A lovely heathland course and pretty challenging as well. The star of the show is the sandy soil that provides a fantastic playing surface. The front 9 plays through a pine forest and over undulated terrain, whereas the back 9 are flatter and more open. The reason for this tale of two nines is that the club lost a number of holes in a contract dispute with the landowner and had to build new ones in a previously unused part of the site.

Tree encroachment is a bit of a problem in places, but the club does a great job of removing the undergrowth, so balls can actually be found under the trees. Still, there's nothing more than a chip-out in the cards, the trees are too dense for heroic recovery shots. A few patches of heather appear here or there as well, but for a full-blown reinstitution program many trees would have to go.

As far as the golf is concerned, the front 9 have more variety and provide more interesting challenges. A few holes on the back 9 are too simplistic in that they are basically tree-lined highways. The action picks up again towards the end of the round, although the challenges are of a more subtle nature and visually not quite as striking as on the front 9. However, the springy turf and true-rolling greens are of the same quality throughout. Altogether a very classy experience.