You find yourself in the middle of the course at this point with a halfway hut and thoughtfully positioned portaloo found tucked away amongst the flora.A 190 yard par 3 will test your long play in front of the gallery behind and takes you to the monstrous 10th hole. At 450 yards from the whites and undulating rigs and furrows running laterally across the wide fairway it will demand two career shots to reach the green at the end!

The ridge and furrows are quite a delight at Glen Gorse giving each hole even further personality and with it various complications. Land on the upslope and you’ll be fine. Trickle over the brow and find yourself with a downhill lie and – good luck! They run either across the fairways or along with you up to the greens but wither way they’re a super feature and a photographer’s delight.

The first of two par fives snakes its way back towards the clubhouse and is immediately followed by another asking you to walk nearly 1000 yards in two holes! The original plan when designing the course some 70years ago was to have a second tee with which to allow for a two-tee start and it was decided it was to be the 13th. It’s an unusual concept but it does mean that those members wishing to pop up the club for a few holes can assess the traffic treading the links and start at a different point.

Regarded in the golfing fraternity as "One of the finest finishes anywhere in the country," the final three holes at Glen Gorse will stretch your game right to the wire. The 16th has an uphill start and sweeps and bobs its way to the green tucked away down the hill and around the corner. Half a dozen short of 400 yards it is a gentle introduction to what’s in store at 17 and 18.

Newly planted violet heather surrounds the tee block at 17 and adds a splash of colour to the artist’s palette magnificently. It’s another tough and long par 4 at over 450 yards and asks the question of your approach play, as the green is quite long and fairly narrow. A new copse of trees has been introduced around the 250 yard mark which, when fully grown will no doubt make this stroke index 5 hole a regular visitor on to the podium.

As if 451 yards wasn’t difficult enough, the 18th adds on a three more just for fun. If the pin is cut on the back tier of the enormous green, it almost plays like a five and I wouldn’t walk away too disgruntled if you mark a bogey on the card to finish because believe me, that’s a good score for anyone!

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