It’s back! After what seems like an eternity (though was actually less than 6 months) the greatest amateur tournament in the World (go on, argue with that, we dare you) is back in full swing. The Trilby Tour 2012 started this year’s run down in deepest Cornwall at the fine old links course at Trevose.

Now, any golfer will tell you that the skill in playing well on a links course is all down the ability to pick a day when the weather isn’t blowing a storm and harrying hell.

Well, it appears that all 108 players at Trevose for the first day of the 2012 Trilby Tour must be very skilful indeed as they are met with occasional sun and the lightest of Atlantic breezes.

After the wettest April since Noah was forced to knock a boat together it could have been a miserable day, instead Trilby Tourians from all over the West Country and beyond made the trip to chum up, don hats and do battle to decide who would be crowned champion of Cornwall.

The very earliest to tee off set quite a pace; in fact so quickly did they march round the front nine that they can’t have taken the time to enjoy the marvellous views from the 4^th tee, which overlooks sand dunes and the splendidly named Booby Bay. Aptly named, too, as it turned out because it was driving away from the sea at the 5^th that boobies started to happen.

Trevose may not be the hardest course you’ll find but it is deceptively challenging. The lack of trees means that wayward drives don’t ping off at unusual angles, they just keep on keeping on. This meant that some players found themselves forced to make tricky corrective fairway shots from the wrong fairway entirely.

The bunkers were also tripping plenty up. They are much more steep-sided than many courses so quite a few trappees found themselves hacking away 2 or 3 shots before finding the right escape angle. The bunkers proved to play a crucial role in the 4-man play-off, too.

Surprisingly, though, the overall standard of play was relatively high. Scores came in which would normally prove good enough to win at many other courses but here only equated to mid table. Who knows, maybe the Trilby Tour is attracting a better class of golfer these days? Or maybe the old lags of previous years are just getting more determined to win?

As usual, tournament host William ‘Now with added beard’ Hunt comported himself with stentorian ill-humour around the scoreboard at the 18^th hole and mercilessly tongue-lashed (not literally) those arriving with anything less than exemplary scores.

Strange how no-one ever sees him playing a round, isn’t it? Wonder how he’d fare?

What altered this year was the earliness of the finish; the brisk pace of play meant that the play-off was played-off and the winner crowned well before the sun sank behind the rocks of Booby Bay.

We can’t tell you who won of course (Sky Sports would have our hide), suffice to say that the winner bought more than a few drinks in the 19^th and the 2012 TT final found a Cornish champion worthy of this fine county.

Dave Lee