Just as Dun Laoghaire Golf Club moved to its new residence near Bray, and the builders moved onto the old course midweek to commence converting it into something approaching 2,000 homes, the members at Belvoir Park in the Belfast suburbs announced that they are excited at the prospect of returning to championship golf by hosting the Irish Amateur Close next June.

Located within two miles of Belfast city centre the Belvoir club has slumbered somewhat since the halcyon days of the 1940s and 1950s when it twice acted host to the Irish Open itself. But it will come as no surprise to those who know about such things that this course has been deemed worthy of the national championship although it is not ultra-long at just 6,700-yards.

It took until 2008 for the Irish Close to make it to Belvoir Park for the first time.

Thus it becomes only the eighth Ulster club to host the event and only the second, along with Donegal.

The club is taking the honour very seriously and has Hawtree & Co. on board modernising the course design, is spending about �3-million building a brand new clubhouse, and it is hoping that many intending championship competitors will take part in its Scratch Cup* on September 2 in order to give good golfers from all over the country an opportunity to get familiar with the course.

Those who do make the trip will be following in the footsteps of great stars of the past like Fred Daly, Harry Bradshaw, Bobby Locke, Roberto de Vicenzo all of whom played in the Irish Opens played there.

Harry Bradshaw was the man in 1949 as he lost the British Open in a playoff with Bobby Locke only after the infamous incident which saw his ball come to rest in a broken bottle at Sandwich. He delighted his Belfast fans when he scored a 68 when partnering Fred Daly to an exhibition match win at Belvoir over the Argentinian duo of Antonio Cerda and Roberto de Vicenzo; he completed the story when they came back for the Irish Open.

The course proved a stern test, only J.J. Busson managed to break 70 in any round.

Bradshaw played with a certain arithmetical progression scoring 70, 71, 72 and 73 and was very relieved when Bobby Locke's putt to tie lipped-out on the final green.

In 1953, which was to be the last time an Irish Open would be played until 1975, there was much speculation that Ben Hogan would be persuaded to come over. After all, the Golfing Union of Ireland (who organised the Open in those days) had on offer a purse of �3,500 with a first prize of �750 compared to the �2450 total and �500 first prize at Carnoustie.

No, that is not a misprint.

The Irish Open was more valuable than the British Open for many years and it was a source of amused conversation between this writer and Henry Cotton, when we worked together in later years, that his cash prizes for winning three British Opens were �100 in 1934, �100 in 1937 and a massive �150 in 1948. That is �450-in-total for winning the claret jug three times.

Sadly, Hogan would not come to Belfast. But the Championship proved a great success as Eric Brown of Scotland made a record low aggregate of 272 to win by one from Harry Weetman and freshfaced youth called Peter Alliss.

Sadly, that was the end of the Irish Open in Irish ownership as it fell into the management of the European Tour.

The Belvoir Park Golf Club is set for the long haul with its beautiful golf course which occupies 163-acres held under a 10,000 year lease from the estate of first club president Lord Deramore. Yes, a 10,000 year lease.

The fact that there have been few changes to the layout since Colt made the original plans is a tribute at once to the design genius of the man and the wisdom of successive committees. Changes for the 2008 championship include a new green on the seventh and the reduction of the tenth to a par-4.

The course gives lots of pleasure and challenges aplenty to players of all standards with the closing holes providing an intriguing finale.

The sixteenth is a par-3 of some 220-yards demanding anytime up to a fairway wood in certain winds to a raised green that's tightly guarded.

The seventeenth is a par-4 of 449-yards dog-legging left to a tightly guarded green and the eighteenth, although shorter at 397-yards, is equally perturbing as it dog-legs right and uphill. A birdie chance, maybe. But disaster lurks for the unwary and there will be plenty of that, and lots of moments of elation also, when the nation's best amateurs rediscover this classic next Summer.

? The scratch cup gives players 36-holes of superb golf for just 40. It is hoped that players from Dublin will take the spin up the new motorways , they will be given late tee-times to suit their travel plans , they can e-mail info@belvoirparkgolfclub. com or telephone 0044 2890 491693 for details.

HOLE-IN-ONE CLUB WINNERS

The winner of this week's hole in one competition and the prize of a Ping colelction polo shirt and a fourball in Druids Glen and a fourball in Druids Heath plus a lesson with the resident PGA pro is Mairead Mehigan, of Alma Road, Monkstown, Dublin who aced the first hole in the Glen of the Downs.

This week's runners up, who receive six golf balls, ball marker and pitch repair kit, are:

T Shiel, Burnaby Heights, Greystones, Co Wicklow K Russell, Tullybee Fort, Ballynahinch, Co Down K Doherty, Two Miles Morris, Thurles, Co Tipperary W Bergin, Willow Park, Clonmel, Co Tipperary M Sinnott, Kilnamanagh, Oulart, Gorey, Co Wexford M Daly, Cong, Co Mayo A Ryan, Kilcreene, Co Kilkenny K Doherty, Windsor Avenue, Coleraine, Co Derry and E Welch, Sherwood Dunkettle, Glanmire Co Cork.