McGinley tasted success at Celtic Manor this year

Even Seve Ballesteros has suggested a Ryder Cup in Wales would be a good thing.

Celtic Manor has tried desperately to upgrade the course and no-one has tried harder than owner Terry Matthews.

He has committed �50m to development and another �12m is set for a new clubhouse and new holes on the current Wentwood Hills course.

The refurbished Victorian manor house sits in a 1000 acre estate, containing two courses.

It hosted the recent rain-hit Wales Open with Paul McGinley winning a sudden death play-off following the abandonment of the 3rd and 4th rounds.

Loch Lomond, Scotland

Loch Lomond held its first Scottish Open in July and with the help of Lyle Anderson, who now has the controlling reins, the course is now considered to be one of Scotland's top venues.

This tournament was originally called the Loch Lomond World Invitational - it changed name this year - and always takes place a week ahead of the Open Championship.

Daly enjoys the views at Loch Lomond

Tom Weiskopf, along with Jay Morrish, helped to create what is now a private club with a membership that includes owners, chairmen and presidents of many of the world's top companies.

The club is based in Rossdhu House, built in 1773 to replace the 15th century Rossdhu Castle.

Gleneagles, Scotland

Gleneagles has just hosted the Scottish PGA Championship with Paul Casey recording his very first victory as a professional and was played on the PGA Centenary course - designed by legend Jack Nicklaus.

It is another elegant Scottish golfing resort and is set in 850 acres of picturesque Perthshire scenery.

Gleneagles offers three championship, undulating moorland courses, including King's (opened in 1919) and Queen's - both created by five times Open champion James Braid.

The King's course hosted the Scottish Open for eight years and in 1999 Gleneagles also opened up its courses to visiting players.

Slaley Hall, England

England's entry is located in Northumberland and is home to the Great North Open whose previous winners include Colin Montgomerie and reigning champion Lee Westwood.

Slaley Hall hosts the Great North Open

De Vere Slaley Hall owes its existence to Samuel Hunting who first purchased the estate lands in the late 1800s.

Set in 1000 acres of Northumbrian forest and moorland, the first nine holes of the Hunting Course opened in 1989 and after completion a year later the course has since won high acclaim following further developments.

Turnberry, Scotland

As an Open Championship course, Turnberry took a while to make its mark on the golfing world - hosting its first Open in 1977.

It was worth the wait, when Jack Nicklaus narrowly lost out to Tom Watson in an epic duel on the final hole.

The course has also survived both World Wars - it was used as an airbase - and the spectacular scenery is often compared with Pebble Beach in California.

During 1999 and 2000, Turnberry invested �12m in the resort development including significant enhancements to the golf facilities, with the opening of The Colin Montgomerie Links Golf Academy and a new course.