It seems only a short time since Germans were complaining bitterly about the reluctance of their local authorities to grant permission for golf course development. Not any more. In the last 10 years, the number of courses has more than doubled, which speaks volumes for the positive image of the game in a country where green issues are taken very seriously indeed.
At the beginning of 1989, the then West Germany had the modest number of 109,207 golfers belonging to 260 clubs. Ten years on, a unified country can boast 318,284 golfers in 575 clubs. Of those, 188,376 are men and 129,908 women.
As it happened, St Leon-Rot, which is currently playing host to the Deutsche Bank-SAP Open TPC of Europe, was the 500th German club. And by this time next year, the figure is expected to have risen to 600 with 350,000 players. And to think that in the 1970s, the GUI became involved in a quadrangular series of matches with Sweden, Germany and France, so as to promote the game in those countries.
The key to Germany's change of attitude towards the Royal and Ancient game lies with the younger generation. From a stage where golf was dismissed as a leisurely, elite exercise for old men, an increasing number of youngsters are becoming involved. Indeed by far the largest groups of men and women golfers in Germany are between the ages of 22 and 49 years.
This shift is also reflected in the game's popularity among young business and professional people. As many as 67 per cent of players have a grammar school and university education; 48 per cent are self-employed and 27 per cent are company executives or civil servants.
Meanwhile, it seems that Bord Failte have some work to do in their efforts to attract Germans on golfing holidays to our fair land. For 40 per cent of them, the US would be a first-choice destination, followed by Spain and Portugal. Which suggests that however good the courses, it's so much nicer to smash those drives with the sun in your back.
Looking at the buoyant state of German golf, we shouldn't be surprised, really. They were always a clever lot. You certainly won't find them having any truck with vertigio angustior, the sluggish wee fellow who has brought the Doonbeg development to a standstill. Now if our export people could. . . .
Earlier this week, at the official opening of the Westwood Hills course at Celtic Manor in Wales, its owner made a fascinating pledge. Terry Matthews, whose estimated personal wealth of £1.1billion Stg makes him Britain's 12th richest man, declared: "I'm going to bring the Ryder Cup here, no matter what it takes."
If Matthews, who has spent £8 million on the new course as part of a £115 million hotel and conference centre development, has any doubts about the challenge he is undertaking, Michael Smurfit would be able to enlighten him. Still, with monthly earnings of £9 million in interest alone, Matthews should be moderately self-sufficient.
Meanwhile, competitors in the Smurfit European Open at The K Club over the August bank holiday weekend, will see one of the first significant changes in the course, aimed at the 2005 Ryder Cup. From the 150-yard marker on the 14th hole, they will face a colourful, new backdrop which has been created by moving 50,000 tonnes of earth.
"When completed next month, it will be adorned with multi-coloured plants, but a more practical function is to create spectator mounding which was absent from this part of the course," said director of golf, Paul Crowe. "We want to see if it will work for the Ryder Cup."
Paul McGinley has become the owner of a rather special golf bag, which he plans to auction for charity. He acquired it earlier this week at St George's Hill GC in Surrey, where a pro-am was held in aid of the Omagh Fund. Apparently one of the club's members lost a loved one in the tragedy.
"Among the lots on offer at an auction later in the evening, was the bag which (Jose-Maria) Olazabal used when winning this year's Masters," said McGinley. "Though he couldn't be present himself, Ollie donated it because of the fact that two Spanish children died at Omagh."
He went on: "I bought it because I feel it will have special significance back in Ireland. But before I'm inundated with requests, I should emphasise that myself and Allison (his wife) have already chosen a specific charity." The MacGregor bag, signed by Olazabal, carries a letter of authentication.
Events of 50 years ago, when a programme for the Men's Home Internationals cost one shilling, were celebrated last Tuesday with a special lunch at the host club, Portmarnock. Among other things, we learned that "for the guidance of spectators", each caddie wore a coloured and numbered armlet, to indicate the country for which he was carrying.
Of the 12-member Irish line-up, Joe Carr, Jimmy Carroll and Frank Webster attended the function where they were joined by Portmarnock captain, Gary McShane, hon secretary Joe McAleese and secretary/manager John Quigley. Contrary to popular wisdom, old golfers do, in fact, die but despite their best efforts, the club couldn't come up with precise details. Perhaps our readers can help.
The Irish team which faced England in May 1949 was: J Bruen (Cork), J Burke (Lahinch), J Carroll (Sutton), J B Carr (Sutton), C Ewing (Co Sligo), S M McCready (Sunningdale), R McInally (Sutton), J M Neill (Cliftonville), W M O'Sullivan (Killarney), M Power (Muskerry), B J Scannell (Woodbrook), F Webster (Lahinch). Non-playing captain: Lt-Col C O Hezlet.
Staying with Portmarnock, we move forward 10 years for a postscript to a recent piece in our golf supplement about Christy O'Connor's remarkable win over Joe Carr in the 1959 Dunlop Masters. John Cussen from Newcastle West, kindly sent me a report on the tournament, written by the incomparable Pat Ward-Thomas in the British magazine, Country Life. By way of an epilogue to a great event, here is the last paragraph.
"The following morning, Portmarnock was a wilderness of deserted tents and savage rain and I thought of the transience of such things. All the tireless organisation and hard work, the really excellent scoreboards, the capable stewarding, the clamour, the excitement and the heroics, all gone. Then in the twilight, as the aircraft climbed over the city towards the dark sea, there was one last glimpse of that noble links, at peace once more on its lonely peninsula, of the little red clubhouse of Sutton across the estuary, a drive and a brassie from the house of Carr, and I knew that these were days which would not be forgotten."
Back to the Ryder Cup - and money. Latest reports from the US are that so-called brokers are currently selling tickets for as much as $3,000 each. And it appears that many have been put on the market by the 5,000 people who won the right to purchase two tickets each in the PGA of America's lottery.
They have clearly decided that the event will have far greater appeal when watched on television, with the comfort of $2,000 in the hip pocket. Where's the missing $1,000 you ask. That's the broker's handling fee. But the US Masters is still the most sought-after badge in golf, at the widely accepted price of $5,000.
TEASER: At a short hole, A's tee shot may be out of bounds or lost, so he played a provisional ball, which he holes. A does not wish to look for his original ball. A's opponent or a fellow competitor, goes to look for the original ball. When does the provisional ball become the ball in play?
Answer: The provisional ball becomes the ball in play as soon as A picks it out of the hole, provided his original ball has not already been found in bounds within five minutes of B starting to search for it.
