The club has recently upgraded the course, converting the former bent/poa greens to Bermuda grass putting surfaces and reconstructing the bunkers using the “Better Billy Bunker” system. The improvements to the layout still continue, with the complete refurbishment of the irrigation lake to the left of the short par four 4th hole. With a course that was only brought into play in 2007, the owners certainly can’t be accused of not investing in their prime asset.

Along with Kyle Phillips, I reckon Cabell Robinson is one of the best architects in the business at framing a hole from start to finish with fairway and greenside bunkers that seem to fit the land and add visual stimulation to even the flattest of landscapes, not that there are many holes played out on a level playing field here. There’s plenty of movement in the landscape, particularly on the back nine, with lots of interesting elevation changes to enjoy.

The opening six holes are situated in their own little compartment and they’re configured as two par threes, two par fours and two par fives. My only criticism of the short holes was that they were both very similar in length off the respective tees but they’re still terrific short holes. The par fives at #3 and #5 – the first playing to a pond-protected green and the second requiring a big forced carry off an elevated tee – feature fantastic micro undulations in the fairways, proving that good shaping can always add interest between tee and green on longer holes.

After navigating the last three holes on the front nine, the inward half begins with a drop shot par three, where the green sits on the edge of the Arroyo de la Jordana, and this water course comes into play with great effect at three of the following five holes. In fact, the sequence from #11 to #15 was by far the best on the course for me, largely due to the way the holes are beautifully routed around this creek running through the property.

In this special stretch, the par four 13th (pictured right) was probably my favourite hole on the card, with the arroyo twice cutting across the fairway and the green occupying a lovely setting at the foot of a little forest, surrounded by mature trees. The 15th deserves mention too, demanding a big tee shot carry over dense vegetation to the other side of the creek where the fairway then heads 90 degrees left and uphill all the way to a severely sloping green – what an epic par four!

The final three holes are a little tame in comparison but some relative “free-wheeling” back to the clubhouse can be excused after what’s gone before in the previous five or six holes. Some big-scale courses are best played with a buggy and this is definitely one of them – walking, even with a trolley, would be a very demanding exercise so why would you not ride and take in the wonderful views along the way, especially on the back nine?