I had just got back from a few days in Edinburgh and was glad to have been given a double loop. However I had left behind my Goretex waterproof jacket (which is most unlike me!). Now I knew this should have been an omen.
The morning round went swimmingly in a lovely offshore breeze, albeit we were late for our second loop. It was my first time out with cologne Tom. He was wearing his designer shades, dress shirt with cuff links and pin striped trousers. I’ll give it to him that he did have waterproofs over his pinstriped trousers.
We were out with three Swiss golfers who played excellently and we sped through the first nine. It was looking like a quick and uncomplicated round. However a huge black cloud spread itself over St Andrews. It kind of hung there and let spill over the town. We thought we were going to get a lucky escape. And Tom said to me that he never brought out a waterproof jacket, which I thought was marginally unwise.
Anyway we got on to the 8th green and there was a white flash and blast of thunder over the bay, and rain. And it was like being put into a power shower at maximum with the cold tap on. So we trudged the ten minutes back to the clubhouse hoping that our chaps would call it a day. But no. They went for a drink, Tom somehow reappeared in a rain jacket, the cloud passed, we made our way back out to the eighth green , resumed our round, and got stuck behind four of the slowest American golfers ever.
We finally finished at 8.50 pm in the falling dusk and I rushed up to my bus stop to see the hourly to Crail edging away up the hill.
I will never look at the Swiss again in the same light. It will be darker and more foreboding. Maybe expecting rain.