Those were the words spoken by Paddy O'Looney to the annual general meeting of SWING, the world famous Clare-Kerry golf promotion alliance, back in the early 1990s when the first Gulf War had people worried that Irish golf tourism was going to take a bad knock.

Chairman Denis Brosnan had asked O'Looney to give his view of the future knowing that he was sending an eternal optimist, one of the world's ultimate lovers of golf, in to bat. O'Looney played a blinder and everyone stood firm.

Things did settle down nicely and life went on. But they had no way of knowing that coming down the tubes were foot-and-mouth, SARS, bird flu, 9/11, a bigger and longer invasion of Iraq, international terror of terrorism and a weakening US dollar which would have caused chaos back in the Ireland of the 1970s.

Yet, O'Looney's statement has stood the test of time and he reckons that greenfee income through SWING this year is up about 25 per cent.

Good. But then comes the Aer Lingus decision to pull the plug on Shannon and the SWING golf region. So, What's Another Day? What crisis?

The British and some European golf tourists may be slightly discommoded having to fly to Cork or Dublin. The British in particular tend to travel on tight budgets and stay local. But the Americans rent mini-buses, hire chauffeurs or helicopters, or travel by luxury coach complete with bar and films and undertake round-Ireland trips no matter where they touch land.

The fact of the matter is that the really keen golfers will walk if they have to in order to get a game at lovely places like Ballybunion, Killarney, Waterville, Tralee, Lahinch and Doonbeg; and they will soothe those sore feet in champagne, or whatever Tom Kane provides for footbaths, at Adare Manor.

But Paddy O'Looney won't be doing much walking for some months to come as he is confined to bed following an accident while playing in the recent Killarney Pro-Am. He slipped on a tarmacadam path and found that the splits don't work too good in middleage. Tendons were severed from his knees and have had to be restored surgically.

In view of the above . . . what problem? Ben Hogan did this.

Wow, there's a thought. . .

AMEN CORNER GOLF TIP OF THE WEEK

Put power into your swing Your backswing is key to putting power into your golf shot. To ensure a solid, powerful position at the top of your backswing you must turn away from the ball correctly and place the majority of you body weight in the heel of your back foot.

To rotate away from the ball properly, your lower body and torso are very important. Your lower body needs to move so that your torso can fully turn and put as much power as you can into swinging down on the ball. Your hips should turn in a clockwise direction staying inside the width of your feet.

Make sure your knee on your back leg is flexed and your weight is in the heel of this foot at the top of your backswing, this will put you in a good position for a powerful downswing.

With your torso more rotated then normal, your hips turned more sharply and your weight in the heel of your back foot you will add more power to your shot and this will also help players who tend to slice the ball.

With Emmanuel Riblet, Golf Pro, Premier Golf Santry

HOLE-IN-ONE CLUB WINNERS T

he winner of this week's hole-in-one competition and the prize of a Ping collection polo shirt and a fourball in Druids Glen & a fourball in Druids Heath plus a lesson with resident PGA Pro is Wilbert Kerr (handicap 22) who recorded his memorable shot on the 4th Hole at The Knock Golf Course.

This week's runners-up, who receive six golf balls, ball marker and pitch repair kit are:

Ema O'Shea (18), 16th Charleville Patricia Quill (13), 17th Edmondstown Bernadette Laverty (19), 3rd Lurgan Noel O'Regan (20), 14th East Cork Heather Dunne (30), 16th Rathfarnham Leo Slattery (10), 2nd Navan Patrick Carroll (13), 9th Mahon Cork John Grealy (5), 17th Beaverstown Michael Purcell (14), 5th Templemore