IT seemed odd, somehow, that enlightened legislators should have been so evenly split on the issue at last week's annual general meeting of the GUI. But I have since discovered why the contentious proposal got through by a margin of only 13 votes to 12: it was out of order in the first place.

I refer to the decision to make the handicap differential of three-quarters, mandatory in fourballs. Suspicions that it conflicted with Rule 33-1 of the Rules of Golf, were confirmed this week by the Royal and Ancient. Which also explained why the English Golf Union carefully side-stepped the issue.

Rule 33-1 states: "The committee (in this case, each individual golf club) shall lay down the conditions under which a competition is to be played". But since the Royal and Ancient have no jurisdiction over handicaps, surely a decision on differentials cannot be considered a condition of a competition?

David Rickman, the Rules Secretary of the R and A, thinks otherwise. "We have traditionally taken the view that the determination of an appropriate stroke allowance is a matter for the committee," he said. "That has been the interpretation the Rules of Golf Committee has put on the situation.

So, there you have it. Not quite, countered an official of the GUI. What about page 111 of the Rules of Golf? On handicaps, it states: "The Rules of Golf do not legislate for the allocation and adjustment of handicaps or their playing differentials. Such matters are within the jurisdiction and control of the National Union concerned and queries should be directed accordingly".

Does this give the GUI control after all? No, for the simple reason that it refers to the actual handicap system that a national union may adopt, not to its application in competitions.

The R and A legislates for most of the world's golfers and this paragraph is intended to convey that the Swedish Federation, for instance, can apply a different handicap system to the one operated by CONGU for the four home unions.

"We don't consider it to be within our power to issue mandatory directives to the clubs on such matters as handicap allowances," said John Walker of the English Golf Union. "That is a matter for the clubs."

He added: "A straw poll of our 1,800 clubs indicated, however, that the vast majority of them, about 1,500, wanted three-quarters of handicap in matchplay singles. And if a new club requested guidance from us, we would inform them of that fact. Otherwise, it is left to their discretion".

So, what are the Irish clubs to do? They can use the democratic process open to them - that's what. After all, they themselves are effectively responsible for last week's vote.

"There is definitely a big gap between European and Asian golfers: we have a long way to go." Indian champion Jeev Milkha Singh, competing in Dubai this week.

IN his capacity as press officer for the British Open, David Begg expressed the view this week that until a player had learned how to handle the media, he wasn't ready to win a major championship. Begg believes that a fear of all the publicity associated with such an achievement, can become a crippling burden.

If he's right, then there are a number of young players on the European Tour who, for their own sake, should take a crash course in media relations. Shyness is, of course, perfectly understandable. But in many cases, the problem has to do with basic manners.

These young men, who have yet to make a significant impact on the game, could learn much from their more seasoned bretheren.

Like, for instance, Seve Ballesteros, who has had to contend with more media attention than any golfer in the last 20 years. He explained his attitude during a chat we had in Dubai this week.

"I look on all of us out here on the tour as a family," he said. "As a player, I have a job to do, just as you have as a golf writer. And the same applies to photographers and all the other people involved in the game. We must all learn to work together in harmony." Young aspirants please dote.

BARRING an unforeseen setback, Jack Nicklaus will make his 150th major championship appearance in the US Open at Congressional in June. The great man has received a special exemption from the USGA, extending to 41 his sequence of appearances in the event.

He made his debut as an amateur back in 1957, at a time when the fastest commercial jet aircraft managed to break nine-and-a-half hours for the trip from New York to Paris. On that occasion, Nicklaus shot two rounds of 80 at Inverness to be well outside the halfway cut.

"I'm pleased by the exemption and am determined to arrive at Congressional with my golf game in the best shape it can be," he said.

Certainly, nobody would question his right to be there. Apart from four triumphs, he has played more rounds in the championship (148), made more cuts (33), shot more sub-par aggregates (seven), rounds in the 60s (29), rounds under par (37) and had more top-10 finishes (18) than any player in history.

ESTONIA may have had problems in fulfilling its home soccer engagements with Scotland, but the Baltic state reports splendid progress at golf. The local federation used a grant from the Royal and Ancient to translate and print 2,000 copies of the Rules of Golf. "I think we have enough for a few years," said an official.

The country has one golf course measuring close to 7,000 yards off the back tees there are 100 active players and a further 300 occasional practitioners. A prime objective is to defeat their former Russian masters in an international match.

"If we beat Russia, it wouldn't be anything like trophies we could hold in our hands," said Allan Remmelkoor, captain of the Estonian national team. "But it would encourage us. They are bigger and better organised, but we can beat them." A club colleague of mine returned from a recent holiday to the US with a glowing report about a new golf training device. Mind you, he hadn't tried it, but he assured me it had to be good, given all the exposure it was receiving on American television.

In a phone call to my home later than day, he informed me that the device was called"The Secret." To my shame, I forgot all about it - until this week at the Desert Classic.

During the course of an interview, Greg Norman spoke about "a very interesting golfing aid". He described it has a piece of plastic that goes on the outside of the right hand and keeps the pre-set position so that it doesn't move. "It's actually (Ben) Hogan's angle - the way he took his grip," said the Shark.

He went on: "Since everybody is not the same, there's a little elastic band on your finger which can be adjusted. I love it. When I first got it I just went back to my house and chipped and putted all afternoon". You won't be surprised to learn that Norman is endorsing the product. It's name? The Secret, of course.

IN BRIEF: Peter Alliss, who announced his retirement from international golf after the 1969 Ryder Cup, celebrated his 66th birthday yesterday. Marty Carr tells me that the eighth Annual World Invitational Father and Son Tournament will be played at Waterville on August 14th to 16th. Details from (01) 873 4244 or fax 873 4091 .... According to John Mooney, the Old Conna Seniors Invitation Trophy, an inter-club event for players aged over 55 and of 18 handicap or over, is to he held from late July to September .... The highly-progressive Oughterard club have issued a charming new brochure, with a reminder of their annual International Angling and Golfing Tournament from May 2nd to 4th.

TEASER: A competitor's bail is lying through the green. He asks a fellow competitor to remove a loose impediment lying near the ball because he knows that, if his ball moves after a loose impediment within a club-length is moved by an outside agency, the competitor incurs no penalty. The fellow competitor removed the loose impediment. What is the ruling?

ANSWER: Irrespective of whether or not the ball moves as a result of removing the loose impediment, the action of the competitor is not contrary to the spirit of the game. The fellow competitor incurs no penalty for removing the loose impediment unless the committee is satisfied that he was aware of the competitor's intention to circumvent a rule. In that instance, he should also be disqualified under Rule 33-7.