Beautiful and testing layout, the front nine more so, designed among hills and dips, resulting in numerous elevation changes. Accuracy and positioning off the tee is key as large, mainly oak, trees line the fairways punishing errant shots. Most of the rough allows for finding balls and playing recovery shots. Water only genuinely features on a handful of holes. Thick rough and riverside thicket swallow wayward shots on a few others. The early and later holes are the most challenging and memorable, with the less exciting, yet still testing, middle holes broken up by the risk/reward driving challenge of the “shortish” par-4 10th. Conditioning was good (tees & fairways), to very good (greens), and the course reasonably well manicured. Greens provide a good putting test with a mix of subtle and severe gradient, particularly when firm and cut. Bunker sand could do with renewal, but they were, despite recent rain, a fair test for a hazard. Unfortunately walking the course isn’t practically possible given elevation changes, distances from greens to tee, and cart-field pace of play. Disappointingly for an “unwalkable” resort course, cart hire, particularly for singles, almost doubles the cost of playing a round for resort residents.
