Yes, we have 115 living champions dating from as far back as 1950 and gracing the membership rosters of 66 of our 420-plus golf clubs.

The longest-serving champion of all is Norman Vico Drew who burst on the scene in 1950 to win the North of Ireland at age 18. He is also the longest-serving Irish Amateur Open and East of Ireland champion by virtue of his wins in those events in 1952.

He was the first man to win selection at Walker Cup, World Cup and Ryder Cup levels and he was universally hailed as one of the world's great short-game players.

This was a virtue born of necessity as he was never a boomer off the tees and relied on accuracy and deadly approach work to become the champion he did.

Maybe it pays to swing easy because Tom Egan, who ranks as the longest-serving Irish Amateur Close champion on the basis of his 1952 win, was also a swinger rather than a hitter and it is good to hear that he is back playing at his beloved Monkstown after an illness.

From the same mould were Michael Craigan of Malone and Bryan Malone of Tullamore (yes, one from Malone golf club and the other Malone by name. . . it always did confuse one when young) who are the longest-serving West of Ireland champions arising from their wins in 1963 and 1964. They were downthe-middle men and nipped their titles from under the noses of big-hitting legends like Joe Carr, Cecil Ewing and Tom Craddock. Michael Guerin was more of the modern power-game generation and he held the country in thrall with his big-hitting when winning the South of Ireland in 1961, 1962 and 1963.

He is the longest-serving South winner. He tried the professional game for a while but is long back an amateur and he still plays to a handicap of four and has an ideal platform from which to speak golf as he is president of Killarney Golf Club.

That 66 of our clubs boast living amateur champions will surprise many people. It would be so easy to forget champion places like Castlerea (Rupert Staunton), Trim (Paul Rayfus), Elm Park (Padraig Hogan), Adare Manor (Jackie Harrington) and Foxrock (John O'Leary).

In fact, 42 of the clubs with champions boast just one hero apiece and it is somewhat surprising to find Lahinch, once a den of champions, numbered amongst these with John D Smyth home alone on the basis of his win in the South of 1968.

Just a few clubs have learned how to produce champions on a regular basis.

Chief amongst them is Shandon Park where there are eight living champions and an amazingly strong family story to be told. The Edwards brothers, Michael and Brendan, were prolific winners with the latter winning the North twice and the former doing the same plus two Irish Amateur Close titles. But the Hoey family take pride of place. Michael won the North twice; his brother Brian won the Close, the North and West;

and then along came Brian's son Michael to win the Irish Amateur Open and North.

The club's other champions are Niall Anderson, David Long and Bertie Rainey. Family connections exist at Grange, also, where brothers Paul and Michael McGinley are joined by David Sheahan and Michael Ryan as title winners; and there have been other family doubles such as Joe and Roddy Carr at Sutton.

Portmarnock ranks as our second most prolific producer of champions with five former greats to be found out there on a weekly basis with John Fitzgibbon, winner of the Irish Amateur Open in 1955, being the senior boy.

Noel Fox has their winningest record having bagged two Irish Amateur Opens, the East three times and one West. Adrian Morrow, with four titles, and Mick Morris and Niall Goulding with two apiece can look forward to growing old gracefully resting on their laurels.

Two other clubs, County Louth and Warrenpoint, have four living champions on their books. Gannon, Reddan, Ronan and Ward are the men at Baltray; and at Warrenpoint they have Carvill, Gribben, Gary McNeill and Ronan Rafferty who won only the Irish Amateur Close of 1980 before going professional.

Speaking of professionalism, 34 of our living amateur champions have played for pay. Eight of them have made it to Ryder Cup level and five have returned to amateur ranks. A study of the list would be advised to all others thinking of travelling that road.

The following amateur champions have turned professional: Eamon Brady, Raymond Burns, Darren Clarke, Gary Cullen, Norman Drew, Padraig Harrington, Jimmy Heggarty, David Higgins, Michael Hoey, Peter Lawrie, Brendan McCarroll, Michael McDermott, Graeme McDowell, Paul McGinley, Rory McIlroy, Brian McElhinney, John McHenry, Ciaran McMonagle, Gary McNeill, Bryan Malone, Colm Moriarty, Gary Murphy, Keith Nolan, John O'Leary, Denis O'Sullivan, Ronan Rafferty, Martin Sludds, Des Smyth and Philip Walton.

The players who were reinstated as amateurs are:

Roddy Carr, Niall Goulding, Paddy Gribben, Michael Guerin and Brian Kissock.