When the Spalding company produced the first set of matched irons almost 70 years ago, selecting a golf club for a precise approach shot became a simple matter of numbers - one to nine. Not anymore. Following the gradual rejection of the one and two-irons by many of the more accomplished players, the three iron is about to go the same route.

Even now, there would be up to a six-week wait at leading Irish outlets for a full set of irons, one to sandwedge. And though the phasing out of the three-iron is unlikely to affect this country for another year or so, leading manufacturers are acknowledging the general preference for lofted woods.

So it is that one company is already offering a set comprising four iron to pitching wedge, with a hybrid iron/wood to round off the set. Apparently eight pieces are considered crucial from a marketing standpoint in the US and since irons are cheaper to make than woods, the hybrid club makes economic sense.

Women golfers, of course, are already familiar with this situation, given that for the last two years, leading companies such as Titleist and Taylor Made have been producing sets of clubs from four iron to sandwedge for the female market. Indeed Cobra are now marketing a set from five-iron to sandwedge.

As we have indicated, the gap is being filled by user-friendly, fairway woods. The five-wood equates to a two-iron; the seven-wood to a three and a nine-wood to a four/five-iron. And in each case, the chances of a high-handicap player executing a well-hit shot are appreciably better than with the straighter-faced long irons.

Even professionals are thinking this way. Which means that some of the greatest shots in the history of the game are unlikely to be repeated. Like the one-irons by Ben Hogan to the 458-yard 18th at Merion in 1950, by Ken Venturi to Congressional's 211-yard 16th in 1964 and by Jack Nicklaus to the 542-yard 18th at Baltusrol in 1967, all in the US Open.

Then there were the two-iron shots by Tom Watson to the 18th at Royal Birkdale in the 1983 British Open; by Sandy Lyle to the 14th in the Open at Royal St George's two years later and Christy O'Connor Jnr in the Ryder Cup at The Belfry in 1989.

And the three-iron? Sam Snead is credited with a wonderful threeiron to the 18th at Riviera when beating Hogan for the 1950 Los Angeles Open and Bob Goalby used it for an exemplary shot onto the long 15th en route to victory in the 1968 US Masters. But from an Irish standpoint, the one we remember is David Feherty's glorious effort of 198 yards into a crosswind on the 17th at St Andrews, for a play-off victory over England's Howard Clark, which secured a second Irish triumph in the 1990 Dunhill Cup.

"Our prime responsibility is to protect a unique site of historical and cultural significance, as well as one of the top sporting venues in Britain."

- Alan McGregor of St Andrews Links Trust, explaining the latest outlay of Sterling £200,000 on sloping gabions, in an ongoing battle against coastal erosion.