After yesterday’s round in the rain on the Eden I am now firmly of the opinion that I’m a full-on fair weather player. Like skiing I don’t enjoy the sport otherwise. Into the bargain I’ve now got a bad cold and I shot a glorious no-return.

All a bit of a shame because I thought I was onto something really big with my golf swing. But is this just another false dawn? I hope and think not, but it’s a wily old game golf.

I was never fortunate enough to have a good solid natural swing and I really wonder at other people’s struggles with it. I am very sceptical about golf tuition per se to be honest, but that may be just because my bag of golf tricks swing was just too much for the golf pros that I encountered over the years.

I’ve certainly had my fair share of golf lessons but to no avail. So now I suppose I go more down the self analysis route and the use of video is entirely enlightening here. I watch you tube videos and pick up ideas etc. But still it’s all wonderfully hard and there are many turns and twists down wrong alleyways.

And then you look at someone like Miguel Jimenez and his story and you are left to wonder. This guy who doesn’t have the most polished swing in the world, came from a poor background with I imagine little recourse to any funding or pleasantries, then burst onto the main professional golf tour aged 18 and has been there since. Yesterday he tee’d up in his 707th European Tour event, aged 56, and lies in second place after an 8 under round.

He’s obviously had a fabulous life doing what he’s loved and has now all the trappings of success that he has deservedly achieved (importantly good rioja, alongside the fit blonde, the Ferrari and the fifteen million bank balance)

What I really wonder about him though is how he thinks about the golf swing and if he had a good teacher and the trials that he has had mastering this oh so difficult game.

Yes his biography is one book that I would certainly read. I think he’s a bit of an old character to say the least.

And it’s a shame that some of the young guns nowadays seem well bereft of that. It seems they are mostly all rather production line types.

But oh la to Miguel.

Today is a big day for me.

I’m playing at 11.20am on the Old against Adrian Simpson in the first round of a St Andrews Golf Club match play competition, The Seniors Cup!

Does that mean I’m old? Plus 55, over the hill, downward trajectory, past it, yesterday’s man, and all that?

Not a whit! I’m in fine shape and feel like a thirty year old, albeit the hair’s flown and I’m not allowed to eat and drink for Scotland anymore. But that’s a very good thing indeed.

My golf is also showing latent potential. I’m now much more cognizant of the dynamics of the golf swing. In fact I’m hitting it as far as ever and it even goes straight sometimes.

But of course, this old age lark is relative as well. My friend Azzie was telling me about Dr Carrie who is in fine form at 88, still getting his 3 rounds a week and managed to get out practicing on the West Sands, every day, all throughout lockdown.

Hope I’m able to do that in 30 years time. And maybe be able to join him in the ranks of the Bautherwhillery Club too.

But that’s another matter.

Hope springs eternal and all that.