, despite our leisure being so close to work, threaten to play all those courses we have looped on but because of the time constraints of modern caddying rarely manage.

Summer time in Ireland. The fescues are high and the ball is jumping and I was taking full advantage of my free time to observe golf from the other side of the bag for a change.

I have instinctively looked at a course from the 270-yard-carry point of view, because that's the distance professionals carry the ball off the tee these days. This is where the professional really separates himself from the average amateur. He hits the ball 50 to 70 yards past the average golfer off the tee. The distance variation is not so great with the iron shots, apart from accuracy. Of course distance control with the wedges is also a distinguishing feature with the professional .

Having played the majestic Mount Juliet course on a glorious summer's day I began to recognise what being a good golf course actually means outside of a professional event. A good course should be playable for those of all abilities. It should also be a challenge for the best golfers.

The elements that present a challenge to the low handicapper should not eliminate the enjoyment for those with higher handicaps. Too often the opinion of a professional about a course is misleading because he is looking at it only from the 270-carry perspective. All the best courses in the world, many of them designed by Alister McKenzie, are a challenge for all standards of players.

Mount Juliet offers Irish inland golf of the highest quality without any of the pretension you might expect of a place with so much subtle class. Aidan O'Hara is a greenkeeper who lives his position; the impression I get from talking to him is that he is on full-time alert to keep "his" course in the best condition possible.

In order to have it as pristine as it was for the Amex World event last year there must be some sacrifices along the way. No course can be in top condition all year round. When I played last week the course looked like it was being fine-tuned for a peak showing by September. Mount Juliet on a bad day is better than most courses at their best.

Aidan alerted me to the brand new course with Colin Montgomerie's name attached to it at Carton House. Having a particular penchant for the traditional links game, especially at this time of year, I was initially not that enthused by the idea of another exclusive course with a big name and a big budget attached to it.

The raised eyebrow of O'Hara was enough to convince me it was worth the trip. What a treasure it turned out to be, set in the Carton demesne under the watchful eye of the splendid house with its origins in the 17th century .

There are no guarantees of getting it right with a new course, even when you have a great piece of land, a pedigree signature on the design team and a generous budget. Many new courses I have seen throughout the world have still managed to produce goat tracks at a lot of expense. Not so at Carton House. The "inland-links-style" Montgomerie course is the only one of its kind in this country.

We have an ongoing joke in the caddie-shack when we arrive at a new venue and the course doesn't live up to its hype. In order not to offend anyone, the diplomat will say it is "of its kind one of the finest".

In the case of the Montgomerie, it is definitely the finest of its kind and genuinely of the highest quality. This is the real thing.

Stan Eby of European Golf Design was the hands-on designer of the Montgomerie and also designed the only other course I have seen in this style in Europe, at Bad Saarow, outside Berlin. Nick Faldo collaborated in this design.

Although bordered by a variety of beautiful, mature trees on the original estate, the course is actually quite barren-looking, with the shimmering fescue grasses separating the fast-running fairways and not much else. There is a great mix of holes: long par fours backed up with tricky short ones. The bunkers are well positioned and deep, with seemingly anti-spin sand in them. This makes it more of a challenge for all types of player to raise their games and keep out of them. Either that or bring a 60-degree-plus sand wedge. The greens are a near-perfect texture with sensible slopes and interesting contours .

I am never sure about how much time the signature names spend at the creation of their courses. With the Montgomerie I suspect the man himself has been there on several occasions with his contribution. There is the hallmark of the Monty soft-fade shape on many holes with the prevailing southwest wind.

There are no gimmicks to the course; you get what you see. Don't try to fool yourself about your ability. Play within yourself and you will enjoy the challenge. This means playing from the appropriate tees.

With the splendid house in view from many holes this is a wonderful location for a new departure and the most exciting new prospect in Irish golf.

Treat yourself to a stimulation of the inquisitive golfing senses.