His first full course will be at Dromod, County Leitrim, where a major integrated golf and tourism accommodation project is moving fast with ten holes shaped and ready for seeding.

Kearney, who was born and lives in Roscommon, is spreading out from his western base. In neighbouring Galway he started clearance work last week for an extension of the local course to 18holes.

He is deep into remodelling work, too, with projects gone out to tender at Tuam, Killorglin and Kilkee. He is happy that all of these "will be good with particular emphasis on new strategies, new bunkering and some new green complexes".

One is inclined to believe him because Kearney is a man whose career path has been solid golf, solid effort and solid achievement. He has won the Irish Amateur Close, the West of Ireland and has had two win in the East of Ireland as well as winning two Senior Cup and four Barton Shield medals.

With his playing career winding down, and at the age of 38, he turned his attention to course design and went about the task in champion style by undertaking a twoyear course at the Edinburgh College of Art Landscape School.

"The programme required five two-week visits to Edinburgh per annum, and all aspects of the design process were studied: history of golf course design, routing, grading, planning process, environment / science, landscape design, study of grasses, contract law, preparation of tenders, bills of quantity preparation and autoCAD drawing." He received the diploma accredited by the European Institute of Golf Course Architects.

This professional approach, allied to his unquestionable eye for a golf situation, has helped him get away to a flying start in his new career.

"For the remodel jobs, I use digital imaging to give the members an image of the before and after look, and the reaction has been sensationally positive.This is using new technology and is also hugely useful for the contractors in getting the look right. A picture tells a thousand words."

The KK brand willsoon be seen at many other venues.

For example, he is working with a group of developers on a new site four miles from Sligo where the proposal is for golf, 70 residential units and a hotel. It is early days there with a draft design completed for submission to planners.

At Clonlara, County Clare, planning has been applied for to extend the course from twelve to eighteen holes following the acquisition of extra land by course owner Dermot McMahon. Down Connemara way he is preparing for his first foray into linksland with a scheme to upgrade bunkering and greens complexes on this well loved and respected Eddie Hackett design.