SPORT is one of my great passions in life, and I like nothing more than going to watch live events like the World Cup football and an annual pilgrimage to Lords for the Test match.
Never in my life, though, have I been to watch golf - until last week.
Golf is a game that for me has always been about playing, and particularly here in the Highlands, enjoying the fabulous scenery that goes with the round. It was with a little trepidation, then, that I made my way up the A9 to the new Castle Stuart Golf Links; actually I made a detour over the Dava through Croy and the airport because I thought the traffic would be so bad.
How wrong I was.
The organisation of the car parking was so good that I didn't even have to stop to get into the links.
In fact the organisation of the whole event was brilliant, and I couldn't believe how good the viewing was, and how close we got to some of the golfing greats.
I could have reached out and touched Monty, though what his reaction would have been if I had isn't worth thinking about.
I could hear him quip to his caddy, though, that he was 'just following the line of the world number one as instructed', as he hit a perfect seven-iron a few feet from the pin. The Scottish golfing hero was playing with the world's best golfer and eventual winner, Luke Donald.
This was, of course, the first time that the Scottish Open has been held in the Highlands, and despite the terrible weather that wiped out a whole day's play, the event was an outstanding success for the area.
The critics said that with so few people living here, hardly anyone would come, but how wrong they were.
Golf fans and even some non-golf fans came in their thousands and enjoyed world-class golf, with five of the top ten in the world electing to play. Virtually every player had nothing but praise for the area and the course, and next year it is expected that even more will want to come to the Highlands, including Tiger Woods.
For the spectator, the facilities on the course were second to none, with plenty of things to see in the tented village and plenty of catering outlets and, of course, bars.
The most important aspect of the event, though, is the boost it will have given to tourism in the Highlands.
On the way home, I tuned into the BBC radio coverage of the Scottish Open, and it was like listening to a promotional advert for Highlands golf, only this was all for free.
Better was to come from the BBC TV coverage of the Scottish Open. Watching the final day on TV, though not as good as being at the event itself, was made even better by the Peter Alliss commentary.
The golfing legend made so many references to golf here in the strath that you could have been forgiven for thinking he was from the area.
He told millions of viewers on several occasions how good Boat of Garten golf course was, and mentioned the Grantown on Spey course too.
The best, though, was his knowledge of the Carrbridge nine-hole open!
Alliss didn't leave out the new course in Aviemore, although he referred to it inaccurately as 'Speyside', but who could blame him for that, given that the course should be 'Strathspey' or even Aviemore, but never 'Spey Valley'?
He praised the course as one of the best in Scotland, but rightly chastised them for not building the clubhouse yet.
The winner of the Barclays Scottish Open, Luke Donald, may be seen as English, but did wear the Donald tartan trousers, and has a father born north of the border, so even if Monty didn't win, everyone went home happy.
The good news is that the Scottish Open is back here next year, and I for one will be back to watch.
Let's hope, though, that we don't get a month's rain in one day again.
