According to wise Scottish grannies who have been trotting out pearls of homespun wisdom over a pot of tea and a Victoria Sponge cake since the dawn of time, you should ne'er cast a cloot till May be oot.

Given the way the weather on this infuriating island has been recently, we'll ne'er be casting jumpers till June be oot, jaickets till July be oot, anoraks till August be oot and semmits till September be oot. And by the time we get a half decent week at some point in October and finally cast a variety of cloots oot, the clocks will have been turned back, the days will be shortening to the length of a resigned sigh again and we'll all be rooting aboot like daft coots for the cloots that we recklessly cast oot as summer gets the boot. Good grief.

While we all mutter and mumble on about the morale sapping meteorological misery - and, no doubt, by the time this appears in print the sun will have burst through - there continue to be groans and grumbles in the world of golf about the sport's place at the Olympics

For the first time since 1904, the Royal & Ancient game will be back at the Games in Rio next year. From the moment confirmation of its return was announced in 2009, there has been a general apathy shown towards its inclusion from many in the upper echelons. Given that the four major championships on the annual calendar remain the pinnacle of the game why bother with a once-every-four-years hit about? Adam Scott's withering remarks last week that it will be nothing more than "an exhibition" added more fuel to these Olympic rings of ire.

The long running and well documented saga revolving around the actual golf course in Rio - its construction had more hold ups than the M25 on a bank holiday - and the fact that the format for the event will be run-of-the-mill, 72-hole strokeplay in a landscape already jam-packed with them has done little to stir the senses. To add to the girnings, the golfing schedule next summer will be condensed to shoehorn the Olympics in, with the US PGA Championship, the final major of the year, being played just a week after the Open Championship.

Of course, on the other side of the ornate medal is the need for golf to grow. At a time when the game has never been more accessible, participation numbers are declining in previously arable lands. If the Olympics can provide some kind of shot in the arm, most specifically to a new generation, then it will have served a worthy purpose. Furthermore, the rigorous and abundant drug-testing protocols of the Games should at least shake golf out of its complacent slumbers when it comes to matters regarding anti-doping.

It's easy to be sceptical and sneering about golf and the Games, although the idea of Tiger Woods sharing a bunk bed in the athletes' village with a Greco-Roman wrestler from Turkmenistan remains a whimsical notion that's worth its weight in Olympic gold.

Yet, there are many, including Woods, who are warming to the idea as the clock continues to tick down to Rio. "It's very important," said the former world No 1 recently. "Guys not only want to play for their country but also have a chance to do something that hasn't been done in a very long time: win a medal in golf."

Given that change doesn't happen that quickly in golf, the opportunity to win something a bit different should be welcomed. When tennis was introduced to the Olympic back in 1988, there were similar gripes among those who compete, like golfers, for four majors each year. As the years pass, though, enthusiasm heightens. When Andy Murray won gold in London in 2012, it was the "proudest moment" of his campaign.

Golf is dipping its toe back in the Olympic waters and it's not going to get it right first time. It may be viewed as "an exhibition" but then some old cynics may have thought the same thing about the first Open Championship in 1860.

Prestige doesn't just happen overnight, it evolves and grows through the decades. The four majors in golf these days are different to what they were back in ye day. In years to come, perhaps golf in the Olympics will have blossomed into some kind of major championship. Only time will tell. As with everything, you have to start somewhere.

AND ANOTHER THING

It's now a year since Rory McIlroy called off his wedding to Caroline Wozniacki and emerged from all the tumult with a victory in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. Since that triumph, he has played in 23 events worldwide and has won six of them - including two majors and two WGC titles - while finishing second four times. His romp at Quail Hollow on Sunday underlined McIlroy's dominant majesty of the global game. He is back where it all began at Wentworth his week. And the exciting thing is that at a mere 26-years-old, his career is still just beginning.