Of note, though, is the great collection of short par-4 holes. The first of these is the 319-metre par-4 3rd, which plays slightly downhill from the tee and is flanked by out-of-bounds to the left for its entire length. The rough-covered mounds down the right cut into the fairway, creating a wide tongue of rough that has been filled with a bunker, about 240 metres from the back tee. The best approach to the shallow green is from the right half of the fairway so players are left with two playing line options – play short of the fairway trap and make a longer approach, or be aggressive and bomb a drive over the left edge of the bunker and leave a short iron into the putting surface.

The following hole, a 358-metre par-4, is also worthy of mention here. It only plays about 40 metres longer than the 3rd hole but it is a far more demanding offering with water, sand and two majestic gum trees providing the defence of par. The fairway gently rises and falls over waves of small hills and narrows significantly as it squeezes past a sole bunker cut in from the right rough and lying right in the driving zone. The two gums, while wide of the fairway, can block out any approach that veers too wide of being in the centre of the fairway. The best line into the green is from the right half of the fairway, which features plenty of mounds and hollows, making a flat lie quite rare. There are no greenside bunkers, as the green is slightly elevated, with water left and swales to the right.

Another hole that is a tough proposition and demands smart play instead of brutish hitting opens the back nine. The 471-metre 10th hole could be considered a short par-5 by modern design standards but it is a genuine three-shot par-5 for most players. The out-of-bounds well left of the fairway is not of primary concern to players here … keeping your ball dry on the journey to the green is the real worry. The first of two creek crossings lies just 240 metres (it’s about a 260-metre carry from the back pegs) from the tee, which means any player with sights on reaching the green in two blows needs to be as close to this water as possible. This is a tough ask as the fairway starts sloping down to the water’s edge from about the 220-metre mark. By far the best approach into the angled-right green is from the left half of the fairway. If, like me, you can’t possibly hit two shots nearly half a kilometre, it’s best to lay up left (well away from the lake that lines the right edge of the fairway) and short of the second ‘burn’. This, however, brings a large fairway bunker on the left edge of the fairway into play. Avoid the sand and you will be left with a 8 or 9-iron or even a wedge (depending on the pin position on the massive green) for your third shot.