The joy of taking the rough with the smooth

Robin Page is thrilled by a course that is championing eco-friendly golf

I gave up playing football at the age of 48, unlike Brian Jackman, the Telegraph's travel writer, who is still playing at 72. What sport could I take up to fill the gap? I chose golf.

Healthy Greens: Temple Golf Club in Berkshire has seen the return of wild plants and flowers

It was not a happy choice: the game is all right, but I was too easily distracted. If I saw a bird I wanted to watch it; if I saw a fox I wanted to try and call it up, and that little white ball really did get in the way of a good walk.

The other problem was some of the courses I visited. I wanted to share my golf with wildlife, but fairways were manicured to garden brochure levels of artificial orderliness and even the