WHEN Government-owned Port Royal launched a membership drive back in March it might have seemed like a deal too good to be true.

Now dozens of local golfers are discovering it was.

Several have contacted Tee Talk during the last week, both angry and disappointed that having responded immediately to the club's campaign for new faces, they have had their applications rejected.

But both Port Royal manager Bill Pitt and Chairman of the Trustees El James say it was a straightforward case of supply and demand -- in this case, demand outstripping supply.

"We knew from the start that there would be a lot of interest,'' explained Pitt. "But the response was huge. There's just no way we could have accepted everybody who applied.'' Port Royal had not previously opened its club doors for several years, and with a new irrigation system being installed and the prospect of the course returning to its former glory, the trustees say they were aware of a possible stampede.

In an age of inflated initiation and annual membership fees, the Southampton club's price will also have caught the eye.

Membership was offered for $1,150 (club dues) plus $130 (annual fee).

Hardly surprising, then, that a number of residents, unable to meet the levies at Mid Ocean or Riddell's Bay, aware of the uncertainty at Belmont, and discouraged from joining Castle Harbour which is currently undergoing reconstruction, saw Port Royal's offer as a golden opportunity.

One golfer claimed this week his cheque and completed application form were in the hands of the club within a day of the membership announcement. Yet, alas, six weeks later joyous anticipation turned to frustration.

Consolation for those who were rejected was the offer of five-day membership, allowing them to play the course as members from Monday to Friday. But most who spoke to this columnist said that was of little value -- they worked through the week, their member friends only played on Saturdays and Sundays, and it was on those days that the club staged their competitions.

Some wondered aloud about the criteria for selection, pointing out that the application form had asked whether they were Bermudian or not, how often they played, whether they had a spouse who also played, and their current handicap.

But James flatly denied there had been any discrimination during the selection process.

"We knew we were in a no-win situation,'' he said. "We were just flooded with applications. It would have been impossible to accept everyone.

"At the end of the day, I'm very happy with what the committee who made the selections came up with. I think we have a broad cross-section of the community.

"And for those who didn't get in this time, we've offered five-day membership. When the seven-day membership reduces through attrition, it will be they who get first choice.'' James admitted there had been no hard and fast criteria. "No, it wasn't first come, first served,'' he added. "We looked at everybody's application carefully and there may have been some individuals who were more likely candidates than others. But we tried to be fair right across the board.

"Some people might look at it and say, `Why did you choose him and not me', but we just couldn't take everybody.'' It is understood that some 40 new members were accepted with membership now hovering around the 300 mark.

Said manager Pitt: "It would have been impossible to take any more. Everybody knows how difficult it is now to book a weekend tee-off time.

"The demand on Port Royal is enormous and we have to take care of our tourists as well. We can't just sell out the course to locals.''