There are many things in the modern world that you just can't escape from.

Take Pat Nevin for instance. BBC, Channel 5, the radio; everywhere you turn, the canny Scot seems to be there. This correspondent once stared bleary-eyed into the mirror before beginning the agonising ritual of the morning shave and there was wee Pat, hosting my own reflection.

Nevin's omnipresence is matched only by the mobile phone, that all-consuming contraption that has become as much a part of our daily lives as breathing. And even that said act seems to be accompanied by a text informing all and sundry that "I'm inhaling" followed by a life-affirming smiley-face emoticon.

Last week at Royal Lytham, the host venue for this season's Open Championship, the heid honchos at the Royal & Ancient decided to relax the mobile ban that had been in place at the world's oldest major since 2007.

Given the unquenchable thirst for instant information and the need for the general public to blog, tweet, upload and download at every available moment, you can understand the decision as the powers-that-be try to keep pace in the fast lane of this technological super highway. It's all about interaction these days and, according to the official party line, "allowing the use of mobile phones at the championship will enrich the Open experience".

Having been on site during the 2006 Open at Hoylake, where the din from the phones reached quite appalling levels and ultimately led to the ban being brought in, this scribe remains highly sceptical of the move.

Looming large at the entry gates that year, as was the case in previous seasons, were huge signs, painted red and displaying, quite clearly to anyone with a basic grasp of English, that "mobile phones are prohibited on the course".

Yet, on countless occasions throughout the week, you had ignorant, inconsiderate punters marching by fairways and around greens, chuntering into their handsets, feverishly thumbing in messages and taking pictures which, given the vast crowds in '06, would more often than not have been a grainy snap of some bald bloke's bonce three rows in front.

UK galleries like to wallow in the widely-held belief that they are polite, respectful and well-versed in the etiquette of the game while, at the same time, sneering at the relentless whooping and "get in the hole" bellowings that accompanies almost every single shot on the other side of the Atlantic.

At times, though, Hoylake was a disgrace. "We've never seen anything like this before," said Tiger Woods, the eventual winner that year. "It wasn't the professional photographers, it was the gallery and the camera phones. They kept going off while we were over the shot, or preparing to hit the shot or even hitting the shot. It was very, very frustrating."

Mercifully, the genuine golf followers that make up the majority of the massed ranks know how to conduct themselves but, like many major sporting events, the Open can attract that element who treat such grand occasions as just another stag do. Throw in a bit of sunshine and a good gargle in the beer tent, and the volume rises and the mobile phone usage becomes ever more reckless.

Back in 2006, it was clearly asking a lot to expect adults to do without their phones for just a few hours. Six years down the line, mobile mania and the current culture of constant connection is even more frenzied. During last July's championship at Royal St George's, when the ban was still in place and warnings were all over the shop, R&A officials revealed that they had taken some 27,000 phones off spectators.

Those charged with marshalling their use at Lytham could be in for a busy week.

There was a significant moment in golf down in the third tier of the game at the weekend when Javier Ballesteros, son of the late Seve, claimed a share of 14th as an amateur on his debut in a professional event.

The Peugeot Alps de Barcelona, part of the Alps Tour, was held over the Sant Cugat course, the same venue where Seve himself had taken his bow in the paid ranks back in 1974. "I dedicate it to my father; I think he would be happy," said the young Ballesteros after his sparkling opening round of 65.

This week, Spain will be the setting for another notable event as the Spanish Open marks the 40th anniversary of the European Tour's first official tournament. As we move into the hectic summer season, a quick look back at what's gone before highlights some encouraging stats for those of a Scottish persuasion.

Richie Ramsay's second place in Korea at the weekend was the 14th top-10 by a Scot on the circuit this year, a profitable run that was highlighted by Paul Lawrie's win in Qatar. You'd like to think another tartan triumph can't be far away.