Gradual team-building may take place in football, with perhaps a 10-year window to nurture and enjoy talent, but running a modern amateur golf team is more like dealing with a nursery. The young ones are gone before you even know them.

It seems a racing certainty Rory McIlroy will go professional after next year's Walker Cup match at Royal County Down. With him goes the foundation of last week's success in South Africa, as he scored seven under par with rounds of 73, 69, 72 and 67 to tie for seventh in the individual race.

Gareth Shaw and Simon Ward proved superb backup men as both broke 70, helpfully in different rounds in an event where two cards counted for each team. So it was always going to be a case of McIlroy plus one each day, and the others will probably be weighing up their futures during 2007 as well.

This leaves the selectors pondering a fresh canvas as they plan for Argentina in 2008. It would have been helpful if they had even one anchorman capable of good scoring at this level for two or three World Championships in a row. Then their search would be for two sprinters to run alongside and try to throw in one good score between them in each round.

Which raises questions about the youth policy followed by the powers that be nowadays. Is it right that virtually all the coaching, grants and other supports are directed at the young tigers who, while worthy of it, can hardly wait to try their hands as professionals? Is this truly the promotion of amateur golf?

It seems a pity that the leakage from amateur competition is not addressed with some of those funds.

Fresh thinking may be useful as regards training panels, too, as the demands that can be placed on a teenager can hardly be applied to a young man with a career and a family. The two sets of circumstances need consideration.

Nothing can be done to stop the move by the young to professionalism. Most of the best will want to go that route.

But what of the career amateur?

Garth McGimpsey and Peter McEvoy were the last two outstanding examples of this dying breed. Jay Sigel was the example in America before the college waves washed over the landscape.

They provided a benchmark against whom all others should measure themselves.

They helped to give a true measure of the worth of the young newcomers who are frequently very good. . . but nobody can convince me we are suddenly producing dozens of teenage wonders.

They need to have their ears clipped and see how they like it. Otherwise, all of our championships are set to become boys' championships.

Three men, in particular, are sadly missed on the Irish amateur scene today. They are Ken Kearney, Niall Goulding and Jody Fanagan. It would be nice if something could be done to persuade them to compete onwards.

Perhaps on the Bobby Jones model but with grants and considerations added.

Considerations could include a sharp and short programme of well-endowed weekend tournaments for working men aged 25 to 40 who maintain handicaps at one or better. Put up good prizes, good venues and provide some accommodation and food. Organise these events in the run-up to the Irish Amateur Close Championship as warm-ups, and then ensure the best of these are allowed into the qualifying rounds no matter how flash the young fellows look, because at least 25% of these young fellows are useless at that level, no matter what their handicap certificates suggest.

In this way, the old guys could consider a short sharp campaign away each year, not be obliged to abandon work and family week after week to please the selectors, and if they produce the goods we all win.