This summer we took a journey in search of golf.

The kind of golf that gets you out of bed at dawn, grinning from ear-to-ear as you crunch on paracetamol and drag your weary body out of the door.

Golf that laughs at the weather forecast, and pays no heed to crazy bounces, bumpy putts and a spot of sheep pooh here and there.

Why? Because by visiting the place where golf was born, we get to remind ourselves of the simple pleasure of hitting a small ball with a big stick.

We get to walk hand-in-hand with our forefathers, and to meet a load of interesting people along the way.

The North Coast 500 is a road trip around the northern coastline of Scotland. It takes in storied clubs and championship courses.

But we also discovered courses literally mown into existence by a handful of hardy locals – the places where the true soul of the game resides.

The places that we call The Courses In Between.