The joy of taking the rough with the smooth

Robin Page is thrilled by a course that is championing eco-friendly golf

I gave up playing football at the age of 48, unlike Brian Jackman, the Telegraph's travel writer, who is still playing at 72. What sport could I take up to fill the gap? I chose golf.

Healthy Greens: Temple Golf Club in Berkshire has seen the return of wild plants and flowers

It was not a happy choice: the game is all right, but I was too easily distracted. If I saw a bird I wanted to watch it; if I saw a fox I wanted to try and call it up, and that little white ball really did get in the way of a good walk.

The other problem was some of the courses I visited. I wanted to share my golf with wildlife, but fairways were manicured to garden brochure levels of artificial orderliness and even the "rough" was mown.

See the rest of the article at The Telegraph