The Castletroy Golf Club Committee has decided to cease with its weekly "sweep" following an approach from the Royal and Ancient. The R&A has requested Castletroy to cease, as soon as possible, a "winner take all sweep" which is played on three days of the week at the club.

A request from Larry Hayes, secretary manager of the club, for clarification resulted in the Amateur Status Committee of the R&A ruling that "the sweep" is a compulsory sweepstake in which those taking part "are deemed to be playing for prize money" contrary to Rule 1-2.

The letter to the Club states that "there is genuine concern that the `sweep' at Castletroy which facilitates regular and organised gambling on a significant scale, is detrimental to golf".

David Rickman, Rules Secretary of the R & A, in urging the club "to take the necessary steps to stop the sweep as soon as is practically possible", states that it is regrettable that there may be those who will object "to the demise of the sweep" which has been running for 25 years.

Instead a competition will be played for on Monday, Thursday and Saturday, which were formerly occupied by the sweep.