The Els Club doesn’t start promisingly — an ordinary downhill par 4 at No 1 and then a hole which punishes shorter hitters with the positioning of fairway bunkers, leaving a blind second for those who cannot carry them — but it gets better and there’s quality, variety and playability from No 6 onwards. Beautiful views of the surrounding countryside on the back nine, and the long grass and wildflowers in out-of-play areas improve the aesthetics. The course does favour exponents of the modern game who play off white tees (6305 metres). It’s too easy from these tees if you hit a longish ball because most fairway bunkers are redundant. The yellow tees (6681) are a better test of ability. Black (7363) are essentially only for elite golfers.
