Young rookies eager to carve a living out of the professional golf tour may now receive grants to help them along in the difficult starting-out process. In a new scheme announced yesterday in Dublin by the Minister for Tourism and Sport, Jim McDaid, a Team Ireland Trust Fund is to be established to help golfers, both male and female, to achieve international careers.

The trust will be funded initially to the extent of £150,000 annually for three years. A £50,000 contribution will come from tourism funds and a further £50,000 from the Irish Sports Council. The third portion is a private £50,000 contribution from clients of Brian Phelan and Co, auditors and accountants.

The principle of funding young talent is not a new one to golf but this new initiative involves co-operation between the government and the private sector.

It is envisaged that a small number of individuals will benefit from the grants rather than the money being scattered thinly around many players.

The trust are now looking for applications from young golfers who are either professionals or are seeking to become professionals. A committee is being established which will include a representative from the Minister's office, the Irish Sports Council, Bord Failte, the Irish Professional Golfers Association, the Golfing Union of Ireland, the Irish Ladies Golf Union and one or two senior Irish professional golfers.

In addition to the financial assistance, the successful candidates will also be entitled to use the facilities of the National Coaching and Training Centre in Limerick.

It was pointed out that Ireland has only 17 professional tour cards. This contrasts with Sweden which has in excess of 50 tours cards, despite having roughly the same number of golfers. Sweden has golf academies in Spain and they have been persuaded to also set up in Ireland.

Irish Ryder Cup team member Padraig Harrington, who was present at yesterday's announcement in Dublin, explained that assistance had been crucial to him: "I received money for four years in a row," he said. "Without it I wouldn't be where I am now.

"Basically, it allowed me to go to college and play golf all the time. It means any pro can now go and play golf for 90 per cent of the time without having to work and worry about how they are going to survive financially. I've seen young pros fall by the wayside because they've to take a job and they end up working for longer than they are playing golf."

Looking towards the Ryder Cup to be staged in Ireland in 2005, the thinking is clearly to give the game a push in the hope that new Irish talent will emerge. If the scheme is perceived to have worked after three years, it is hoped that it will continued.

"What we are trying to do is sow the seeds now and reap the benefits later," said McDaid.

The Irish Sports Council will undertake the administrative work on behalf of the Trust Committee. Application forms for assistance are available from Team Ireland Golf Trust, c/o Irish Sports Council, 21 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2.