AFTER playing Ballybunion for the first time, Tom Watson suggested that it was a place where prospective golf architects "should live and play, before they build golf courses." Arthur Spring did the master's bidding ... and then designed the delightful Woodstock course on the outskirts of Ennis, Co Clare.

Owned by Christy and Sheelagh Guerin, it is set on a generous site of 160 acres, where the limestone based rolling terrain offers admirable, natural drainage. Woodstock has 300 members but it is also a pay and play facility which is developing a strong reputation among devotees of the game.

Opened in September 1993, when Christy O'Connor Snr did the honours, the project is about to undergo another significant development. Pending planning permission, work will begin in June on a 55 bedroom hotel, incorporating a conference centre for 400 clients.

The £3.5 million undertaking will also include a leisure centre and six apartments. All of which reflects the confidence of the owners in the potential of a challenging layout of championship standard.

Indeed during the month of April, Woodstock staged the "InterSociety" fourball competition in which the prize for the winning society included one free hour on the tee. Meanwhile, the resources of rank and file visitors will not be over stretched by the standard green fee charges.

During my visit there, I had the benefit of a rather unusual guide. In fact, Paddy Comber, whose family own one of the most popular hostelries in Lahinch, must rate as a particularly rare bird. Born and reared in the famous golfing village, he is only now thinking of taking up the game, in his midthirties.

But I was to discover that observation is indeed a wonderful thing: in his capacity as course manager at Woodstock, Comber displayed expert knowledge about all the key elements of the layout. And Woodstock has a number of very interesting features, one of which is the absence of fairway bunkers.

Through clever routing and expert use of the natural and manmade features, Spring has conceived a layout that doesn't require traps away from the greens. "When I set about revising the layout, I may put in about six fairway bunkers, but most of them will be simply to define the line of play," he said.

The designer's ongoing study of Ballybunion has also been critical in this context. As is the case on the wonderful Co Kerry links, he believes that greens should be shaped in such a way as to offer the player a clear shot, only from the fairway. So he set out to reward accurate driving. And it works beautifully.

There was also an acknowledgement, however, that a good parkland course can be greatly enhanced by one spectacular design feature. At Woodstock, it is an area where the River Inch defines the southern boundary of the course.

By creating a two and a half acre lake, with the addition of connecting streams, or burns, Spring has produced four truly memorable holes - the short sixth (197 yards), the par four seventh (410), the short eighth (215) and the short 11th (171). They are dominated by the seventh which is a worthy index one.

In design, it is similar to the infamous 18th at The Belfry in that water has to be crossed twice - off the tee and with the second shot. Notable differences, however, are that Woodstock's seventh is shorter and, most significantly, it has a lone ash in the middle of the fairway, at driving distance.

The effect is dynamic. The timid practitioner is offered a safe, lay up line to the right of the tree. The left side, however, offers the shorter route to the green, but at the considerable risk of a slight pull or hook into the lake. Yet it is an eminently fair hole, not least because it is aided by the prevailing wind.

Indicative of the rolling nature of the terrain is that from the tee at the short 11th, where, incidentally, the green backs onto the river, it is possible to see parts of the sixth, the entire seventh hole, the eighth, the 10th green, the long 12th and the short 14th. And by moving up to the double sixth and ninth tee, as many as 13 greens become visible.

Woodstock is still a very young course which will not be seen at its best until the 5,000 planted trees, ranging from maple and oak to ash and lime, are mature. And plans are in hand to move back a number of tees so as to add significantly to its existing length.

In its current state, however, it remains a very fine challenge. Particularly appealing is the fact that it is user friendly. There is no attempt at putting a respectable score beyond the reach of the average club player, yet the experience so far has been of decidedly moderate returns from more accomplished players.

During my visit, the gently contoured greens had an excellent cover but retained their winter growth. So it wasn't possible to fully appreciate the threat of a downhill putt on the 16th or 18th where there is a marked fall from back to front.

As it happens, the design of the opening and closing holes is particularly attractive. The first (403 yards) offers a seductive drive into a valley between treelined hills, while the 18th (395 yards) is a dogleg to the left, played over a rolling fairway, sweeping up to an elevated green.

Another memorable hole is the relatively short 15th (316 yards) where a lone ash stands sentinel at driving distance on the left side of the fairway while beyond it to the right is a copse of ash and sycamore, surrounded by stones. The effect is utterly charming.

"My objective was to try and create 18 different holes where every green would be shaped in such a way as to demand a good approach," said Spring. "Essentially, I'm pleased with the way it turned out, though it will obviously be some time before we see it at its best."

Situated a mile off the Lahinch road, on the outskirts of Ennis, Wood stock is set to become an important element of golf in Co Clare where before its arrival, Lahinch and Shannon were the only courses of championship standard.

The staff, including secretary/manager Mark Pinsent and director of golf AnneMarie Russell, project a helpful, progressive image. All of which prompts the thought that it may not be long before the venue is granted the official imprimatur of playing host to a national event.