WITH football boots and golf clubs, he left his roots in Ballybunion 25 years ago and headed for East Clare a true, Kerry sporting missionary. Though brimful of youthful enthusiasm, John Joyce was still stunned by the reaction in Bodyke. "Put those away," he was told, "this is hurling country."

So, he reluctantly put away his beloved golf clubs for "10 to 12 years". And he watched the rise of Clare hurling, culminating in their splendid All-Ireland triumph last year. By which stage, all his sporting conflicts had been reconciled: Joyce's dream of establishing a golf club was near fruition.

"It really started in 1990 when Jim Hogan, a native of Bodyke, founded the East Clare Golfing Society," he recalled. "Article Two of its constitution declared that the society would `pursue' the building of a golf club in East Clare." Joyce, Tom Murray, Michael Fahy, Michael Hogan and T J McNamara were later appointed directors of a company: they were on their way.

Prospective members were, in effect, required to put up £2,000 each, part of which was used to buy two farms. Arthur Spring was employed as the course architect, and the hurling country of East Clare was set to have its own golf club. Now, with nine holes in play, they had 5,000 visitors this past summer at £7 per round.

Greatly encouraged by the quality of Spring's work, membership has already grown to 150 with further expansion anticipated next month. "An indication of good housekeeping is that we have spent in excess of £1 million on 170 acres of land and a period house (Coolreagh House), and our current borrowings stand at £150,000," added Joyce.

The full 18 holes and clubhouse are scheduled for an official opening on July 14th of next year. By which stage, on arrival in Ennis, it will no longer be necessary to limit one's golfing horizons to the north, west and south. At East Clare GC, built on a spectacular promontory of arable land extending into a bog, a restless Kerry heart will at last have found a home.

. "NEVER leave your opponent with the sole responsibility for thinking of all the things that might go wrong with his shot."

Mullingan's Laws of Golf.

. EXPERT opinion was that rank and file golfers would be more inclined to give the stamp of approval to the movie Tin Cup, which opened here yesterday, if it had guest appearances by some leading players. But as television pundit Gary McCord discovered to his cost, this became quite a daunting challenge.

"I was sitting around in producer Gary Foster's office the first month, calling players and players' agents" admitted McCord who, among other things, was employed as an adviser on the project. "We just got zip. So I decided to do ft through the wives. If you want anything done with a tour player, call the wife." Presumably he meant the player's wife, not his own.

Anyway, McCord did just that, inviting the wives to dinner in Tucson. He also happened to mention that the movie's leading man, Kevin Costner, would be there. That clinched it. Among the 23 bona fide golf, stars included in the movie are four US Open champions - Corey Pavin, Johnny Miller, Jerry Pate and Lee Janzen.

. ONLY a few weeks ago, other television pundits, found an excuse to indulge their fascination with a golfing legend.

With the practice-tee as the theme for an edition of NBC's Inside the (US) Senior Tour, they asked: "Which professional was responsible for making practice a daily routine?" Answer: Ben Hogan.

Then came the inevitable follow-up question as to whether he was the best ball-striker of all time. Tony Jacklin thought he was, Hale Irwin seemed to prefer the repetitive swing of Lee Trevino while Bob Murphy insisted that Jack Nicklaus was the game's supreme exponent.

But the programme caught my attention mainly for the fact that I had just finished reading a thoroughly absorbing book on the most enigmatic player in the history of the game. Called simply Hogan, it was written by Curt Sampson, published this year by Rutledge Hill Press and is available from Golfing Memories, in Bray.

In a hugely ambitious work, Sampson set out to enlighten us on the sporting hero that no one really knew, the man who played golf with the burning frigidity of dry ice - "I don't like the glamour. I just like the game." And he has succeeded brilliantly.

Sampson's most chilling discovery is that Hogan was only nine when he witnessed the suicide, with a .38 revolver, of his father, Chester, in their small family home in Fort Worth, Texas: It shaped his life. Never again would he allow himself to establish a meaningful friendship with a man. Rather did he go on to place his trust in two remarkable women his wife, Valerie, who became his only confidante, and his secretary at the Hogan Company, Claribel Kelly.

Meanwhile, he resisted attempts at friendship by his fellow professionals, notably from Byron Nelson, whom he had known from their teenage years as caddies. This must have been terribly hurtful to Nelson, who went out of his way to be kind to his fellow Texan, particularly when Hogan was struggling on tour.

A case in point was the Calcutta, or sweep, prior to the 1938 Masters at Augusta where Nelson was defending the title. When Ball of the leading players had been "bought", there was no, immediate response to the auctioneer's call for a modest bid of $100 for Hogan, who was making his debut in the event.

After a lengthy silence, someone eventually responded. It was Nelson, who had the generosity to save his friend from embarrassment. Yet, a few years later, when they both appeared on a radio sports programme, Hogan publicly criticised Nelson for not practising enough.

Hogan's near-fatal accident in February 1949, which is dealt with in fascinating detail from the medical standpoint, - seemed to heighten Hogan's desire for isolation. Incidentally, it is also established that William Ben Hogan was born not in Dublin, Texas, but in the nearby town of Stephenville.

Overall, Sampson has done a remarkable job, providing plausible insights into a hitherto baffling character. Through him, we can view the Hogan mystique in an entirely new light.

. IT seems that Phil Mickelson was greatly offended by the extravagant behaviour of Jarmo Sandelin in the semi-finals of the Alfred Dunhill Cup at St Andrews last Sunday. Indeed he was moved to complain to his Swedish opponent: "You should show me some respect and don't behave like that. This is supposed to be a friendly game." Mickelson later added: "I think these competitions should be played in good sportsmanship." Quite so.

He would certainly have got no argument on that latter point from one of the Scottish players defending the title. Andrew Coltart still retains bitter memories of the Walker Cup matches at Portmarnock in 1991 when he was prompted to complain of his first-day singles opponent: "He's an arrogant so-and-so. There's no place for that sort of behaviour in an event like this. He was trying to take the mickey out of me."

And who was Coltart's tormentor? Absolutely correct: it was none other than the bold Mickelson who, four up playing the ninth, turned to the crowd and proceeded to make fun of the Scot's refusal to concede an 18-inch putt for a half in par. As Coltart explained: "I was trying desperately to make something happen and I've seen Seve Ballesteros miss putts of that, distance."

Either way, Sandelin's exuberance - aiming his putter at the hole like a rifle after sinking yet another long putt - was decidedly innocent by comparison.

. NB It was almost worth undergoing a heart by-pass if only to experience the extraordinary kindness of people, particularly the readers of this column. A wonderful sense of caring was conveyed through letters, cards, phone calls and word of mouth. Please accept by sincere thanks. Meanwhile, it's good to be back.

Teaser: A competitor's ball lying on the putting green is lifted by a fellow-competitor's caddie without the authority of the competitor. Subsequently, the fellow-competitor's caddie by mistake substitutes another ball and the competitor plays it. The error is then discovered. What is the ruling?

Answer: When a competitor authorises another person to lift his ball, the competitor is responsible for any breach of the rules (Rule 20-1). The converse is generally true i.e., the competitor is not responsible for a breach of a rule caused by the unauthorised lifting of his ball. Thus, in this case, the competitor should not be penalised under Rule 15-1. The competitor should hole out with the substituted ball, without penalty.