The major decision to be taken with the opening tee shot is whether to attempt to carry the ditch running across the hole approximately 180 yards from the tee. This decision is often complicated by the fact that the hole is mostly played into the wind. Whether the tee shot is played short of or over the ditch, the ideal line is the left hand edge of the fairway offering a full view of the green and avoiding the large tree that protects the front right of the green.

The hole, coming so early in the round, is worthy of its status as the most difficult hole on the course. Again, the hole is generally played into the wind; it slopes gently uphill with out of bounds travelling the full length of the left of the hole. Strategically placed trees on the right hand side of the hole place a premium on accuracy. The entrance to the green is guarded by bunkers on the left and right.

The first of the par 3’s requires a tee shot accurate enough to find the narrow entrance to a green guarded by bunkers left and right. As with most par 3’s on the course it is of paramount importance to check wind direction before standing on the tee as the teeing ground is sheltered. The ruinous shot on this hole is one which drifts right into the tall trees from were a bogey or much worse awaits your card. The green slopes from back to front with a ledge running through the middle of the green

Probably the most difficult tee shot on the course, trees either side of the tee narrow the drive significantly, and those unable to hit a gentle draw will find their next shot being played from the rough amongst the saplings and mounds on the right. Distance control for your approach is made difficult as the green slopes away from you. Golfers must be wary of their approach as there is out of bounds five yards to the left of the green with a bunker guarding the front left edge.

Trees immediately on both sides of the tee give a tunnel effect and narrows the drive. The landing area for the tee shot is fairly generous but care should be taken to avoid the bunker at the corner of the dog leg where the fairway turns sharply right. Short hitters should aim for the left hand side of the fairway, although this will leave you a longer approach, it will give you full view of the two tiered green. Whereas, the longer hitter can aim more to the right to take advantage of the dip.

This is another important driving hole, the main feature of which is the out of bounds hedge running down the length of the left side of the hole. The ideal tee shot is the right hand side of the fairway with a slight draw. A good tee shot leaves the golfer with a dilemma, the longer hitters should be able to clear the water hazard crossing the fairway, giving a good birdie opportunity. Shorter hitters should lay up before the water hazard leaving an approach shot of between 100-120 yards.

Again on this hole checking the wind direction before you reach the sheltered teeing area will assist in club selection. Right handed golfers should aim just right of the left hand bunker and aim to play a slight fade into the green.

The tee shot here causes a bit of a dilemma, with a drive to the middle of the fairway will leave a short approach to the green and a realistic birdie opportunity. A safer shot with and iron or fairway wood will take the trees on this narrow fairway out of play, but will leave a longer approach to the green. Trees on both sides, and mounds on the right, will hamper any errant tee shot. A pond to the left of the green will punish any approach which is pulled and slightly long, with bunkers left & right of the green.

Short relatively simple par 4, emphasis on direction rather than distance from the tee will provide even the shortest hitters with the ability to reach the green which gently slopes away from the golfer. Bunkers either side of the green shouldn’t cause too much of a problem in scoring par or better.

This is the longest hole on the golf course with a fairly generous landing area, a slight draw being the favoured shape for this tee shot. The second shot to this hole should be positioned on the right hand side of the fairway; this will ensure a good angle of approach to the green avoiding the bunker on the right and the water hazard on the left.

The longest of the par 3’s, this hole can often be the most difficult too depending on the wind direction. A tee shot missing the green on the left will find one of the two deep bunkers and on the right players will have to negotiate a chip over the mound from deep rough.

The tee shot should ideally be positioned on the right hand side, where the fairway turns gently to the left. Tee shots to the left of the fairway will result in the golfer having to negotiate a large tree approximately 140 yards from the centre of the green. An extremely difficult shot awaits any approach over 160 yards as the entrance to the green is protected by bunkers left and right and also a pond which lies some 5 yards beyond the green. The hole is worthy of its stroke index.

The shortest of the par 4’s offers either the potential for a birdie or a high score dependant on the accuracy from the tee. The ideal line for the tee shot is the extreme left edge of the fairway, from where an uninterrupted view of the green is obtained and the large overhanging tree on the right side of the green is avoided. The green is protected by a line of three bunkers some 15 yards short of the green with a further bunker on the right hand front.

As the hole dog-legs from right to left, the best view of the green is afforded from a position over the hollow on the right hand side of the fairway. However, longer hitters can drive directly in line for the green and carry the angle of the dog-leg thus shortening the hole and leaving a short pitch to the green. Care should be taken with the approach to avoid the bunker 30 yards short of the green and the ditch running parallel to the right hand side of the green.

Although the shortest hole on the course, this can often be one of the trickiest greens to hit due to its sheltered location, the green is guarded by three pot bunkers. The only decision to make here is selecting the correct club to clear the bunkers but ensuring you don’t carry the green and leave a difficult up and down from thick rough.

Again, a hole where the tee shot is all important. Hitting a gentle fade to avoid the large tree some 80 yards in front of the tee on a direct line to the green will give the best view of the hole. However three fairway bunkers will catch any drive on the left hand side of the fairway. The uphill approach from the fairway needs to be extremely accurate with a bunker on the right and a pond just a few yards left of the green.

The second hardest hole on the course and a difficult tee shot from the competition tee. Avoid a large tree on the right to achieve prime position in the centre of the fairway. The approach is played downhill to an extremely narrow green protected by bunkers left and right and is difficult to hold as long irons or fairway woods are often required to reach. Players are normally very pleased leaving this hole with a par.

And so to the home hole, played slightly uphill directly towards the Clubhouse. The green is long and narrow and guarded by bunkers left and right and another directly in front of the green, accuracy is again the key word. A demanding finishing hole, especially on a sunny day with a watching audience on the patio.