It was back about then that inflation came into vogue and the price of a game soared and the batting order changed in the matter of desirable away games. Even before the advent of the Mount Juliet, The K Club and Druids Glen and their contribution to hyper-inflation, a shake-out had commenced and the 1990 records show that Portmarnock and Royal Dublin had upped the ante to £45 per game with neighbouring Sutton losing confidence and dropping back to a meagre £15.

The modern league of most desirable games had begun to take shape, with the mega new venues yet to come, as Ballybunion raised its green fees to £40, Portrush and Newcastle pushed theirs to £35, and County Louth went to £30 with a dogged Hermitage keeping pace. Many of the older centres of Irish golf and social life abandoned the pace.

Milltown, Rathfarnham, Cork, Rosslare, Killiney and Lahinch had all been in the upper league charging £1 for a visitor in 1970 but they had all fallen off the pace by 1990 and Lahinch alone has recovered the initiative.

Those were the days. Gentle days of golf, banter and warm welcomes to visiting players moving from one town to another for a change of pace. The Americans hadn't arrived yet, beyond a trickle, but change was in the air as golf moved into the tourism business. Nicklaus at Mount Juliet and Palmer at The K Club changed it all. Perhaps the credit should be given to Tim Mahoney and Michael Smurfit? In any event, the country was agog with the sheer audacity of these developments asking £60 for a game of golf!

Things haven't been the same since then and both new up-market venues and the higher-profiled old clubs have established a sort of premiership in the matter of visitor golf commanding green fees which would have secured life membership at most Irish golf clubs as little as 30 years ago!

The 300 barrier, which is exceeded by relatively few venues worldwide, has been broken by The K Club Palmer course which is priced at 370 per round in post-Ryder Cup 2007. Staying just shy of that benchmark figure is The Old Head which is positioned coyly at 295 for the coming year.

It is almost freefall from there with only three more courses asking in excess of 200 for a game: The K Club Smurfit at 225, Royal County Down at 220 and Doonbeg at 200. Latest into the 100plus club is Fota Island at 120.

TOP GREEN FEE VENUES FOR 2007

/370 The K Club Palmer
/295 Old Head
/225 The K Club Smurfit
/220 Royal Co. Down
/200 Doonbeg
/190* Portmarnock
/185 Royal Portrush
/185Mount Juliet
/180 Druids Glen
/180 PGA National
/170 Tralee
/170 Royal Dublin
/165 Ballybunion
/165Waterville
/155 Lahinch
/150 Lutrellstown Castle
/145 Adare
/140 Powerscourt
/135 County Louth
/135 Carton House
/133 Portstewart
/130 Druids Heath
/130 Heritage
/125 The Island
/125 Portmarnock Links
/120 Killarney Killeen
/120 Fota Island
/110 Dromoland Castle
/110 Castlerock *2006 green fee