Watching the Walker Cup at The Old Course this past weekend what stood out most – extraordinary talent of the competitors aside – was the joy on the faces of the spectators.

For all the brilliance, excitement and atmosphere of Cam Smith’s dashing victory at the same venue in last year’s Open, there was precious little opportunity for the paying public to get close to the action.

With the much smaller crowds this past weekend, the opposite was true.

Events of both scales clearly have their place in the game but for the inner golfer in all of us, it is the latter which offers something special.

Not only is the viewing of the game more intimate so, too, is the venue. What a treat it was to see The Old Course without the massive build out required to accommodate an Open.

To see the view from behind the 18th tee with the clubhouse sitting alone overlooking the 1st and final holes, unencumbered by neighbours either side.

When golf’s oldest major comes to town that view is obstructed – understandably – by a grandstand.

Venue aside, it is the viewing of the game itself which is enhanced exponentially by the ability to walk the course with the players.

"Events like the Walker Cup remind us of a smaller and more recognisable game which, while more familiar, is not lessened in any way by the absence of the razzle dazzle that accompanies big time professional golf."

Gallery ropes are a relatively recent invention (many credit The Masters for their beginning) and while all pervasive in professional golf they are much more sparsely used at an event like the Walker Cup.

(Indeed, they don’t exist at all at our own Vic Open, one of the reasons it is the best viewing tournament in Australia.)

To walk with the players is next level and offers the most entertaining and educational of experiences.

The opportunity to hear conversations between caddie and golfer, to see with your own eyes the shots they face and the conditions and pressure is something which can’t be experienced from a grandstand or through a TV screen.

Being able to watch good players up close is one of golf’s great joys, be it the world class talent on offer at a Walker Cup or a metropolitan pennant final.

Yes, the excitement and atmosphere of a Ryder Cup or U.S Open has its place but sometimes the intimacy of a smaller event brings its own rewards.

Professional golf is an industry and as such its mission is, by default, to grow.

That’s right and good for all those who are sustained by it but, as with the difference between professional and recreational golf, it is not the be all and end all.

Events like the Walker Cup remind us of a smaller and more recognisable game which, while more familiar, is not lessened in any way by the absence of the razzle dazzle that accompanies big time professional golf.

It’s not a binary proposition and each has its place, but I doubt those who made the effort to get to St Andrews for the 49th Walker Cup feel any less satisfied than those who saw Cam Smith’s final round heroics a little over a year ago.

Indeed, in many cases they may be one and the same. Lucky buggers.