Montgomerie designed the Carton House layout

Carton House Golf Club is Colin Montgomerie's first course design in Ireland.

The par-72 inland links-style County Kildare layout measures 7,301 yards and was only opened in 2003.

Situated on 13,000 acres of one of Ireland's finest stately homes by the River Rye, it holds the event for the first time.

David Probyn, the PGA European Tour's tournament director for the event, is already a convert to the new layout.

"It's got many links features but in essence it's simply a very solid test of golf which I reckon the players will really enjoy," he told Reuters Stats.

Not surprisingly given its designer, Carton is a shot-maker's course with its fairways not overly tight but rewarding of well-shaped shots which demand accuracy.

The greens are arguably its best feature; they're fast, cleverly contoured and demand precision play.

If you miss the fairway, don't expect them to hold approach shots from the rough.

The bunkers are deep and if the wind gets up, Probyn predicts that the cut will not be far off level par for 36 holes.

"Given the subtle slopes of the greens, don't be surprised if you see putts rolling off the putting surface should the wind get up," he said.

EASIEST HOLE: Frankly, there are no easy holes by the looks of it at Carton House.

However, the 18th is the shortest of the four long holes at just 513 yards and so is reachable in two for Tour pros, providing the wind doesn't blow against.

Harrington will be the headline act in Ireland

A river runs to the right of the fairway and through to the green and beyond.

In reality, it's still quite a formidable prospect as the fairway is tighter than most around the landing area off the tee for most of the field and many will be happy to play conservatively for position and settle for reaching the green with a short, third approach.

HARDEST HOLE: The first, fifth and 11th are all frighteningly long par fours which, if the wind blows, will test fairway wood and long-iron accuracy to the utmost.

We've picked out the 11th as arguably the toughest.

Exposed and lengthy (477 yards), it is a dog-leg right which snakes to a small green guarded by two large bunkers, including one in front which forces players to fly their approach all the way.

There are plenty of sand traps on the way there too. Watch out also for the 220-yard third which should be fun - for sadistic spectators only - if it gusts.

This is one of the strongest Irish Open fields in years after the Tour's decision to move the event earlier in the year, sandwiched between the Daily Telegraph Dunlop Masters and BMW Championship.

Few will be more popular than Jose Maria Olazabal, the 1990 Irish Open champion in Portmarnock in 1990, who has recaptured top form in the US this year.

Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell will be attracting most of the home support with Colin Montgomerie, Lee Westwood, David Howell and Miguel Angel Jimenez making up a top-class supporting cast.