Construction of the 18 holes began within a few months and Eric Apperly – whose more famous design work includes New South Wales, Newcastle and Avondale – oversaw the routing and creation of the layout. Apperly’s work was tweaked over the next five decades but, as I mentioned previously, has changed little since. Although, I suspect, the fairways are far more heavily tree-lined – there are 168 different varieties of trees across the course – today than when Apperly finished his commission.

The front nine covers flatter, easy-walking terrain but there is nothing easy about the opening hole. In fact, I was surprised to see it is rated No.5 on the stroke index. The 431-metre par-4, the longest two-shotter at Duntryleague, calls for you to be on your game from the very first swing. Played from a slightly elevated tee, your drive is to a fairway that rises and falls over the crest of a small hill and turns gradually left towards the green. A wall of trees flanking both sides of the wide fairway form a corridor you will not venture too far from en route to the green. Shorter hitters will be hampered by the hill here and may find they will need a fairway metal for their blind second shot approach.

One of my favourite holes on the outward half also features a blind shot, this time from the tee. The 353-metre par-4 3rd offers a generously wide fairway that doglegs sharply to the right as it heads over the crest of a rise about 190 metres from the tee. The inside of the dogleg is thick with trees, while the left is not much better and longer hitters will have to think hard about their club selection from the tee to avoid running out of fairway. The best approach to the green is from the right, over a greenside bunker and onto the left-to-right sloping putting surface.