At 6398 Yards off the whites, the Old Course is more a test of accuracy than strength, although stamina is a useful asset as you climb the hills. Reaching the green in regulation is seldom a guarantee of a Par as a downhill putt when the greens are dry can be an unnerving experience. An Old Course Par 3 is not always an easy scoring opportunity as they tend to have high stroke indices.

The Old Course

The second tee presents the early challenge of carrying the quarry, while not cutting the corner too much into the rough on the left of the fairway.

The shot to the green is steeply uphill onto a sloping green. Putting downhill in fast conditions can be testing.

The Old Course climbs from the Club House steadily uphill for the first two holes.

Work on the first hole in 2003 will result it in a slight dogleg to the right.

An underclubbed shot to the green may see the ball rolling back onto the fairway.

The third hole doglegs right around a clump of trees, which can be cleared by a confident golfer with a following wind.

The fourth is a Par 3 that can be tricky to judge into the prevailing wind.

Your drive on the fifth should be left of centre to avoid defection into the craftily placed bunker.

The shot to the green is blind and well protected by bunkers if you’re on the right of the fairway.

The sixth is a long Par 3 with a tricky green sloping left to right.

The Par 5 seventh is straightforward although a sliced drive can see you amongst the set of three bunkers on the right.

A poor drive on the eighth brings ‘the pit’ into play on the second shot (or the first if you’re a long hitter).

The green is invitingly located in a hollow and your approach shot needs to make the rear upper level where the pin is usually placed.

The short Par 3 ninth is surrounded by bunkers front, left and right, which are hazardous in a cross wind.

The drive over the hill on the tenth is straightforward, but the difficulty of holding the green with the downhill approach shot can make the hole a frustrating experience.

The eleventh is a delightful hole. Driving uphill on the left of the fairway to avoid the bunker covering the right half of the fairway presents a mid-iron approach shot to the cupped green.

Pin placing on the sloped sided of the green can make putting very awkward.

The out-of-bounds hedge on the right of the twelfth fairway makes a slicer’s life difficult, especially with a cross wind and there are some rather deep bunkers on the left before the green.

The Par 3 thirteenth usually needs a straight mid/long iron aimed at the right side of the green as the ground slopes right to left.

Your drive on the fourteenth Par 5 needs careful placement as avoiding the bunker on the left can easily put you in the thick rough on the right.

A cautious second shot sets up a straightforward approach to a large green.

A confident approach shot is needed on the fifteenth to hold the flat green, set in ground steeply sloping right to left.

The tee on the sixteenth presents a magnificent view marred only by the evil cross bunkers, luckily situated just out of range for the average golfer.

Reaching the green with the second shot is a challenge while a headwind makes this hole seem like a Par 5.

The commanding summer tee on the Par 3 seventeenth can present a difficult club choice depending on wind conditions, with bunkers penalising shots that stray left.

The eighteenth tee looks downhill to the clubhouse and presents the opportunity for a satisfying drive and a mid-iron to the green to culminate an enjoyable round.