Golf and golfers have always endured a fairly tempestuous relationship. As far as this scribe is concerned, for instance, it seems so long ago now since I pieced together a half-decent round, I reckon the fusty evidence of this humdrum assembly of clatters, batters, howks and hacks is only available through an exhaustive search of the files at the Historical Manuscripts Commission.

Oh well, on we go, digging ourselves ever deeper into the murky depths of complete and utter golfing futility. This can be a mind-mangling game that can drive you round the twist, reverse back round that particular twist and birl you round the same twist again. As Horace Hutchinson, that decorated amateur from days of yore, observed as he twirled his moustache: “If profanity had an influence on the flight of the ball, the game of golf would be played far better than it is.”

Just the other week, after a crippling 80 in the third round of the British Masters, David Drysdale’s wife and caddie, Vicky, took to social media to deliver a frank appraisal of affairs at a nail-nibbling time of the year. “Today sums up our year; shocking,” she wrote. “DD (David Drysdale) played rubbish, putted rubbish and I caddied rubbish.”

Admittedly, it was hardly the flooery phraseology of the eminent, erudite golf writer Bernard Darwin but the eye-rolling exasperation was there for all to see. With

the regular season now over, after the

weather-delayed conclusion to the Andalucia Masters yesterday, the dispatches from the Drysdale camp are a bit more upbeat as this hubby-and-wife alliance ensured another year on the European Tour by finishing 107th on the order of merit.

“We both fought so hard on every shot played this year even when the chips were down and, because of that, we still have a job next year,” typed Vicky with a purposeful sense of sturdy defiance as she highlighted those fighting qualities that have defined Drysdale’s professional career. When the

going gets tough and all that …

While Marc Warren, a three-time tour winner and a man with the kind of swing that makes you wonder why he could possibly be toiling, lost his card, Drysdale and his fellow Scot Richie Ramsay were among those who clung on. A survivor, a battler, a hardy perennial? Whatever you want to call him, Drysdale is it.

The term “journeyman” can often be seen as damning someone with faint praise but there will be any amount of young pretenders who wouldn’t mind being labelled a “journeyman” if it meant a European Tour card for the past 13 years and career earnings of more than £4.5 million.

The 43-year-old, with six thirds and two seconds on the main circuit, has never won on the European Tour and has finished in the top 50 on the money list just once but he has the kind of entrenched competitive instinct that runs so deep, a lot of other golfers would be tempted to embark on a process of fracking to plunder a bit of what makes him tick.

Appreciating and accepting golf’s fickle fortunes – the regular trips to the qualifying school, the near-misses, the great escapes and the anguish of losing his card by about £400 one year – has helped to build a resolute character. And, in this pursuit of hard knocks and regular dunts to the morale, that’s a fine trait.

Young ’uns coming through all aspire to be something like a Rory McIlroy, a Jordan Spieth or a Lydia Ko even if using such a lofty benchmark of success is grounded in the land of make believe not cold, harsh reality.

Drysdale is never going to be a world No.1. He may never even achieve that maiden European Tour win he desperately craves to feel fulfilled. But there have been countless golfers who had far more pedigree and

were more robustly championed than Drysdale ever was yet got nowhere near emulating the fruitful career he has managed to forge for himself.

As many as four Scottish 20-somethings could be set to earn promotion to the European Tour next season in something

of a changing of the guard after a profitable push on the second-tier Challenge Tour

this year.

If they can do as well as Drysdale has on the main circuit, then you won’t hear many people complaining ...