As one insider at Celtic Manor commented, the 2010 Course has had more launches than the average shipbuilding yard.

Celebrations have been staged to mark each development of the course; from the completion of building works to its opening for play and now the fact that it will stage this year’s Wales Open.

It may prove a tad undercooked when some of the European Tour’s finest cross the Severn Bridge at the end of May, but the course will still provide a stern test and scope for thrilling golf.

And long before the 2010 Ryder Cup arrives it should be the finished article capable of proving an ideal venue for the biennial clash between Europe and the United States.

This is just as well, because the 2010 Course was purpose built for the Ryder Cup. It is the first course to be constructed specifically for the match.

The design brief was simple; cater for 45,000 fans a day and the attendant infrastructure and come up with a series of holes ideally suited to the matchplay format.

Achieving that goal was less straightforward amid Roman ruins and the floodplain of the River Usk as it winds through a valley carved from spectacular surrounding hills.

“It was certainly a challenge,” says designer Ross McMurray. “It wasn’t just designing a golf course, it was with a particular tournament in mind and there are so many issues that needed to be thought about that you don’t normally have to be that concerned with.

“When we were first involved with this project it was 1999 and since then the Ryder Cup has grown out of all proportion.

“I had a pretty firm idea early on how the course was going to work out, but it was no good that working if the other elements didn’t work as well.”

An example of this is the situation of the first tee which is a lengthy, steeply downhill buggy ride from the clubhouse. This is a necessity to provide room for the tented village.

Making that journey in horizontal rain from thick misty clouds transported on a brisk, chill wind didn’t exactly provide ideal conditions for a first playing experience.

So it is a tribute to the £14million layout, that uses nine remodelled holes from the old Wentwood Hills course, that it still proved a thoroughly enjoyable par 71 test measuring 7493 yards from the championship tees.

Three of the par fives are in excess of 600 yards including the 18th which will provide potentially startling finales. It has an elevated green protected by water at the front - an enticing yet dangerous target for any player chasing a crucial eagle finish.

But the real fun starts earlier in the run in. The fourteenth rewards the long hitter who takes on a big carry, but further water lurks to punish the big drive tugged left. It also inconveniences the approach for those who have played safe off the tee and protects a green rich with exacting pin positions.

The next is a spectacular driveable left to right dog-leg par 4 that heralds a finishing stretch that affords excellent hillside viewing for fans and sponsors alike.

“I wanted to create a fantastic spectator experience,” McMurray said. “In a way that we wouldn’t have to erect lots of stands and we don’t have to do that on the last three holes. The natural viewing is absolutely fantastic.

“Because the course has been built for the Ryder Cup and the matchplay format, we wanted to create golf holes that certainly create options from the tee, so you do have driveable par 4s.

“The course is deliberately set up so that depending on which tees are used holes can be played differently.

“The great thing about the 14th and 15th is that they come late in the round. The tenth at the Belfry is a great matchplay hole but it’s at the tenth.

"With these holes players who need birdies and eagles will have tough decisions to make and will have to hit great golf shots to pull off a good result,” added McMurray.

Wales’ top player Bradley Dredge added his approval. “I’m particularly impressed with the subtle bunkering,” he said. “The faces become steeper the further off line you go, it’s very impressive.”

Dredge, who finished second to South African Richard Sterne when last year’s Wales Open was played over Celtic Manor’s Roman Road course will have to try to overcome Open Champion Padraig Harrington when the tournament arrives on May 29.

Harrington’s decision to play the Wales Open for the first time is a blow to the European Tour’s flagship BMW Championship which is played at Wentworth a week earlier.

The Tour are resigned to losing Europe’s first major winner since 1999 from that event because Harrington is fashioning a schedule aimed at peaking for the majors.

The Irishman believes he is at his best in the third week of three tournaments in a row. The Wales Open will be the first in a trio of events that climaxes with the US Open at Torrey Pines.

So Harrington will be treating this as a key event in the build up to a major.

All those involved in the running of the tournament at Celtic Manor will be using it in a similar way over a longer term to prepare for for the arrival of golf’s most prestigious team event in 2010.

They are embarking on an exciting voyage, and their chosen vessel appears encouragingly well equipped for the journey.