The Hacker: Playing a round on your own tends to be a loser's game

Golf is not a game for the lonely person; although there are times, if you are playing badlyin the company of others,when it can be one of life'slonelier pursuits.

But it is not meant to be a game played on your own. If you want to play a solitary round no one will stop you, because there is no rule against it. Then again, there is no rule for it.

A single player has no standing on the course. You simply don't exist. The only time your presence will be even acknowledged is if you get in the way. Then, you are likely to receive a glare or a snide comment about being Billy No-Mates.

If the course is crowded, you can be constantly ducking and diving between holes in order to find a gap in the traffic, and the fun is minimal.

Some people, however, prefer their own company and, if the course is clear, happily plod around trying the odd swing experiment and making their mistakes without the sniggerof witnesses.

The only time I play on my own is when I can't get anyone to play with me, which is not as often as you might think. Last week, for instance, a sudden break in the weather brought an urge to play a few holes instead of hacking away forlornly at the driving range.

Unfortunately, one of my regular playing partners was in Thailand with his wife and another was taking his bad chest to the doctors.

I was unable to raise anyone else so I drove out to Royal Porthcawl to be greeted by a glimmer of sunshine and a course that looked to belargely uninhabited.

Porthcawl is a sight for sore eyes at any time, but when you've been cooped up all January it looks particularly welcoming.

The tide was up and hammering against the rocks alongside the first three holes but the wind wasn't too bad and it was a pleasure to be out.

What's more, I didn't play too badly considering I was trying out a new driver and an 11-wood which is showing a little promise but, as yet, not much.

Some singletons play two balls and have a game against themselves. I usually avoid this chance of a rare victory because I have enough trouble finding one ball, let alone two.

That's the trouble with winter sunshine. One hesitates to complain about its welcome visits at this time of the year,but it hangs low in the sky and can make it very difficult to pick up the flight of your ball if you play towards it.

At Porthcawl, I had no idea where three of my drives went, but I was surprised and delighted to find them lying on the fairway.

Encouraged, I played on my own at the Glamorganshire course the following day, when the sun was even stronger and seemed to be in my eyes all the time. I never found my first drive, so I dropped another ball and then couldn't find my second shot.

Thankfully, I located all my others eventually but I stopped after five holes – the suspense of searching for the ball was becoming too much.

I'll be back in the company of my friends this week – and they delight in telling me exactly where I've stuck the ball.