The Balaka

St Andrews is famous for three things - golf, students, and The Balaka.

Over it's 28 year history this Bangladeshi restaurant has won countless awards, but it's owner - Mohammed Abdur Rouf - takes greater pleasure in personally welcoming all of his guests and ensuring they have a wonderful meal. He is extremely proud of his restaurant, and rightly so.

Over the last ten years in St Andrews, I've gotten to know a wide selection of people who call the 'Auld Grey Toon' home. But I could probably count on one hand those that wouldn't opt for The Balaka as their favourite restaurant. It really is that good. And it's not only the locals that savour this place, it is also a strong favourite with golfing pilgrims worldwide.

The mixture of it's clientele makes for a great ambience. Here you meet students, golfers, locals, tourists and even celebrities. The walls are adorned with pictures of famous diners including Sir Sean Connery, Chris O'Donnell, Colin Montgomerie and many of the world's top golfers.

The quality of the food can be accredited to three main factors. Firstly, many of the staff have been with the restaurant since in opened in 1981. The head chef, Pius, is one of the longest serving members of staff, and it makes a refreshing change in the restaurant business to see a top chef enjoying working in one kitchen for such an extended period of time. Secondly, The Balaka are proud to grow many of their own herbs in the adjacent garden - which in the warmer months also accommodates some outdoor tables. The freshness of such an important ingredient to Bengali cooking can make all the difference. But what stands out for me is the quality and preparation of the meats. Both the lamb and chicken dishes contain only the most tender, marinated cuts. And should you not be sure about exactly what to order, your knowledgeable waiter will be delighted to explain the different dishes or even offer something that's not on the menu.

The list of starters is wide and varied, so I often go with the mixed plate which includes a little of everything. Combining this with a few poppadoms and dips is the perfect way to start the evening.

My personal favourite - Chilli Chicken - is actually found on the last page of the menu, and introduces a touch of Thai cooking along with the Bengali techniques. However, I am also partial to Green Herb Chicken or a Lamb Madras. The nan bread is exceptional here, and the pilau rice is always fresh and authentic.

For refreshment, don't forget to go with a chilled Cobra beer. This was the first restaurant I ever tried Cobra, and wherever I've had it since reminds me of The Balaka.

For those of you that have visited the Balaka before, I'm sure it won't be long until you next return. But for those that have not, don't be afraid to give it a go. Many of the visiting golfers I see (especially from North America, where the quality of Indian style food is perhaps not as good) often turn their nose up at a curry evening. Believe me, this will be your favourite meal of the week.

The One-Armed Bandits

The Old Course at Ballybunion is perhaps the most famous of the championship links in the south west of Ireland, and it is without doubt one of the country's best layouts.

Unlike so many of the toughest coastal courses, The Old Course is relatively straight forward off the tee, but there is a very high premium on approach shots. Small, irregularly shaped greens that often hide devilish pin positions will decide the success of your round. Undulating fairways and a mixture of contour changes make club selection to these small greens even more difficult. It certainly tightened Stewart Cink's game up in the week preceding the Open Championship at Turnberry. He went over to the Ayrshire coast and played beautifully throughout the four days, finally overcoming Tom Watson in a playoff to lift the Claret Jug.

The second stands out as a particularly tough hole. Its 394 yards play more like 450 when you factor in the climb up to the green. The fairway is reasonably generous but finding the left half makes for a more favourable approach. The green slopes from back to front and must be found in regulation if you are to have any hope of making par. Penal bunkering and unforgiving run-off areas make it an almost impossible job to rescue a four after a stray approach. My good friend Tom Whelan recently invited me down to play during his visit over from Washington for the member guest. To say I was confident of victory in a one-off bout over 18 holes would be an understatement. But after he rolled in a 12 foot putt for the most textbook of birdies on this unmerciful hole, I knew I was in for a tough day. It proved to be very tough, and I was eating my words on the 16th green.

However this was a match within a match, because Tom and I were also playing betterball against the renowned 'One-Armed Bandits'. For those of you that have not yet lost money to this duo of sandbaggers, the pairing consists of Joe Guerin (past captain of Ballybunion) and Graeme Dawson (golf and leisure sales manager at the Fairmont St Andrews). Both play without the aid of a left arm, and use a combination of prosthetic and home-manufactured gadgets to devastating effect.

After an unlikely series of dove-tailing, Tom and I managed to find ourselves still in the game and only 1-down on the 14th tee. After a wayward 9-iron and a skulled chip I found myself in a not-so-pleasant spot in the first cut of rough to the left of the green. Somehow the ball found the bottom of the cup with my third shot, and Joe missed an eight foot birdie putt after a beautiful approach. This was to prove a turning point, and the One-Armed Bandits knew they still had a game on their hands.

After a few out-of-character holes where I almost resembled a 5 handicap golfer, we stood all square on the final hole. The 18th at Ballybunion is one of those holes that looks relatively straightforward, a medium length par four that doglegs uphill and to the left, but again the difficulty is in the approach. As I waded about in tangly rough for the next 360 yards, Tom and Graeme both played two fine shots to find themselves 30 feet from the hole. My partner shook off the yips to make par, leaving Graeme a birdie putt for the win. Bearing in mind this is a guy that in his prime held the amateur course record at Shinnecock Hills and reached the latter stages of matchplay at the Scottish Amateur, we would have been very content at this point to walk away with a halved match. However when the first putt came up a good four feet short, our eyebrows almost touched our fastly receeding hairlines. Joe gave a rye smile, knowing that his rock solid partner was merely toying with us wannabe hustlers. But with the clubhouse looking on, and the fear of spoiling their unblemished career record, the ball didn't even threaten the hole.

By all accounts, we finished celebrating this most unlikely of victories 12-18 hours later. Tom and I may not be scratch golfers, but we are major championship contenders when it comes to drinking Guinness. Ballybunion is full of fantastic bars, but be sure to have a bite to eat in McMunns and then walk around the corner for a few jars in Mikey Joes. You should also seek out a game with the One Armed Bandits, because they are smarting from their first ever defeat and are perhaps not the impregnable force of days gone by.

Killarney Park Hotel

Killarney is an excellent central base for playing the renowned golf courses of South West Ireland. Furthermore, the town itself is one of the biggest tourist destinations in the country outside Dublin. From May until September this place is thriving with an eclectic mix of travellers from all over the world. It would take you an entire week to fully enjoy the plethora of traditional Irish pubs, many boasting live music, but all experts in pouring that perfect pint of Guinness.

There are countless accommodation providers in the town and it's surroundings, but The 5* Killarney Park Hotel stands head and shoulders above the rest in terms of facilities, service, and an overall aura of luxury.

Greeted by the wonderful aroma of a log fire, you will immediately feel comfortable and relaxed as the concierge welcomes you to the hotel. The deluxe rooms are spacious, with views of either the hotel gardens and the mountains beyond or the town itself with the Cathedral and church steeples in the background. Fresh linen and soft Irish blankets finish off a country house decor that also includes the required modern amenities such as air conditioning, plasma tvs, complimentary internet access and large marble bathrooms. Only one upgrade further are The Killarney Park suites, which take the comfort mentioned above to the next level. You may choose between classical splendour or comtemporary style. Opting for the latter, my only problem was prying myself away from the widescreen plasma - which rose majestically at the touch of a button from the end of the sumptious kingsize bed.

Breakfast is far from ordinary. Yes, there is a continental buffet and full cooked Irish breakfast, but the option of beef fillet with saute potatoes gives an indication of the luxurious treatment on offer here. Later in the day, The Park Restaurant arguably provides the best fine-dining in town, all complimented with an extensive winelist and knowledgable, attentive service.

Many hotels at the lower end of the 5* spectrum include a small pool or massage room to tick off another box on the discerning traveller's requirements, but The Spa at The Killarney Park is an attraction within itself. The perfect way to ease jetlag on the first day of arrival, or to refresh after a long afternoon on the fairways.

Connoisseur Golf regard The Killarney Park Hotel as the premier 5* accommodation in the area, and would be delighted should you wish to take advantage of our exclusive rates and add a stay here on to your Irish itinerary.

Road Hole Extended

Probably the most famous hole in golf, the 17th on The Old Course at St Andrews, is to be lengthened by 35 yards in preparation for the 2010 Open Championship.

The 150th staging of golf's oldest major will take place next July, and the course is a very different beast to that faced by professional golfers throughout the 20th century. Although many new tees had been added before the 2005 Open, this is surely the most controversial, and perhaps the most unnecessary. Currently the 17th plays 455 yards. With out of bounds on the right, thick rough on the left, an extremely narrow green complex, and the road hole bunker itself to contend with - you would've thought this hole was intimidating enough. But the powers that be are concerned many of the longer hitters can still tame this hole by hitting a long iron off the tee. They are adamant that it should be a driving hole, and that is most definitely what it will now be.

My argument is that golfers should have the right to select their own path of course management. Even in 2005, only the very longest hitters were choosing a hybrid or long iron from the tee. This choice made the second half of the hole even tougher, because they were now faced with another long iron to a treacherous green. Those brave enough to hit driver, and land it on the short stuff, were rewarded with a 150 yard approach to the same treacherous green. By adding this new tee, you alienate guys like Tom Watson who will now struggle to reach in two. Into the wind, shorter hitters may even have to face the humility of playing around the old railway shed, lay up to the tightest part of the fairway with a long iron, and hit a third shot from around 90 yards. This isn't great tv, and certainly not the way the hole was designed to be played.

The new tee in question is being built in the adjacent driving range which used to be part of the old Eden Course. This is the first time the hole will have been altered in more than a century. The R&A's reasoning is that by widening the fairway, the players will have a larger and fairer target to aim at with driver, with the hole playing as originally intended. If Tiger Woods had been sitting in on that meeting, he may have found it tough to hold back a smile.

Morrissey's in Doonbeg

One of my favourite things about playing golf in Ireland is the multitude of terrific restaurants in the "hidden gem" category. They are quite often found in the immediate vicinity of large resorts or major hotels, but unfortunately many travelling golfers prefer to relax and eat at their chosen base for the evening instead of venturing out for dinner. Sometimes it really is worth the five or ten minute transfer to dine at a local restaurant.

Morrisey's Seafood Bar and Grill is located in the village of Doonbeg, less than three miles from the fabulous resort of Doonbeg itself on the West Clare coastline. The decor beautifully blends the establishment's cultural heritage with fresh modern Irish design, and the locals mix with the visiting golfers to provide the perfect ambience.

Prices are very reasonable considering the quality of food being served here, with much of the menu consisting of local produce sourced only a few miles from the restaurant. One thing that stood out for me immediately was the homemade basket of bread placed on the table when I arrived. The selection of dark soda, white and tomato breads was divine, and left me wondering whether or not I actually required a starter!

The appetisers are light and fresh, and options are also included for the non-fish lover such as bruschetta or chicken caesar salad. However, this place is known for it's superb seafood, and I went with the entree of "Smoked and Barbequed Salmon". Thick chunks of chargrilled salmon came enveloped in a casing of the smoked variety, placed beside a side salad and garnished with red onion and capers. I'm somewhat of a salmon lover, and have experienced many great and not-so-great dishes along the way, but this was one of finest I have yet encountered. I gave the dessert a miss, and sat back with a couple of pints because Morrissey's is one of those rare places where you feel comfortable eating or drinking alone at any table in the restaurant.

The food and hospitality at the Doonbeg resort is up there with the best in Ireland, but for something that little bit different, don't be afraid to make the visit down to Morrissey's on at least one of the evenings. I was very impressed, and can't wait to return.

Killimer - Tarbert Ferry

In order to play the very best links courses in the south west of Ireland, there is a significant amount of travel time involved. In order to keep this to a minimum you must build a sensible itinerary and choose the best routing. One service that allows golfers to connect easily from Clare to Shannon and vice-versa is the Killimer - Tarbert ferry.

It can save over 85 miles on a journey from Lahinch to Ballybunion, and it provides a welcome respite from a long, arduous drive. The two ferries - "Shannon Breeze" and "Shannon Dolphin" can each carry over 50 cars and 350 passengers. They can also host a wide variety of larger vehicles including coaches, caravans and commercial vehicles. With sailings every 30 minutes and no booking required, it is an exceptionally user-friendly service.

The crossing itself only takes 20 minutes, and you have a great chance of seeing dolphins in the Shannon Estuary. Not only a great way to save time on your journey, but an attraction within itself.

Sailing a 78' Maxi

Most Connoisseur Golf clients sensibly insert a 'day-off' into their itinerary. A run of consecutive days on the golf course puts a lot of walking miles on the clock, but it's also nice to take time out and enjoy what else Scotland has to offer besides it legendary links.

The question then becomes, " What to do on our day off? "

Some go sightseeing in Edinburgh, others like to explore the multitude of whisky distilleries, and quite a few groups like nothing more than spending the day in the pub - telling everyone how close they were to making par on The Road Hole at St Andrews...

In 2010, for something a little different, Connoisseur Golf will be offering chartered sailing on Scotland's most famous racing yacht - The Arnold Clark Drum.

Originally commissioned by Simon Le Bon (lead singer of Duran Duran) in 1985, this 78 foot Maxi was designed by Ron Holland and built by Vision Yachts of Cowes for top racer Skip Novak. Drum went on to finish 3rd overall in the following year's Whitbread Round The World Yacht Race.

It is based at Rhu Marina, 45 minutes from Glasgow or a mere 15 minutes from Cameron House on the shores of Loch Lomond. You can choose to actively participate in the sailing of the yacht under the watchful eye of the skipper and his crew, or simply sit back and enjoy the beautiful Scottish scenery.

I can personally vouch - golfing aside, there is no more enjoyable a way to spend a day in Scotland. You begin the journey by sailing out from the shores of The Gareloch, and entering the Firth of Clyde before heading down through the stretch of water between Dunoon and Gourock. A couple of hours further down the coast brings you to a nice sheltered spot at The Holy Loch where the anchor is lowered for a spot of lunch. A wonderful three course meal is then served, with wines, beer and soft drinks complimentary throughout the day. Eating haggis, neeps & tatties and watching the sun reflect across the sea towards the Ayrshire coastline is about as Scottish as it gets.

The crew know how to adapt the level of involvement to each individual's experience and skills, but even our group of novice yachtsmen managed to master the art of tacking and we all got to enjoy a few minutes alone on the wheel. Sailing equipment isn't necessary because oilskin trousers and jackets are supplied before setting off. The only requirements to note in advance are trainers (rubber soled tennis shoes) and a warm hat.

If you have any further questions about sailing on the 78' Drum, or the possibility of adding it to your itinerary then contact me through the main website at http://www.connoisseurgolf.com/.