IT would have been difficult to find so many happy golf people under the same roof. In fact there seemed to be unanimous agreement that Golf Expo '99, held in the Industries Hall of the RDS over the weekend, was a resounding success.

"The feed-back effectively guarantees a repeat next year," said press officer Simon Tormey. "And it looks as if we're going to need more space, which could mean a move to the Simmonscourt Extension."

Spearheaded by directors Paddy McCarthy and Eoin Doyle, the show attracted 120 exhibitors, including a number of proprietary clubs, who were delighted with the public response. Attendance figures were - Friday: 3,500; Saturday: 5,000; Sunday: 7,000.

"We did more business on Friday than I anticipated for the entire weekend," said Michael McGuirk of McGuirk's Golf, which dominated the sales aspect of the event. It was also agreed that the presence of the GUI and ILGU as exhibitors lent it very valuable status.