Inevitably, some airlines have been affected by world events and the news has been dominated over the last few months by stories of job losses and schedule cuts. American Airlines still operates the non-stop service from Chicago to Glasgow, Aer Lingus will take you to Dublin or Shannon and Continental maintain the service between Newark and Glasgow. Manchester, Birmingham and London are well-served too, so an acceptable level of choice remains.

St Andrews Links offered an interesting deal for early season visitors to the Old Course. You may know that originally the Old Course was played clockwise, rather than counter-clockwise as it is today. Over a four-day period from March 31, a special package was offered whereby you could play the Old Course twice, plus the New and Jubilee. It allowed one round on the Old in its former configuration on April1 and, the following day, play on the modern layout. The package cost for the four rounds was just $520, and you get food and merchandise to the value of $80 thrown in!

Few people realize that there is as much daylight in March as there is in September - and often the temperatures compare well too. April is also a good month for travel - particularly to Ireland where Spring comes early in the south. Because so many people opt for May to September trips in March or April can be very rewarding, with less crowded courses, attractive hotel and car rental rates and discounted air fares.

With the warming effects of the Gulf Stream year-round golf is possible in south west Ireland, so the delights of Waterville, Old Head, Tralee and Ballybunion may present a strong spring attraction after a winter confined to base. The debut of Doonbeg on the golfing stage is also an exciting event. This Greg Norman-designed links is set to become one of the world's finest courses and is a particularly welcome newcomer given its location. Just a short drive south of Lahinch it encourages a stopover at the excellent Moy House to allow a round on both of these fine courses.