A Golfing Idyll; Or, The Skipper's Round with the Deil On the Links of St. Andrews

In this breezy summer vignette, a young woman studying medicine in London spends her autumn break at the historic town of St Andrews. While sketching the rolling greens near the clubhouse, she overhears a familiar caddie, now dressed neatly, engaged in a lively conversation with a jovial companion. Their banter draws her in, and the older man, known as the Skipper, invites her to listen to a tale that has long circulated among the links’ community.

The Skipper launches into a wildly comic recounting of a round that turned supernatural, delivered in a mix of Scots Doric and spirited English, occasionally slipping into rhymed doggerel. His animated gestures and vivid descriptions turn the ordinary game of golf into a bizarre adventure involving a mischievous figure on the last hole. The narrative captures the camaraderie, the rugged charm of the course, and the colorful language of the caddie world, making listeners feel as though they sit beside the storyteller on the breezy Scottish links.