Compared to some of the modern monstrosities, the golfing treasures of yesteryear truly are a joy to behold. Championship convenors wouldn’t think twice about nailing an entire galleon to a decorative plinth and presenting it at the conclusion of the Admiral Fordyce Montague Maritime Memorial. Have a peek, for instance, at the prestigious Edward Trophy, that vast, ornate shield that is housed in the Glasgow Gailes clubhouse, and you’d be forgiven for thinking it also comes with chain mail, a lance and a charging horse.

In the west and central airts of Scotland, cherished 36-holers like that Edward Trophy, the McKinnon Wood Cup, the Parlane McFarlane Open or the Ralston Rosebowl, to name but a few, seem to be enjoying something of a renaissance. These days, the amateur circuit tends to dominated by young, full-time "professionals in waiting" and elongated 72-holers offering world ranking points which have almost become closed shops for the rank and file. The blossoming Central Scotland Order of Merit (CSOOM) continues to provide opportunity for a more traditional, low-handicap amateur who can, perhaps, spend five days a week polishing lathes for a living before putting up a purposeful performance in the Viking Krus at Largs.

Of course, many of the Open events on its schedule have been around for ages and are enriched with rolls of honour featuring celebrated campaigners like Charlie Green and Barclay Howard. A young Colin Montgomerie was twice a runner-up in the aforementioned Ralston Rosebowl back in the 1980s before clearly deciding that the rigorous Renfrewshire scene was too tough a nut to crack and opted to turn professional. A rich history doesn’t always ensure a flourishing future for these tournaments, though. “Not so long ago, some of the events were being cancelled due to a lack of entries,” said Brendan McKenna, who is helping to drive forward the CSOOM and build on the initial work of its originators, Barry Hume, the former Scottish Amateur champion, and Gordon Miller. “The whole idea behind it was to drive participation and revitalise some of these great old events that all have great histories. Some were struggling and there was a genuine fear they would go. The amateur game, certainly at the top level, has become almost professionalised and in a sense that has alienated quite a lot of your strong, more traditional amateur golfers. We’ll have upwards of 50 players who will contest this order of merit this season and bolster the fields at these local clubs. Everyone is a winner really.”

For your working amateur who is constrained by employment commitments and time yet is still keen to involve himself in the cut-and-thrust of sturdy competition, the idea of a 20-strong schedule of one-day shoot-outs running from April to September in their own backyard remains highly appealing.

“It’s developed into a community and social media has helped bolster that feel and give it a buzz,” added McKenna. “It’s really got the juices flowing again among good golfers in the central belt who still want to play in a very competitive environment but can’t afford the time to play in the 72-holers across the country on the main Scottish circuit. It also opens it up to guys who can’t even get into some of these 72-holers. I’m off scratch and probably still wouldn’t get in to half of them. It gives them a feeling they are part of something and gives them a chance to progress. Barry (Hume) won a few of these events when he came back after being re-instated as an amateur and, in a sense, he’s used that as a stepping stone to get back to the Scotland international set-up and now the GB&I Walker Cup training squad. We just hope it can grow.”