There was a time when I really enjoyed playing golf. It was great fun learning something new and trying to master the combined challenges of swinging a club, finding the ball and then swinging again.

Like most things we can do whenever we want, the allure faded, which is a real shame when one lives by the first tee of the finest golf course in the world.

But now I've rediscovered the fun and golf has become more fun than ever. Here's how.

At the age of thirty, after three stays in hospital with concussion, and after years of hobbling on knees that would never be the same, I finally agreed with Jackie it was time for me to give up rugby. Too much aggression and too little talent had taken their toll.

Don, the father in law, persuaded me to try golf, and started a twenty year obsession with "spoiling a good walk".

At first it was enormous fun. I never expected to be any good so the smallest success was huge pay back for the minimal effort involved.

Of course that didn't last. Getting better became a priority, and getting better is measured by what it says on the card. The trouble was me, golf and score cards never were compatible. Golf wasn't fun anymore. It was the most frustrating waste of time imaginable.

After 25 years of denying the truth - I was never going to be any good despite my 7 handicap - I finally grew up and accepted me and golf were pretty much done. There was no point in playing when the results were so disappointing.

So when the weather was good I'd go out for a few holes with the old guys, but soon get bored. My handicap lapsed and I reverted to working too hard.

Recently the threat of high blood pressure, and stern words from the doctor about growing old gracefully got me thinking. Maybe golf could be fun again. I'd always said I had the most fun when playing bad golf. Maybe I should rediscover the joy - just hit the ball and not care where it goes.

Eureka - how the perspective changes when released from the pressure of "making a score".

From now on golf is going to be a pleasurable pursuit. A laugh, bit of a joke, only when the weather's good, and never with people whose company I'd rather not share.

I'll hit the ball, find it and hit it again, and again, and again, and again.

Luckily I get to do this on the world's finest golf course where it's possible to genuinely have fun - Royal Dornoch Golf Club.

Here the game only really starts when the ball hits the ground.

Golf is only played "in the air" by people who want to make a score. It's played "on the ground - links style" by those who want to have fun.

Let me know if you're in the area. I'll show you how to have fun, playing it on the ground.