The hotel companies like Ryan and Jurys give their shareholders perks like discounts off bookings, ferry companies like Irish Continental and, more recently, Thomson, give discounts off holidays.

So what does a company such as Smurfit, whose main business is pretty boring stuff making cardboard boxes do for its shareholders? A few free boxes, a ream of writing paper?

Well, apart from making boxes, Smurfit also owns the K Club, one of the non-core investments that Smurfit-watchers have always found difficult to fathom.

Michael Smurfit has a well-known passion for golf and the K Club was always the chairman's pet project to the extent of christening one of the holes "Michael's Favourite".

Smurfit shareholders well at least a select few of them have the chance of testing themselves on Michael's Favourite and the other manicured holes at the K Club.

This week, Mr Smurfit wrote to his shareholders inviting them to participate in a draw for the sixth shareholders' golf tournament next August. The first 100 shareholders out of the hat get to play a round with the directors.

But for those golfer-shareholders who are accustomed to hacking it around pay-as-you-play courses without bothering with burdens like handicaps and Pringle jumpers, forget the draw. You have to have an official handicap for this tourney.