The opening hole is unusual in that it is played to a hidden green – one of the few blind shots on the course – which is sunk in an old quarry. There is a generous fairway, but it is flanked for its whole length by out of bounds to the left and trees down the right. Left of centre is the place to be off the tee and the approach needs to take into account the length of the two-tier green.

This is a delightful short hole which asks plenty of questions. Played over a pond from an elevated tee, out of bounds on the left awaits anything errant and there are two greenside bunkers keen to snap up anything not quite long enough.

The first of the three par fives often plays shorter than its near 500 yards as there is a major fall in the fairway which can kick a good drive a long way. A ditch some 30 yards short of the green was introduced in late 2007 and means a great deal more thought is now required for the second shot. It will be interesting to see if the ditch makes any difference to the stroke index.

Like the other opening holes, the fourth features out of bounds down the left and the tee shots is to a narrow fairway. Despite the relatively short length of the hole, trees, rough and bunkers all conspire with the out of bounds to make life difficult for the unwary golfer.

Another relatively short par four, the fifth is tree-lined on both sides. The green is well protected by two bunkers for an uphill approach shot that is often played from an uphill lie. The green features a big “MacKenzie” step and, from the wrong level, it is easy to three putt this one.

An accurate tee shot is essential to the second of the par threes as there are trees on both sides of the green and a cleverly-placed bunker at the front, right-hand side. Another big green with big slopes offers some treacherous putts, especially when the ground is hard and fast.

The longest par four on the course is usually played into the prevailing wind and, along with most of the front nine, features out of bounds down the length of the left hand side. A good drive will leave a semi-blind – you should be able to see the top of the flag – approach of anything up to 200 yards to a green which, from front to back, is really three clubs long.

The first truly blind hole, the eighth plays to a generous but sharply rising fairway. Trees to the right, out of bounds to the left and two mounds on top of the hill, only the truly big hitters will be able to see the green when playing their second shots. Three sides of the two-tier “MacKenzie” green are protected by out of bounds and there are also two greenside bunkers to contend with.

A slight dog-leg to the left, again with out of bounds all down that side, concludes the front nine. The tee shot must find the right hand side of the fairway to give any view of a large green which is protected by bunkers and more out of bounds.

A blind drive to a fairway which slopes slightly downhill awaits you at the start of the back nine. Often playing longer than its 415 yards, the green is large and receptive but well protected by a huge bunker of the right and out of bounds through the back.

The most difficult of the short holes, the narrow entrance to the green is well protected by bunkers on both sides. The degree of difficult is usually increased by the fact that a prevailing wind from right to left can steer your ball towards the trees.

Although a relatively straight hole, it is easy to end up on the wrong side of the longest hole on the course. Basically, the tee shot needs to find the right hand side of the fairway and then the rest of the hole needs to be played down the left to take a large greenside bunker out of the equation. The large, sloping green is guarded by a deep “valley of sin”.

According to the stroke index, this is the easiest hole on the course, but there are many ways to get it wrong. The hole earns its name from a matching pair of bunkers which guard the entrance to the green and also make the hole appear much shorter than it is.

Probably the most beautiful hole on the course, the 14th is the third par four to measure more than 400 yards. A raised tee and a generous fairway give you the chance to make a good start, but the green is well protected by bunkers and mounds and, from front to back, it is the biggest green on the course – making club selection for the approach shot absolutely critical.

The last of the par fives starts with a shot over tall trees to a target area surrounded by trees and a strategically placed bunker. From there the next is a blind shot with a fairway bunker eagerly awaiting anything coming up about 30 yards short. Although there are no greenside bunkers, mounds do accord the green some protection.

The final par three earns its name from the 150-yard carry to clear the rough stuff. There are no bunkers, but a grass mound some 15 yards short of the green and more mounds surrounding three sides of it make a difficult chip for anyone who has missed the green from the tee.

Not a long hole, but certainly a tricky one. Bunkers protect both sides of the fairway on driving length and there are also trees down both sides. The raised green is set at an angle to the fairway and requires accuracy to find the target. Leave it short and it is a difficult chip, and there is little margin for error on either side, and none at all through the back.

A long, flat fairway features bunkers just short of driving length and another – a recent addition – to catch those capable of hitting it 250 yards. The elevated green features a severe MacKenzie slope in it and any shot not played hard enough can roll all the way back to the front of the green, leaving either another chip or the possibility of three putts.