Starting at 4am at Prestwick Golf Club, birthplace of the Open Championship, we completed our first round by 7am, then jumped in the bus that took us across to Musselburgh. It was a hot day and the sun was scorching in Musselburgh, even at that early hour. We played the famous 9-hole course, located mostly within the racecourse, then back into the bus to North Berwick, where a welcome lunch awaited.

The sun shone all day over North Berwick before an evening breeze came in off the sea to cool us down. The third round of the day completed, we were back on the bus to St Andrews. The original plan had been to sail from North Berwick to Anstruther, as our pioneers had done, but conditions precluded any small boats sailing that day, and the one hour sail instead became a 2 hour bus trip.

Arriving at the New Course, St Andrews at 7pm for our final round, light was already deteriorating. Rain fell as we reached the 6th, followed by thunder and lightening in the distance. Thankfully, it passed and we completed the New Course as the sun set.

All in all, it was a fantastic day. It was an exciting challenge for a worthy cause – Tommy’s Honour Education Trust – www.justgiving.com/campaign/pioneers

After our eighteen hour, 50,000 steps challenge, I slept well that night!

Peter Nelson and I were paired against Umberto and Mauro. After quickly going two down, my putter began to work and we won the day by 2 & 1 and our team won 3-1.  Golf was followed by coffees in the Links Clubhouse then later, after watching Andy Murray lose to Nadal in the Wimbledon semi-final, we proceeded to The New Golf Club restaurant for an excellent evening meal and trophy presentation.

On such a lovely warm evening, we then had a stroll over the Swilkan Bridge and the 18th fairway of the Old Course, before saying goodnight to our new friends.

I look forward to the return match in Rome!

Baillie Marshall ceased to exist in Dundee and Edinburgh in 1995, but was succeeded by Greenfinch Design and, latterly, Avian, which continues to operate in Broughty Ferry.  Several employees left BM in the early 90s to set up their own companies, in particular Smarts, IndusFoto and DJS Marketing.  Many ex-BM employees now hold key positions in creative companies throughout Scotland, the UK and worldwide, including the Regional Executive Creative Directorship at BBH Asia Pacific in Singapore and the former Head of Mens Fashion at Gucci.

If you worked for Baillie Marshall at any time or know someone who did (and is still willing to admit it), please contact me asap. Thanks.

This year was the first I’d played the course and I have really enjoyed the challenge, the walk and the views. Many of its greens are very challenging, but it only adds to the fun and concentration with the putter! I’m standing on the tee of one of its signature holes, the 17th, where you have to carry your tee shot over the inlet onto the green, that you can see at my eye level.

It also has an exceptional, circular clubhouse that commands a panoramic view over the bay towards Carnoustie. A great place just to go for a coffee! Well worth a visit. Can’t wait to play it again.

Roberto, aged 87, had come across to Scotland to attend the Open, the Past Champions Dinner at the R&A and to play in the Past Champions golf match, as well as promote the bronze sculptures of his hands holding the Claret Jug. These had been launched in the Russacks Hotel earlier in the week, alongside an exhibition of golf paintings by Joe Austen and marquetry by Tony Jacklin.

With a possible maximum score of 60 points (3 x 20 points for the meal and evening’s entertainment) Elaine and I shared first prize with Laura and Tom with 50 points out of a possible 60. Not bad, however I think we’ll stick to our day jobs as the winnings don’t go very far towards the cost of each evening, when you take into consideration all the food, wine, props and costume that had to be bought – but what excellent evenings’ entertainment!

Roll on summer for ‘Come BBQ With Us’.

Golf didn’t grab me until I was well into my 30s, then I got hooked. Thankfully this was at a time when my sons no longer needed my full attention. After joining The New Golf Club on 7 April 1990, every second Saturday meant a game on StAndrews links.

It’s called the New Club, but it was formed in 1902. I came onto committee in 1998, just in time to help prepare for the club’s centenary celebrations. In the process, in 2001, I redesigned the club badge, tie, tartan, medals, merchandising and signage, as well as its first web site. From 2001, through 2002, the centenary year, and into 2003, I undertook the research, design, photography and production of the club’s centenary book.

For my efforts, I was asked to be Vice Captain in 2004. Arnold Palmer, our Honorary Member, dropped in that year, signed our books and was presented with a new tie and jersey. During my captaincy in 2005, Gary Player paid a flying visit to the club during the Open and, in 2006, I presented one of our books to Jack Nicklaus while he was in Edinburgh. So, within three years, I’d met and had my photo taken with the great, modern day Triumvirate.

On the completion of the New Club centenary book, I was privileged to become involved with the design and production of the award-winning ‘Tom Morris – the Colossus of golf’. This in turn led to being commissioned to design ‘Social Links’, the history of the origin of golf in England, and the 250^th anniversary book for the world’s 4^th oldest golf club, The Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society, both of which are currently being progressed.

My golf, meanwhile, has suffered badly from recent neglect and, to be honest, a severe deterioration of my driving in the last two years. However, I do think I’ve found the answer – in the Titleist 909D. Let’s hope so anyway! As they say, it’s not the big head at the bottom of the club that matters, so much as the one at the other end!

I broke my cue last year, by mistake it has to be said. So, in true CH style, I went online to John Parris (www.parriscues.com), cue supplier to snookering champions, to procure a replacement and armed myself with an ‘Ambassador’, modelled on the cue John made for Steve Davis, complete with short butt and telescopic extensions (with free towel), and all packed snugly into a long aluminium case. It works, but still no 147 in sight!

Snooker season for me is every Tuesday night at the golf club from September through to April – the dark nights. It’s a club tradition that goes back to the 1960s, so who are we to break a tradition? This year, we’ve also managed to retain both the Gillespie Cup and the Billiards Shield in our annual 12-a-side billiards and snooker matches against St Andrews Golf Club.

If your name works in this matrix, let me know because I’ve yet to find anyone’s that does. (For it to even start to work out, the first two letters of your first name have to be the same as your two initials.)

How or why did I find out about this? My grandad showed me. His name? Charles Harper.