Nick Rodger: Dunhill deluge reminds us that a greenkeeper's work is never done

Have you ever dabbled in that Artificial Intelligence thingamabob, ChatGPT? Of course you haven’t.

If you’re anything like me – and by that, I mean a ham-fisted, technological oaf - you’re probably still getting to grips with the high-tech, cutting edge complexities of the pumice stone.

Anyway, the other day, having read a morale-boosting article about Artificial Intelligence eradicating the need for jobs altogether, I decided to give that ChatGPT lark a go.

It can basically write stuff for you, whether it’s an essay, a wedding speech or the sombre valedictory address you’ll deliver when you’ve been made redundant and kicked onto the scrapheap by Artificial bloomin’ Intelligence.

Out of curiosity, I asked it to ‘write a golf column in the style of Nick Rodger of The Herald’.

Within five seconds, it had generated a lengthy piece called, ‘The Golf course – a sanctuary of performance and reflection’ which began with the sentence, ‘as the sun rises over the dewy links, casting an ethereal glow upon the rolling greens, golfers are not just trying to lower their handicap; they are engaging in a profound personal journey that transcends the sport itself.”

It was chin-stroking, thought-provoking, eye-opening and enlightening stuff. And in that respect, ChatGPT had completely failed in its task of writing a........

© Herald Scotland