On St Patrick's Day at the Rolls of Monmouth Captains' Drive-In, the men's captain and true Irishman, Mike Maguire, awarded the winning three-man team lucky Leprechaun head covers, which have been proudly perched on their drivers ever since.

Many of the club members present at the Drive-In spurned Maguire's confident prediction that his Leprechauns were each worth two kisses of the Blarney Stone but those skilful enough to have won them in the fierce competition of St Patrick's Day have treated them with great respect and affection, carrying them to golf courses near and far in search of the luck of the Irish.

The first sign that Maguire's prediction may be correct happened back in May, when father Trev Curphey, the senior member of that winning threesome, achieved a hole-in-one at the par three fourth hole at the Rolls.

Those sceptics at the bar enjoying a drink at father Trev's expense dismissed this miraculous feat as a pure coincidence but Curphey was adamant that his leprechaun, Seamus, influenced his perfect strike of the golf ball and its flight down the hole.

In early June, Dave Spear, award-winning onion grower and second member of the winning team, played a magnificent golf shot to hole-in-one at the notoriously difficult par three 13th hole.

Playing with Terry Burnett and Dave Guppy, Spear used a rescue club to send the ball onto the green and, one bounce later, into the hole.

Generous to a fault, Spear bought everyone a drink, even those who couldn't be bothered to listen to his minutely detailed story of how he, with the help of his leprechaun, Paddy, achieved his feat.

The third leprechaun winner, Tim Barker, has had an amazing period of quality golf since acquiring his leprechaun, Mick, although to date he has not achieved a hole-in-one. 

However, on Saturday 22nd June, Barker and fellow Rolls of Monmouth first team member, Roger Lord were playing in a full scale practice round in preparation for their forthcoming away match against Herefordshire Golf Club, when Lord touched Barker's leprechaun shortly before proceeding to score the perfect one at the fourth hole.

Barker was disappointed to have 'transferred' his hole-in-one but was grateful to enjoy a lucky free drink from Lord rather than having to buy a round himself.

Perhaps the luckiest of all was captain Maguire, who was fortuitously at hand on each occasion to accept a free drink from all three lucky golfers.