I'll be honest, there was very little about last year's Hero Indian Open that I found enjoyable.

Previous renewals had appealed to much that I do enjoy about golf and golf betting. Since the event became co-sanctioned between the Asian and European Tour, its home had been Delhi Golf Club, a short, narrow, firm course the like of which we seldom see on the sport's elite circuits. It was a throwback, almost unique on the calendar, and provided great entertainment to go with plentiful punting opportunities. Quickly, we knew just what type of player would thrive there.

Then last year, the event moved to DLF G&CC (official title), a course which made no appeal to me from the get go. It was monstrously long on the scorecard and caused unnecessary carnage throughout the week. Of the top six on the final leaderboard, only one - champion SSP Chawrasia - avoided a double bogey. There were in fact a ridiculous 15 doubles or worse from those who filled out the places.

Tough conditions are fine when they are fair, but these were not fair. Endless searches for lost balls appeal to no one, especially when they take place just a few yards off the fairway, and combined with long walks between tees it made for painstakingly slow golf. Some rounds took upwards of six hours and, with Chawrasia in possession of an unassailable lead from very early in the final one, there was little in the way of excitement.

That various professionals and several young locals were humiliated with scores of 80-plus made it worse. Paul Peterson, a very solid player at this level, started his final round with two birdies and shortly afterwards made a 10. Arjun Atwal, the first Indian player to so much as earn membership to the PGA Tour, signed off his tournament with an eight. Various burgeoning players ran up cricket scores as part of a bizarre spectacle, while the opportunity to showcase the fun of this game was wasted.

It's a great shame, because Chawrasia's story is a remarkable one and nothing should undermine his achievement in winning this event twice in succession. To do so on starkly contrasting courses is testament to one of the toughest competitors in the sport, one who is eclipsed off every tee box but boasts a mesmerising short game which can, under the right circumstances, keep him in the ball game, particularly so on home soil. Sponsors and officials owe him a huge debt of thanks for at least ensuring the tournament ended on a positive note.