How's your swig? A day at one of the great Irish events on the modern sporting calendar might improve it. The tented village is in place, the hospitality awaits, the greens are pristine, the fairways ready to challenge the best. It is Murphy's Irish Open time again, and this year Ballybunion is the venue.
For over a week the famous Old Course, regarded as one of the best 10 golf links in the world, has been closed to lesser mortals, allowing a team of green-keepers and experts to pore over every blade of grass to ensure that Colin Montgomerie (notoriously fussy), Bernhard Langer, Seve Ballesteros, Migel Angel Jimenez and Padraig Harrington will find everything to their satisfaction.
This is an event that must run smoothly because a television audience will be watching from all over the globe.
In 1993-1994, the venue was Mount Juliet in Co Kilkenny; Druids Glen hosted it for the following four years up to last year; Ballybunion has now been chosen; and Fota Island in Cork will do the honours for the next two years.
On Monday the golfing legends will begin to arrive and, whatever about their swig, you can take it they will be working on their swing as the first official day of practice gets under way.
The championship has a prize fund of £1 million.
On the 28th, things begin to hot up with the pro-am which will involve three amateur golfers on 52 teams, each partnered by a professional. The following day the gloves will be off as the golf proper begins, finishing on Sunday July 2nd.
The event is so popular the organisers have restricted the numbers attending to 15,000 each day for the four days.
The idea, of course, is that everyone, and not least the golfers, will be comfortable and at home in this great setting. Some spectators will come for the day, with flask and sandwiches, to follow their own favourite. Others will find things a little bit more streamlined if they can afford it.
For £278 you could enjoy morning coffee, a full lunch, afternoon tea, and a chance to mingle with some of the players who will be visiting the hospitality tents. The tournament programme comes as part of the package. This is what's called "corporate entertainment" and, by all accounts, there has been no shortage of takers.
This event has taken nine months to plan, and when the last golfer has boarded his private jet to head for the next tournament, it will take a full month to mop up and restore the Old Course to its original wild and breathtaking beauty.
There will be 500 catering staff on duty as well as a further 500 marshals and stewards from golf clubs North and South, who will give their time voluntarily because they love the game.
Gardai, security, back-room staff, cleaners, media etc will swell the numbers by at least another 1,500.
As well as the corporate hospitality centre, catering for at least 500 people a day, there will be four on-course bars, toilet facilities at strategic locations and two big screens.
It is simply an event of gigantic proportions, requiring waste-management, plumbing, telephone lines, electricity and landscaping that would do justice to a small town.
The Open has given the Ballybunion Festivals 2000 organisation a major boost. Just to get people in the carnival mood, it has organised a series of festivals which began last month and which will continue right up to the Listowel Races, starting on September 18th.
On Sunday the town hosts a vintage car rally, the International Bachelor Festival will take place next month, starting July 7th, and August 12th sees the start of the Ballybunion Busking Festival.
Try the website to find out more. The address is www.ballbunion.com