The world of golf these days never ceases to amaze.

Here we all are at the Genesis Scottish Open and we end up talking about slime. And no, we don’t mean the Conservative cabinet. Or what’s left of it. And we’re not referring to the LIV Golf rebels either. Well, not directly anyway.

The slime in question relates to the Slime Cup, a children’s TV show aired on the Nickelodeon channel which sees a selection of tour players and celebrities compete in a series of zany golf games, all for the excitement of the next generation.

There are folk dressed up as pandas and turtles, there are things getting fired from slingshots and there are bucket loads of slimy gunk. Imagine The Herald sports desk’s Christmas night out and you get a general idea.

There is, of course, a more serious side to this chaotic bonanza. You’ll no doubt be well aware of the phrase “grow the game” in golfing circles. Even those who have joined the LIV Golf rebellion have used it to justify their decision to defect, even if “grow the wallet” would possibly be more appropriate.

For Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa, two American stars on Scottish soil this week for the $8 million showpiece at The Renaissance, the use of the “grow the game” mantra sounds more convincing. Even if it is covered in slime.

Both Thomas, the former US PGA champion, and reigning Open champion Morikawa featured in the Slime Cup. And both have been energised by its potential to tap into a new golfing market.

“I could chalk that up as things I never thought that I would do - be shown on Nickelodeon playing in a golf tournament at 29-years-old,” said Thomas with a smile of his appearance on a channel aimed purely at the young ‘uns

“You guys (the golf watching public) are going to see us play every week, whether it's on the Golf Channel, Sky Sports, CBS, NBC, whatever it is. But then there is the opportunity for a six or seven-year-old to watch Nickelodeon and see that golf looks pretty fun and pretty cool. Maybe they’ll want to get involved in that.

“And, if it means that 10 kids from however many who watched that show that night decide they want to start playing golf, then I would call that a success.

“Some kids like me would grow up saying, ‘oh, I want to win the PGA Championship’. Some kids might say, ‘oh, I want to play in the Slime Cup’. It's bizarre to even hear it come out of my own mouth, but if that's what it takes, that's what it takes. It got great feedback from people.”

Morikawa, meanwhile, was equally as enthusiastic about the whole slimy spectacle. “Look, as a kid, I didn't like watching golf,” said the two-time major winner who will defend his Open crown at St Andrews next month.

“Never in a million years would I have thought I would be playing golf in a Ninja Turtle outfit and getting slimed on. But all the thoughts about what golf is can always be changed, and hopefully this in one way that kids get introduced to the game.”

It’s back to the serious stuff this week for Thomas, Morikawa and the rest of the competitors in a field jam-packed with quality. A year ago, Scottie Scheffler arrived in East Lothian seeking a first main tour title anywhere. Here in 2022, he has four wins on his cv including the Masters. A lot has happened in 12 months.

That trip to The Renaissance last summer was Scheffler’s first taste of links golf but a 12th place finish on his Scottish Open debut showed he had the gumption for the task.

“It came really naturally to me,” said the Dallas man of his introduction to the links examination. “When you're at home in Dallas you're really dictated by what the grain does, and out here there is no grain and you can bounce it and use the mounds and hills and whatever you want and you're not limited by stuff that I'm limited by at home.

“In America, you play more by numbers. But here it’s different. And when it gets windy? My caddie just hands me a club and says, ‘I think it’s a 4-iron, good luck, man’.”

Scheffler’s rapid rise to the top of the world order, aided by four wins in six starts earlier this season, would be enough to give most folk the bends but the 26-year-old has taken it all in his stride. “I've learned from winning golf tournaments that I don't always have to play perfectly,” he said.

When you’re savouring the celebratory bubbly in this imperfect game, it doesn’t matter how you get the cork out of the bottle.