There’s much to enjoy about a round at BGC, a solid golfing layout that is far better than its lowly position in the rankings suggests. There is not a weak hole among the 18, and certainly nothing you would describe as a pushover. That, and a strong run of finishing holes from No 14 in, is for me the hallmark of a championship venue. Yet it is also a friendly track for the high handicap. The greens are relatively easily accessed from the middle of the fairway, other than the two challenging par 3s on the back nine. The 11th, where you play over the river, is fiercely guarded by bunkers on both sides of the green, and the 16th has a sizeable water hazard eating into the right side of the green. There’s another well-positioned hazard between 17 and 18 that comes into play for the drives on both holes.
