Although visitor friendly from the yellow tees, off the blue tees, the course length, water hazards and well placed bunkers, not to mention low trees and thick grass in the rough, set it up as a players’ course. For those who like to back themselves, there are many challanges.

The first hole sets the scene for the rest of the round. The 537 metre par 5 has water hazards to the right, and is a double dogleg requiring some course management. The length of the 380 metre par 4 - 6th, and the 206 metre par 3 - 7th will also influence club selection. However, the most challenging part of this course is the final four holes, which will do a good job separating you from your playing partners just when the scores start to matter. 

The fifteenth is a dogleg left, and you are forced to draw the ball back into the usual SE wind, which picks up a bit of speed as it reaches you at this section of the course. It does not seem to take much, for an otherwise straight drive, to catch a gust and end up out of bounds to the right of the fairway.

The sixteenth is the course’s signature hole, and perhaps the most testing on the course. At well over 500 metres and into the wind, it is also one of the longest holes you are likely to encounter. The double dogleg around a large water hazard however, means that you cannot just drive the 538m. You should really give a bit of thought to your approach. It is holes like this one that mean you have to think about before hacking away. 

The seventeenth tee provides a great view across the lagoon to the Botanic Gardens. Relatively short at 285 metres, the bigger hitters take on the water corner and go for the green. But don’t become too friendly with the lagoon, because it is just waiting to swallow your slice as you line up the 17th green. 

It is unusual for a course to finish with a par 3, but the 167metre 18th seems like the perfect finish to this course, as you knock one uphill with water on both sides. Be careful of hitting it too short on this one, because if you do miss the sand, the roll back down the hill will punish you.