Do not underestimate the golfer's need to get his fix

All around the country at this time of year, pros, greenkeepers and golfing widows are staggered by the lengths we will go to in pursuit of a round (or even part of one).

"They can't want to go out in this!" goes the cry. But we do.

Fog? We'll just watch extra carefully.

Frost? It's like coping with a burnt links course in the height of summer.

Rain? What do you think waterproofs are for?

Biting chill? It's called a bobble hat.

40mph wind? A mere breeze.

Dark at 3pm? Tee-off earlier.

The sheer anticipation of it all means that crying off is simply not an option. A game in the depths of winter is usually about a fortnightly occurrence, so having spent the time between cooped up in an office or car or warehouse, it's unthinkable to let the opportunity pass.

It turns us all into madmen. We find ourselves glaring at the offending frost, as though that will make it disappear. We pore over weather forecasts for days beforehand, interpreting a positive omen in the prospective strengthening of the wind (it will blow the rain away) or arrival of rain clouds (less likely to be frosty).

And even when the day in question dawns and the temperature is -3 or it is barely light enough to tell that the rain is tipping down, still we find hope. 

Once the sun rises it will get that few degrees warmer. 

It will brighten up by the time we get to the club and scoff a bacon sandwich.

Unfortunately, it rarely does. And how often have you foolishly embarked on a winter round only to realise as early as the 1st green that it's a total waste of time and you should never have bothered.

And yet, in two weeks' time, the whole process repeats and we're all at it again. Will we never learn?

By Dan Murphy