This Sporting Life: Gritty golf over glitz and glamour keeps them flocking to the Dunhill

Published on Sunday 5 October 2008 23:48

ALTHOUGH the £3 million Alfred Dunhill Links championship reached a climax in pleasantly bright conditions yesterday – the improved weather explained why the scoring at St Andrews was so impressive during the fourth round compared to the high numbers on Friday and Saturday – no one would ever mistake this golf tournament for a frolic.

Those spectators who thronged Carnoustie, Kingsbarns and the Old Course during spells of driving rain, dipping temperatures and howling wind were hardy souls wrapped up in thermal jackets, woolly hats and waterproof trousers. The Scots like their golf in the raw. And as battles with the elements go, they don't come more biting than the Dunhill in October.

More than any other golf event, this is a celebration of stoicism. Amidst all the frippery of actors, musicians and sportsmen weaving their way round the links, what's really impressive about the tournament is the true grit of the Scottish galleries.

A couple of weeks ago in Kentucky, where the temperature was balmy for most of Ryder Cup week, some of the spectators mistook the match between Europe and the USA for a stag party and took to Valhalla in a variety of hired costumes. Needless to say, no one headed for the great links in Angus and Fife over the past week as if diverted from a fancy dress ball. The real Colin Montgomerie was on hand rather than the lifesize cut-out that made it to Louisville and, as the wind blew the great Scot off course, he looked a lot less ebullient than his cardboard likeness did in America.

Even the celebrities on hand – this pro-am attracted Hollywood stars of the calibre of Samuel L Jackson and Hugh Grant – were kitted out primarily to eliminate the possibility of frost bite. On Friday, the only place in Europe which was colder than St Andrews was Reykjavik in Iceland. And on Saturday torrential downpours were accompanied by a side dish of gales gusting up to 40mph.

The wonder was not so much attendances were down for the week compared to 2007 but that any intrepid onlookers were stalwart enough to brave the elements. "We've been amazed at the number of people who turned up," enthused a spokesman for the sponsors.

The pace of play at the Dunhill is always slow, which makes the spectator's lot even more demanding. With most rounds taking around six hours to complete, it's possible not to see any professional hit a shot for what feels like an eternity. This isn't much fun for the golfers either. Graeme McDowell, for example, recalled having to wait for half an hour between putts. "This would be the best event on the planet if it was played in July or August," observed the Ryder Cup player who hails from Portush and knows a thing or two about inclement weather. Even with the myriad distractions of demanding conditions and laborious pace of play, McDowell doesn't plan on missing the Dunhill any time soon. "I love it," he grinned.

And so, it seems, do those spartans who lined the fairways.