"You'd be surprised how much lemonade those little sods drink." - Daily Telegraph golf correspondent Leonard Crawley explaining an expenses claim of £100 to his sports editor for entertaining during the British Boys' Championship.
In our selfish way, we scribes quickly noted the marked contrast between the siting of the media tent for the British Open here at St Andrews and that for the US Open at Pebble Beach last month. The difference in distance from the 18th green would be close to 800 yards, in favour of the Royal and Ancient.
From our position only 80 yards from the climactic action, one American writer was moved to comment: "Hell, my accommodation here is closer to the 18th green than our working area at Pebble." As a bonus, there was a designated place where he could park his car - another plus on the facilities for visiting journalists at the Californian venue.
The general public are often curious as to the quality of golf tournament facilities on either side of the Atlantic and the simple answer is that British is best. In fact the R and A are light years ahead of their brethren in the USGA when it comes to running the world's major events.
This happy state of affairs, from a European standpoint, has much to do with the organisational skill of Michael Bonallack, who retired last September after 16 years as R and A secretary. And he hasn't yet had a chance to miss being at the cutting edge of an Open staging, given that he was promptly appointed captain of the R and A for the Millennium year.
As he pointed out, it brings a nice bonus. "The captain of the club gets to actually present the trophy to the Open championship winner," he said. "For many years now, you see, all I did was get to carry it out."
Bonallack, who won the British Amateur and English Amateur championships five times each between 1961 and 1970, was the successful one of 285 applicants to replace Keith McKenzie as R and A secretary in 1983. During his term in office, he presided in a quiet, methodical manner over a period of amazing growth in the British Open, not least in corporate hospitality.
And he had some fun along the way. Like the occasion when officials of the BBC were stunned to receive a letter from the R and A informing them that the forthcoming Open would be played on the old-style, reverse course at St Andrews (playing from the first tee to the 17th green; 18th tee to 16th green and so on until the second to the 18th green).
The man from the Beeb complained loudly that their cameras were already set up and that nothing could be changed. Allowing himself a smile at their discomfiture, Bonallack took a little time before replying: "Look at the date on the letter." It was April 1st.
According to former American rival Bill Campbell: "He represents the very best golf has to offer - a keen intellect, consummate diplomacy, good humour and a healthy passion for competition. He also has an uncanny ability to get quietly and diligently to the heart of any conflict. I can't think of any head of state who could do it half as well."
Rich praise indeed, coming from the one-time president of an association which Bonallack, unwittingly, has often shown up in a none too flattering light. The hope is that the USGA will continue to look towards the R and A - and learn.
