Hello Mr Malone,
It would be difficult to give a comprehensive answer in this medium.
However, a few thoughts ....
(a) We have sought to keep abreast of the evolution of the game and my own evolution as a practitioner of course design. Both have been rapid and demanding.
(i) The game of golf has changed a lot since we opened with a links measuring 6,792-yards at Christmas 1992. Our championship tees, we hosted the Irish Men's Amateur (and the ladies' also) this year, have now slipped back to 7,355-yards with some consequential revisions of the medal and forward tees. Our ability to strike a hugely wider variety of links set-ups has exploded accordingly.
(ii) My own knowledge and taste continue to evolve and will do so onwards .... so, there have been and will be what a view as improvements always onwards and in this respect it is rewarding to stay with the task over so many years and have the required freedoms.
(b) Hazard strategy has been reviewed. Take bunkering where we started-out with just 60 carefully placed pits. As the game changed this had to change. It would not do just to move these 61 about, leaving the spaces they had occupied empty, so we have added 61 more. Consideration has been given to have these function in all respects for as many golfers as possible, playing off varied tees in varied weathers. Not too easy!
Of course, we have then gone with our railway tie look to be able to show the locations of the hazards (which have to be sunken on a links in order to stop them from blowing away), to add bold definition and gain some intimidation factor.
(c) The much criticised pond on fairway 18 is gone. The purists would not accept water on a links even though the first such in golf was on the first fairway at St. Andrews.
It took years to figure how an irishman could hold his water against this criticism and I thank Jean van de Velde and Carnoustie for the solution .... our pond has trasformed into a meandering burn retaining the hazard factor (indeed, enhancing it) while making previous critics happy ... it isn't the water that bothered them as much as the shape of it!
(D) Not to be boring, lets cut short to conditioning. Ireland suffered a major drought in 1995 and all links were set-back severely. We installed fairway irrigation after that and have chosen to stay green. We have a policy of keeping short and fast to the extent that visitors even from finer clubs worldwide have praised what they find in terms "your fairways are as good as/better than our greens at home." Of course, if we wish, we can go as brown as one might wish in three days at anytime March-November. Meantime, it is nice to avoid the worst traumas of deep divot holes, which will not grow back in drought conditions, and weeds which thrive when grasses are stressed.
(E) Our greens have been matured to an acceptable international level and we are pleased with this.
There have been nuanced changes to greens, shaping changes to fairways and so on.
Our members are gracious and happy. Our guests are substantially ditto.
We do everything possible to satisfy our reason for being ... (a) Happy golf for oneself and family; (b) happy golf for members; (c) happy golf for our guests with whom we are happy to share our good fortune providing they do not assume a licence to abuse us; and, as things have evolved (d) to continue to pursue improvements of design and presentation to see how far we can go towards excellence.
This is offered as a reply to your query. Not to seek advancement as where we are is satisfactory without that.
Thank you for your query. I would be happy to answer any supplementary questions in private in order to avoid annoying others.
Warmest regards.