Given the recent High Court agreement securing the future of the golf course development at Doonbeg, Co Clare, it may be appropriate to note the strong current standing of designer Greg Norman in the golf industry. In fact it would appear that the course developers, Irish National Golf Club Ltd, could hardly have made a better choice.

As it happens, Norman's elevated profile comes at a time when a US district judge approved a $3.5 million payout by Jack Nicklaus to settle a class-action suit. It was taken by the shareholders of Golden Bear Golf Inc, a licensing and course-construction venture which went public in 1996 in what was viewed as probably the worst chapter of Nicklaus' business career.

Norman, who earned about £35 a week as an assistant professional at the Royal Queensland club in 1976, is estimated by Forbes magazine to have a current net worth of $142 million. "I haven't made all the right decisions, but in this part of my life nobody sees the mistakes," said the Shark, modestly.

Against that business background, US observers view as richly ironic the events of 1986. That was when the US Masters victory by Nicklaus was hailed as probably the most thrilling "major" of the modern era, while Norman, despite winning the British Open, added to his reputation for squandering chances.

By his own admission, the Shark revelled in throwing caution to the winds on the golf course: "Look the dragon in the eye and go after it", as he put it. But not in business. "Contrary to what people may think of me, if I'm going to jump off a diving board, I want to know how deep the water is," he insisted.

So it was that he hired leading US architect Pete Dye's best man, Jason McCoy, for his own design business. And he keeps his projects to a minimum. "We could have taken on 30 golf course design projects like Jack Nicklaus and had $30 million in fees, but we would have reached saturation point, as some other signature designers have," said Bart Collins, president of Great White Shark Ltd.

Two years ago, Norman signed a series of contracts which included the design of the Great White, a signature course at PGA West, and the opening of Greg Norman Collection stores at PGA West, Doral and Grand Traverse. And earlier this year, Norman's clothing company signed a contract with Jim McLean, the director of instruction at KCL Corporation in the US to outfit the staff in Shark apparel.

There is a further contract with McLean and Visual Edge, paving the way for distribution of the Greg Norman One-on-One instruction video and CD-ROM at KSL resorts. "The idea was to get all these hands to shake one another at the same time," said Paul Erikson, Norman's legal counsel.

Norman's business philosophy was articulated by Collins. "We're not doing tactical deals; we're building strategic businesses," he said. Of which Doonbeg is set to become a part.

"If you don't treat me honest and fair, I will remember that." - Jack Nicklaus giving a timely reminder to the media during the US Masters last weekend.

WATCHING Jean Van de Velde being interviewed by John Inverdale on the BBC's On Side programme during the week, it struck me what a wonderful job the Frenchman has made of his career since the disaster of Carnoustie. Where many players would have been damaged irreparably by such an experience, Van de Velde would appear to have actually gained strength by it.

The point was richly illustrated by his account of meeting Doug Sanders at the US Masters last weekend. "I had never seen the man before but I knew who he was from his red shoes," said the Frenchman. "I mean, wearing red shoes in a place like that . . . "

In the event, Sanders suggested they had much in common, given his own crushing failure of 1970 when a missed three-foot putt cost him the British Open at St Andrews, where he later lost to Jack Nicklaus in a play-off. With typical generosity, Van de Velde nodded agreement. But Sanders was quite wrong.

He was at his golfing prime, two weeks short of his 37th birthday, when the St Andrews disaster occurred. Yet it is highly significant that from a career total of 20 tournament victories in the US, only one of them came after 1970 - the 1972 Kemper Open.

Van de Velde, on the other hand, used it as a platform to a rejuvenated career. With Padraig Harrington and Colin Montgomerie, he was the joint leading European on his Masters debut. And the cheque for $49,833 increased his earnings on the US Tour this season to $320,720 which, even at this stage, secures his playing rights for next year.

In a way, the waters of the Barrie Burn might have been the ashes from which this French phoenix was reborn.

AS WE are all painfully aware, professionals play a different game to us poor mortals. And so it is to be at The K Club, after an interesting two-month experiment. In short, the running order of holes is to revert to the original format for members and visitors.

"It simply wasn't popular," said director of golf Paul Crowe regarding the decision to switch the nines, except for the ninth and 18th holes. "But we plan to use this routing for the Smurfit European Open. And if it works there, the long-term objective is to have it for the Ryder Cup."

So, members and visitors will play the course as originally conceived by Arnold Palmer, while the professionals will play an altered routing. Meanwhile, it is anticipated that work on a second 18, which Palmer will also design, will commence late this year or next spring.

WHEN I was a copy-boy in the Irish Press many moons ago, one of my duties was to run up to Mirrelsons' bookmakers on Burgh Quay with bets for a racing expert by the name of Maurice Ring. Curious as to his lack of success, I was assured he was among the best-informed correspondents in the business.

In my naivete, I approached him one day and enquired as to why, if he knew so much about horses, he still found it necessary to work. "Young man," he replied sagely. "You must remember that horses are only human."

I thought of "The Ringer", as he was known, when Vijay Singh captured the US Masters last Sunday. How could I be expected to give such a player a chance, I reasoned, when he was 75th in the putting statistics on the US Tour for this season, going into the event? In fact he was taking an average of 1.773 putts for every green he hit in regulation. Augusta would devour him as it had done in previous years.

Now I am normally loath to place much store in US golf statistics, but I'm going to make an exception on this occasion. With 124 putts for the tournament, which was 14 more than Padraig Harrington, Singh was tied 45th in the putting statistics, yet emerged as champion. Harrington, third in putting, finished in a tie for 19th.

So, what was the key to Singh's success on a course where we believed a player would be as good as dead if he didn't master the greens? With the exception of Tiger Woods, he played the par fives better than any of the other leading challengers, being nine under par for them, as opposed to 12 under by the world number one.

Singh hit 41 fairways in regulation out of 56, meanwhile, compared with only 35 by Woods. So, in the greatest test of supremacy with the blade, it would appear that Sam Snead's assertion about driving for show and putting for dough is no longer valid. Is there nothing sacred?

THIS DAY IN GOLF HISTORY . . . On April 15th 1973, Mary Kathryn "Mickey" Wright captured the Colgate-Dinah Shore Winners Circle tournament for the last of her 82 victories on the LPGA Tour.

TEASER: A player replaces the ball on the putting green and the ball is at rest. Before the player addresses the ball, a sudden gust of wind blows the ball farther from the hole. The player plays the ball from its new position. Is that correct?

ANSWER: Yes. Wind is not an outside agency. Accordingly, Rule 18-1 (ball moved by an outside agency) does not apply.