We played Kingsbarns on a Saturday morning in late October at the end of a three day trip to St Andrews. We had already played the New, Castle, Jubilee and Fairmont (Torrance). As you’d expect when paying top dollar the greeting was warm, welcoming and the set-up (practice range, chipping area and putting green) was excellent.As for the course well, it is breathtakingly good. The condition was exceptional for the time of year. The greens were the equal of those in down-town St Andrews, and despite having relatively recently been dressed they were true and quick enough. The 1st hole gets you going and the 2nd (Par 3) is a little unremarkable but its tee box gives you a taste of what is to come. 3rd has a real wow factor skirting the beach to a raised green. Most holes give you a view of the sea, and though those running down the coast are the most spectacular, there is no let up in quality throughout the round. The 6th is a great example of a hole not needing to be long or next to the water to be a classic. The 8th is a fun par 3 if the hole is set front left as it was for us. 9-11 are all strong holes, but are clearly just building towards the main event. 12 is as testing (it was playing into the breeze) as it is gorgeous. 15 is clearly a wonderful golf hole and a back right pin required a bold stroke. The closing stretch extends the crescendo but to my small group the 18th was felt to be a little anti-climatic. I appreciate there are some out there that find fault with this course. I get it, I mean I always thought Claudia Schiffer’s legs were just a little too long… Unfortunately Old Tom Morris wasn’t alive in the year 2000 so they had to make do with Kyle Phillips and he’s done the golfing world a great service. This course is equal parts stunning, fun, gettable (depending on the tees) and fair. If you are in the area and have the money do not leave this off your list. I am glad we played Kingsbarns last because every other course we had enjoyed was cast into its shadow.

I played Hunstanton in a three ball with my brother and father in early April. There has been a lot of rain and we played on what I can only imagine is an unusually still day, with probably no more than a 10-15 mph wind that died off by the back nine. We received a warm welcome from James the Pro and were told we would be teeing off after a two ball competition which meant a decent pace of play.Firstly the course had held up remarkably well despite the weather, there were a couple of boggy areas on the front nine, but only on one or two holes. Otherwise it was in great condition and the rough had not yet enjoyed its spring growth, meaning it was somewhat forgiving. The greens were quick enough (I imagine they get a lot faster in the summer) and true, augmented by some typical links subtleties and run-offs.With handicaps of 11, 12 and 13 we played off the white tees which made for some testing par 4s, particularly into the breeze. Due to an Easterly wind on the day we played, the out and back nature of the course meant most of the front nine was played into a 1 to 2 club breeze. Holes 1 and 2 do a good job of getting you out onto the course, without being so testing that they lead to a traffic jam. Notable holes were the 3rd, 5th and 8th, the later a true par 5 to a raised green. These eight holes are an enjoyable start, but the course really gets into its stride with the 9th and 10th. What follows is a magnificent stretch of links golf, with arguably the 12th being the only weak hole. My particular favourites were the afformentioned 9th a wonderful par 5 with a hillock/dune running down the left and bunkering and drop offs guarding the right of the fairway, where three good shots are needed; and the 447 yard, par 4 17th which sees a tee shot played onto a left to right sloping fairway, leaving a long second to a narrow table green protected by a bank on the left and a huge drop off on the right, to my delight I birdied it. 18 is a great finishing hole, where I found out that a good drive still leaves a lot of work, I walked off with a bogey and a huge smile on my face to enjoy a drink in the bar. A great course.

I had the pleasure of playing Ile aux Cerfs twice whilst on honeymoon (this was negotiated well in advance of our wedding day and I was out early!). Firstly the journey out to the course has to be relatively unique, a serene ten minute boat-ride through the mangroves deposited me at the jetty. Met by a man in a buggy, I was then whisked up to the clubhouse where club hire (from memory Callaways XRs or something similar) and accoutrements were quickly sorted out. The staff were very friendly (as everyone on Mauritius seems to be) and did their best to accommodate my requests.The Pro-shop no longer has stroke-savers, instead you have to take a buggy as all are fitted with GPS touch-screens. There are a handful of blind or semi-blind tee-shots and otherwise there is almost always some sort of carry, so in the absence of a course guide, the buggy is a must. In the end I didn’t regret it as the round was seriously warm work and the hire cost was not extortionate. Warm up facilities were adequate, clearly space is at a premium, but there’s enough room to launch a few balls and miss a few putts.With clubs, buggy, complimentary water, a few free balls (included with the green fee) and a couple of balls I brought with me (having read other reviews on this site) I was quickly called forward at the first tee to pair up with another single. 5 iron in hand I pulled the first left, pushed the second right and drove on to drop one on the fairway. Neither tee-shots were seen again and they weren’t terrible! So, yes, the course is quite tight in places. Generally there’s a little/no first-cut and then just ‘jungle’, volcanic rock and oblivion.I’m a 12 h/cap and a member of a club where my h/cap travels well. I played off the whites (one below the black championship tees) and at no point were the carries more than c. 170 yards, but with the course being so tight I never hit more than a 4 iron over the two rounds I played. I think 28 points was my best return and with borrowed clubs etc. I wasn’t too disappointed with that. If you have looked at the photographs you can see Ile aux Cerfs is stunning, it’s hard not to play the whole round with a smile on your face, no matter your score. Particular holes that stood out are those run alongside the beach (6, 11, and 12) but there are plenty that will last long in the memory. The greens were not particularly fast, but they were true and you got value for your putts. Overall the course condition was excellent.Thanks to 0800 tee times the pace of play was good for both rounds (understandably the afternoon is apparently quite slow as the course gets busy). I think we took roughly 3.5 hours per round (with a fair amount of looking for balls). As a result my fledgling marriage survived, in fact the course was so beautiful I managed to persuade my wife to chauffeur me around the back 9 for my second round, which she even admitted to enjoying.In keeping with the surrounding resorts, the clubhouse is well appointed with good showers etc and an air of luxury. The food was good and there is a lovely view to enjoy as you sip a post-game drink and count up how many balls you lost. I can’t wait to go back to play this stunning course again, but I’ll take my own clubs next time!