Almanack: Icy winds at St Andrews

THOSE golfers who whined about the icy winds at St Andrews or cussed over the frosty greens at Wentworth should count themselves lucky that they were not present at the annual Black Rock Invitational in the Nevada Desert. This is played at Lucifer's Anvil, a golf course bereft of both water hazards and grass. And the meteorological problems? Players fought ground temperatures of 180F (by keeping their shoes on), but the tournament was eventually abandoned when 50mph winds started to blow their balls away.