THOSE who have never watched a PGA tournament live and attended the Grand Slam at Port Royal this week might now appreciate the degree of difficulty the game presents and realise the wide gap that exists between top professionals and scratch handicap amateurs.What TV can't show is the contour of the greens, the undulating fairways, the velocity of the wind, the length of tee to green and so many other factors which affect how the game is played.The conditions the players have to contend with and the precision needed to execute their shots probably isn't fully understood unless watching from behind the ropes. Much of the time they make the game so simple. Of course, we all know it's not. It's perhaps the most infuriating of all sports.Yet, much like the amateur, the pros are prone to mistakes and those errors witnessed during the two days at Port Royal on Tuesday and Wednesay were testament to Port Royal's strength when bearing its teeth.Under 7,000 yards in length, it might be the shortest course any of the four major winners have played in 2011.But when the wind blows it can be as challenging as many lay-outs on the PGA Tour.Ask Darren Clarke?The British Open champion, while having left his ‘A' game somewhere on the other side of the Atlantic, certainly didn't find the Southampton course to his liking. Over 36 holes, he finished nine-over-par. He was six-over after the first round, and dropped another three strokes in the final round.His playing partners, eventual winner Keegan Bradley, Charl Schwartzel and Rory McIllroy, fared much better but even then their combined 36-hole scores added up to only seven-under.That's almost unheard of on Tour by the three leaders over 36 holes.And it took some exquisite shots and miraculous recoveries to make their scores more respectable; such as Schwartzel's sand save on number nine when, from a difficult lie, he found the bottom of the cup.Even McIllroy accepted it was a shot any pro would be proud of. The US Open champion himself exhibited extraordinary talent a few holes later when from deep downhill rough to the left of the 15th he somehow manufactured par by chipping into the hole from off the green.Perhaps the Grand Slam might be considered an end-of-season exhibition which certainly isn't as intense as the year's four majors, the route by which the players have to travel to qualify for the Bermuda event, but all of those who spoke to reporters in the press room after each day's play made it absolutely clear they went out with only one thing in mind, to win.The disappointment etched on Clarke's face as he surveyed his scorecard and Bradley's elation as he sunk the winning putt, spoke volumes.Port Royal had passed a thorough examination.Tee boxes might have been much further back than the amateurs would normally encounter but almost on every fairway the champions were left with no more than a short iron to the green. Still, birdies were hard to come by.There were none at all over Port Royal's signature hole, the picturesque 16th.Two of the players, Schwartzel and Clarke, got a closer view of the ocean than they would have liked. Both dumped their balls into the water on Tuesday, had to take three from the tee and finished with triple bogeys.On Wednesday, in the howling wind, Bradley arrowed his ball to no more than 15 feet from the hole and made par which may have ultimately secured his victory.If there was any disappointment felt by organisers it would have been the size of the crowds, although the second round attracted far more than the first, maybe as high as 3,000.A midweek event shown across the US and Bermuda shown on TV just a couple of hours after each day's play, would have contributed to the turn-out.But those who didn't see it live really didn't know what they were missing.TV just doesn't tell the whole story.When the tournament returns to Port Royal next October after the four major winners have been decided, no matter what their names, it's likely many of those who watched this week will also be returning. And hopefully a few more.- ADRIAN ROBSON