They had to battle through 12 rounds of this event, contested by teams of high-handicappers from the Dublin region, and survived a play-off in the final against Charlesland when Ronnie Egan holed a raker of a par putt from off the green at the 19th.

The other members of this historic team were Bernard Cahill, Pat Doyle, John Garrigan, Dermot Hennessy, Tony Hogan, Bill Kennedy, John Kilmartin, David O'Connor, JP Smith and team captain Pat Corrigan.

McGRATH HITS HOLE IN ONE ON A PAR FOUR
Imagine scoring six points at one hole. Well, that is what popular Pat McGrath can boast after a hole-in-one on the par-four ninth at Howth!

It happened in the Monday Nighters with a spanking shot on what is one of the sportiest holes in the world, measuring 290 yards straight downhill. His hole-in-one with a stroke meant he had zero for the hole.

ST BRIGID'S ON TOP IN FBD CHALLENGE
Over 120 GAA clubs from all over the country took part in this year's FBD All-Ireland Golf Challenge, which was won in fine style by St Brigid's of Dublin whose 169 total was "ve too good for runners-up Dunhill of Waterford. The final was at Faithlegg and the winning quartet consisted of former Leitrim footballer Jason Ward (13), former Dublin cornerback Martin Cahill (9), Niall Coyne (14) and Martin Prior (19).

Dunhill, who created this event in 2000, always give the title a good run with former county footballer Derry Kiely as their anchorman playing off scratch.

His three colleagues this time were hurler Martin Murray (14), juvenile mentor Brian Dunbar (14) and Donal Murphy (11).

McMENAMIN ROLLS BACK THE YEARS
Can it be a coincidence that when Enda McMenamin . . . who played for Ireland in 1981 and 1982 . . . is club captain at Ballybofey & Stranorlar, his club makes the breakthrough to win its first ever inter-club event?

The influence of great players runs as deep within their clubs as the pull of the moon on the seas.

Remember Joe Carr at Sutton and all their Senior Cup wins?

Remember the Edwards brothers at Shandon Park and how Peter Kane, and his son Ray, inspired the Island!

Ballybofey's win came at Westmanstown in the Jimmy Carroll Cup, a fourball event for seniors aged over 60 set up to commemorate the late Sutton star.

They scored 124 points to "nish two ahead of Powerscourt and three ahead of Ceann Sibeal.

The winning scores of 44 points, 41 points and two 39-point totals were amassed by James McAllister and Paddy Cleary, John McCaughan and Denis Grindel, Joe Blee and Charlie Quinn, and club president Alex Harkin and Michael O'Boyle.

EXPERIENCE COUNTS FOR MELIA IN CLONTARF
"Old age hath got its honours and its toil. . ." wrote the Bard when he could well have had my old friend Dermot Melia of Howth in mind, because here is a man who has truly toiled at his golf over the years and gained his share of honours.

He struck gold again during the week when driving the ball well at Clontarf . . . he is usually a deadly medium-distance putter . . . to win the President's prize in the NorthDublin Captains' meeting with a terrific 39 points, despite firing blanks at the 16th and making only one point at the last.

Melia, whose father Patrick was Howth captain in 1947 and who held that office himself in 1987, is a man for the majors as he was winner of the North-Dublin Captain's Prize in 1991. This time it was close as he won by one from Pat Dooley of the Island and Martin Kelly of the host club.

THESE SHOES WERE MADE FOR WINNING. . .
Yikes they're Nikes! Keith Bardon must have been a bit bemused when he gained a lovely pair of Nike golf shoes as winner of the Committee Prize in the David Allman's Captain's Prize at Killiney.

Bardon is internationally renowned as the top European sales person for Footjoy, you see, and one cannot help wondering whether those Nikes "t comfortably or whether they pinch or squeak?

The big Allman prize was won by Jim Byrne, who was club captain in 2004, with a great 64 off 12-handicap. He won by four from Denzil Tipping and sent news and celebration ripples all the way to Tralee, where his brother Anthony is secretary-manager and is always delighted to hear good news from home.

YOUNG PRETENDERS BECOME CONTENDERS
New golf clubs are making their presence felt in no uncertain terms in the various interclub matches this year, and latest onto the podium are Townley Hall, founded in 1995 near Drogheda, with a good win in the Newsome Cup.

They beat Balbriggan, Ardee and Ashbourne en route to the final in which they scored a handsome 4-0 win, with one match called in, over Navan at Royal Tara.

The successful squad was John Byrne, Austin Carroll, John Clarke, Tommy Everitt, Ollie Flanagan, Ray Foley, Damien Hoey, Dessie Johnston, Seamus McMahon, Peter McNally, William Murphy, Terry Skelly and team captain Michael Foley.

AMASTER CLASS IN LOWERING A HANDICAP
Marie Hogan, a teacher by profession, has been giving them all a golfing lesson at Shannon recently as she has hit a rich vein of form and brought her handicap down from 26 to 21 with a winning streak.

It started in July when she scored 42 points for second in the PGA Tankard. Then she won the Rineanna Plate with 45 points and got cut 3.2 strokes for that.

Undaunted, she kept it going for a 36-hole total of 149 to win the Lady Masters by four strokes.

Her next outing is the final of the Eileen Murphy Foursomes, at Cork, with partner Linda Doherty.

This event was rained-off last week but has been rescheduled for Tuesday, 24 October. Can she hold the hots?

ROSCREA BOUT PROVES A FAMILY AFFAIR
Pardon me but you have just Parloned me! That could have been the cry of Ann Parlon (32) as she scored a 68 at Roscrea last week only to be beaten on the break-of-a-tie by her mother-inlaw Alice Parlon (26). What's this they say about mothers-in-law?

IT'S MY PARTY AND I'LL WIN IF I WANT TO
Denis Fennessy was taking no prisoners when making a stunning return of 49 points at Kenmare last week.

He didn't take a prize either as his score was in the Captain's Prize of the Cork Prison Officers' Golf Society and he is the captain.

James Fahy didn't mind a bit when his lowly 40 points was declared the winning score.

BARRY O'BRIEN HITS MALAHIDE FOR SIX
It is amazing how cricketers adapt so well to golf, and that was shown once more by Barry O'Brien (10), whose brother GP plays for Ireland.

He bowled them all out with 43 points in Marie Tolan's lady captain's prize to the men at Malahide. He won by four runs. . . sorry, strokes from Kevin O'Reilly, John Finnerty and Noel Cullen.

CUMMINS DOES McKEON PROUD
Valerie Cummins has reduced her handicap from 33 to 26 at Edenderry this year but is still winning as a massive 46 points gained her the Sean McKeon Memorial during the week.

McKeon, who was the friendly face of the club to visiting societies for generations up until his death three years ago, would have been delighted to see a hardworking housewife clean up in this way.

SON USURPS FATHER IN TIRCONNELL CUP
"Sorry Da!" That was the cry from Munster interprovincial player Stephen Moloney as he birdied the 16th at revamped Castletroy to win the Tirconnell Cup matchplay title from his father, Johnny. Dad hung in well through 10 holes, when he was only one down, but plus-one Stephen more or less wrapped-it-up with wins at the 11th and 12th.