The Lakes is a cart course, paved from first tee to 18th green, and the introduction of kerbing on the cart paths, to prevent lazy golfers driving on to tees and the fringes of greens, has had a beneficial effect on the conditioning, which is immaculate. Sensational looking tee boxes are a feature of The Lakes experience, as are tightly mown runoff areas around the greens. The Lakes has cynodon grass on the greens, and last year for the first time they were overseeded with bent, which has already speeded up the putts. The course opens with some friendly holes and wide playing corridors, yet it isn’t long before the stronger holes materialise, and challenges abound in varying terrain amidst tropical forest, wetlands and water hazards.