No substitute for Lahinch's classic links

Three months ago, these columns carried the results of a British survey indicating that commercially, Irish golf has never been in a healthier state. The evidence is currently to be found at Lahinch where, for the first time in the club's history, there is a green-fee waiting-list for every day this month.

"On average, we have 30 people each day, hoping for a cancellation," said secretary/manager Alan Reardon yesterday. "They really have no chance, but they insist on trying just the same. They'll be on the phone first thing on Saturday morning and again on Sunday."

The Lahinch experience is fascinating for the manner in which it highlights the enduring appeal of Irish golf, particularly to American tourists. "You might think that a solution to our waiting list would be to build another course, but that would solve nothing," said Reardon.

He went on to explain: "Even with our Castle Course being £15 cheaper, they still want the old course," he said. "Ballybunion have the same experience. I've lost count of the number of times visitors have pointed this out to me. And for the same reason, they don't see a parkland course as an alternative."

Despite their position in what is clearly a seller's market, Lahinch have no intention of raising their prices (£40 on the old course). "Obviously green-fees will rise as our costs go up, but there will be no arbitrary increases simply because of the demand," he said. "We must always be aware of the importance of golf tourism to the commercial life of the village."

In the absence of any other solution, Lahinch have cautioned travel agents to book earlier, even though time-sheets can't be drawn up until the beginning of the year because of club and GUI commitments. "Early booking would allow us to work on a first come, first served basis," concluded Reardon.

"If possible, get one of the tour caddies whose man isn't in the pro-am. For about £35, you can have some- one who is used to being screamed at, blamed for the weather, the rate of inflation and some of those hard-to-ex- plain skin rashes." Advice from David Feherty for amateur competitors in a pro-am.

It is always a delight to be in the company of Frank Hannigan, largely because of his incisive and sometimes irreverent observations on the rules. Indeed, the former USGA official turned television pundit has views on everything, even the fact that slow play is by no means new to the game.

He recalled recently how, in the 1955 US Open at the Olympic Club, Ben Hogan and his two fellow competitors finished a full 43 minutes behind the preceding group. No penalties were applied. As a USGA official remarked: "How the hell are you going to penalise a man who has been hit by a bus?"

Another fascinating Hannigan story concerned the occasion at the 1963 Phoenix Open, when Don January's putt hung on the lip of the hole. The former USGA man recalled: "He waited seven minutes. Still the ball did not fall. January eventually gave up and tapped in."

Hannigan went on to explain: "The rules of golf at that time gave January an out via a contradiction. While he was required to play without `undue delay', he was not allowed to play a ball in motion. He claimed his ball was - however imperceptibly - in motion. The USGA computed that, if moving, the rate of speed was about .0000678mph."

The rules were changed in 1964 so that a player was entitled to wait "a few seconds" if his ball overhung the hole. But golfers then demanded to know what was meant by few. So, the USGA (and the R and A) agreed that in this context, it meant no more than 10 seconds, which remains the current situation.

Pete Dye, the enfant terrible of US golf course architects, visited Lahinch earlier this week, partly to brush up on his knowledge of classic links terrain. While there, he was introduced to the Lady Captain, Valerie Hassett. After admiring his work, Ms Hassett took him by surprise by saying that she knew his wife, Alice.

She explained: "Alice Dye beat me in the Doherty Tournament at Coral Ridge, Florida, six years ago. She went from there to Kiawah Island where she was helping Pete put the finishing touches to the Ocean Course before the 1991 Ryder Cup."

Now playing off one, Ms Hassett would have formed a formidable foursomes partnership with the Lahinch captain - provided it was a scratch competition. Noel Pyne, a former Clare hurler, also happens to play off one. "He prefers to partner his mother, Lil, who has a lot more shots than I have," said Ms Hassett, who completes her year as lady captain this evening. Later this month, Ms Hassett will be defending the Senior British Women's Open title at Frilford Heath, near Oxford. And the only other Irish challenger, Gerry Costello, is also a former winner of the title, which she captured at Prestatyn in 1985.

This day is golf history . . . on September 13th 1930, Tommy Armour faced Gene Sarazen, a two-time winner of the title, in the 36-hole final of the USPGA Championship. The match was played at Fresh Meadow CC in Flushing, New York, which happened to be Sarazen's home course.

The pair were tied when they came to the last hole, a par four. Both players reached the green in three after recovering from a greenside bunker, but when Armour sank a 12-footer for a par, Sarazen failed to follow him home from 10 feet.

After emigrating from his native Edinburgh in 1922, Armour became a naturalised US citizen and spent two years as the social secretary at Westchester-Biltmore Club for the then massive salary of $10,000 per year. He turned professional in 1924.

Within seven years, he had won the three "majors" of the time - the US Open (1927), the USPGA (1930) and the British Open (1931). Renowned for his iron play, Armour was later acknowledged as the most famous golf teacher in the US, charging the then enormous sum of $50 per lesson. He also became legendary for his skill at setting the odds in money matches - and winning.

Bernard Darwin, the celebrated golf correspondent of the London Times, would have been appalled at the idea of bringing the Ryder Cup to Spain's Costa del Sol, in delightful September sunshine. Recalling the British and Irish victory at Moortown, Leeds in 1929, Darwin wrote: "Cold is the one and only thing that is likely to beat the Americans. When our team won so fine a victory at Moortown, they were greatly helped by the raw and bitter weather, which made some of their adversaries look shrivelled and miserable."

So there you have it. For 2005, only Irish courses with sub-zero September temperatures need apply.

Great minds . . . While The Irish Times were compiling a survey on the status of women in Irish clubs (published last Tuesday), the ILGU were approaching the subject from a different angle. This week they commissioned the Lansdowne Market Research agency to do an independent survey, specifically from the women's standpoint.

It is planned to publish the results early in the New Year when they will, hopefully, guide the Union in its support and promotion of equal status for women in golf. This would be in line with sentiments expressed at their AGM in Dublin early this year, when the ILGU were so mandated by an overwhelming majority of delegates.

In Brief: Brian Davitt tells me that a Fourball Stableford Tournament will be held at Luttrellstown Castle on Monday next, in aid of the Michael Davitt Museum Fund. Further details from (01)6604624 . . . . The Tower Hotel Group have launched "Tee Time in Ireland" for the benefit of the holiday golfer. Further details from (01)8730199.

Teaser: A and B are playing C and D in a fourball match. A has holed out in four, the better ball for his side. When C holes out, A remarks: "Nice four, C. D, you may pick your ball up." C does not correct A by stating he had a five and allows his partner, D, to pick his ball up although D still has a putt for a half. Upon leaving the putting green, it occurs to C that he has allowed D to pick up when D had an opportunity to halve the hole. In the circumstances, could A's remark be construed as a concession of D's putt?

Answer: No. A's suggestion that D might pick up D's ball was based on A's mistaken impression that C had scored a four and that therefore D's putt could have no bearing on the result. C should have corrected A's mistaken impression before D picked up his ball. Since C failed to do so and D did not finish the hole, C's score of five for the hole was C-D's better-ball score. Thus, C and D lost the hole.