Rather in the manner of Scrooge reluctantly giving his clerk the whole day off, even the most fanatical golfers accept that on Christmas Day, family duties take priority. Only once did alcohol-fuelled madness late on Christmas Eve convince my son and two brothers-in-law that it would be a good idea to play on Christmas Day itself. It wasn’t. The weather was dreadful, the clubhouse closed and the ladies were not amused. Never again.

But the break can still be put to good purpose. When you run out of things to discuss with the people you only ever meet at Christmas, begin instead to daydream about your golfing goals for the following year.