An inveterate collector of golf clubs is set to diversity slightly, though not by choice. Dick Barry will be presented next Friday with the Distinguished Services Award by the Irish Golf Writers' Association at their annual banquet.
The function, sponsored by Murphy's at Clontarf GC, will bring together the country's leading golfing figures in what has been a remarkable year for the sport in Ireland. And appropriately, a special presentation will be made to the triumphant World Cup pairing of Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley.
But the main purpose of the evening is to honour recipients in four specific categories. These are: Leading professional - Darren Clarke; Leading male amateur - Keith Nolan; Leading woman amateur - Suzanne Fanagan; Distinguished Services to Golf - Dick Barry.
His many friends throughout the country will be delighted at the recognition of Barry's immense contribution to the game. At 72 and a member of the Royal and Ancient, he retired recently after 30 years as honorary secretary/treasurer of the Munster Branch of the Golfing Union of Ireland.
While in office, Barry devoted his considerable energies towards protecting the integrity of the game, especially with regard to SSS and the Rules of Amateur Status. And when he found time to indulge his love of the golf in a recreational sense, it was as a left-hander at Mallow GC, where he is a member.
Meanwhile, on trips abroad with Irish teams, he experienced great difficulty in resisting the lure of a new or unusual golf club, which he might not have seen in this country. And so his collection grew. Mind you, the late Fred Daly would have argued that he needed all the help he could get, given that, as a left-hander, he was "a deformed" golfer.
The award to Clarke is based on some fine tournament performances which allowed him to end the season in fourth position in the Order of Merit with earnings of £537,409. Indeed he had seriously challenged Colin Montgomerie for the leader's position, until the last few weeks of the campaign.
Along the way, Clarke became the first Irish player to compete in the Andersen Consulting World Championship; was joint runner-up in the Volvo PGA Championship and was the highest-placed Irishman in the British Open since Christy O'Connor Snr, when he finished joint-second to Justin Leonard at Royal Troon.
Those achievements went a long way towards securing him a place in the victorious Ryder Cup team at Valderrama, where he shared a fourball victory with Montgomerie on the morning of the second day.
Nolan's award was based on his victory in the Irish Amateur Open Strokeplay Championship at Fota Island, his amazing round of 70 in fierce winds at Portmarnock on the opening day of the European Amateur Team Championship and his distinction as the first Bray member to gain Walker Cup honours.
Suzanne Fanagan, meanwhile, rivalled the earlier prominence of her brother Jody by capturing the Irish Championship at Enniscrone in May and then made a significant contribution to the best finish by Ireland in the Home Internationals since 1986.
