WRITERS CUP EUROPE v USADIFFERENTIATING BETWEEN the Writers Cup and the Ryder Cup is immediately complicated by the similarities that exist between the two prestigious tournaments. Both are contested biennially by teams from Europe and America using golf equipment, whose participants are dressed in eye-straining pastel colours that would be shunned in polite society.

The Greg Norman designed links at Doonbeg is the perennial home of the Writers Cup and the 2008 staging saw an expensively assembled American media team under the baton of the owner and founder of the venue Buddy Darby square up to a Keith Wood marshalled European outfit.

It should be stated from the start there is no meritocracy in terms of golfing proficiency required to make the grade, a fact endorsed by the general standards of play. The tone for what would prove a fiercely contested two-day golfing arm wrestle was illustrated by the pre-tournament nocturnal routines: the Americans - their captain a defiant exception - retired to bed before midnight, body-clocks askew while none of the European team possessed a watch judging by some very sketchy breakfast testimonials.

The competitive framework was enhanced by the presence of caddies, a fourball betterball format, practice rounds and the provision of Doonbeg golf professionals Brian Shaw (Europe) and John Dooley (USA) to coax as much as coach.

Serious pampering off course - the teams were housed in the stunning Doonbeg Lodges and given the use of the luxurious White Horses Spa facility - inspired images of what might be potentially a comparable off-course experience in the tournament's more celebrated sibling, the Ryder Cup.

The original concept had Darby and former Ireland rugby captain Wood in non-playing captaincy roles but late withdrawals forced them to swap walkie-talkies for clubs. It didn't though preclude the pair from delivering the pre-tournament pep talk to twitchy, pallid faces on the first tee. The aroma of fear provided a heady scent as one-by-one players stepped forward to endure a very solitary torture. "Oh-my-godplease-let-it-go-in-the-air-past-the-ladies-tee-and-not-into-the-carpark-or-hit-the-ruins" was an unuttered tickertape that ran through minds closely pursued by novenas and organ donor agreements, most of which went unrequited on the evidence of tee shots.

The Writers Cup is ostensibly a forum to showcase the Doonbeg links to a greater audience on both sides of the Atlantic. A backdrop of brilliant sunshine over the three days, mitigated by a freshening, challenging breeze and pristine course conditions elicited positive feedback.

The Greg Norman-designed layout has improved appreciably since opening in July, 2002, primarily because of sensible evolution. Gone is the knee-high rough that made orphans of hundreds of thousands of golf balls and elongated rounds to over five hours. The jungle received a short back and sides and as a result there is a better than even chance of being able to relocate an errant shot.

The design has also been tweaked to good effect. Lengthening the par four, second makes it a much better hole, while the reshaping of the third green offers a fairer duel between golfer and course. It's an ongoing project and one that has to take due cognisance of some of the more extreme weather conditions over the winter and spring.

A brace of storms in March damaged a couple of greens and there are plans to shift the sixth green to the right. Doonbeg's signature hole, the gorgeous par-three 14th may also see the putting surface relocated.

Darby - he is due to embark on a project in the Caribbean island of St Kitts that will includes a Tom Fazio designed course, a marina, housing and hotels - has overseen the alterations with a practised eye and for anyone who hasn't played the course in a few years, the enjoyment quotient has been ratcheted up several notches. Virtually every hole has undergone surgery, some under local anaesthetic while others have required the general variety.

An example of the latter is the 18th hole, which now provides an honours level test at the end of a testing 6,900 yard examination: aesthetically and practically a captivating challenge. To complement the lodges, spa and cottages on site - the cost of development to date is about €150 million. Doonbeg's general manager Joe Russell has managed to blend Irish colour into a high end American resort-style fabric in terms of the off course facilities. The continuing maturation of the course should guarantee plenty of repeat business.

And as for the 2008 Writers Cup? Well there was one more parallel to be drawn with the Ryder Cup as Europe retained the trophy, turning a 3-1 opening day lead into an 8-4 triumph.