The round begins with the first of the elevated tees providing opportunities to observe the course's natural beauty. From the tee the hole spreads before you: the folding ridges of the fairway, and at the end of the valley, the green is cradled between the pines on the right and the oaks on the left.

Set slightly oblique to the line of play with a bunker front right, the green is best approached from the left half of the fairway, requiring the drive to be held against the cross slope, flirting with the bunker 250 yards from the medal tee. The further right the drive is allowed to wander the more the greenside bunker comes into play.

The hole gives a welcoming start to the round, playing shorter than it's yardage suggests due to the drop from the tees.

The aim of the tee must be to reach the high ground beyond the rolling cross valleys of the carry and early fairway. Only then does the full view of the second shot across the valley open up.

After a good drive the second shot can fly the valley to the landing area which is flanked by scots pines on the right and pinched by a solitary bunker on the left. Any attempt to reach the green in two requires these features to be threaded through by a very full shot. More usually, the second will be a longish iron to just before the bunker, followed by a short wedge to the undulating green set into the ridge of the horizon.

The route to the green is always spectacular, but, if the ball slides too far right a recovery shot will require ingenuity and skill in equal measure.

A splendid setting for the first short hole. The tee is perched above a broad bowl which sweeps down to the 6th fairway and the green stands on the plateau beyond.

The bunkers hold the key to this hole - three are set en echelon to play with perspective and the illusion should make you think at least twice over club selection. While these bunkers leave an easier line into the left half of the green, another waits off the edge for those playing over-cautiously.

Increasingly challenging pin positions are created the further right the cup is cut. With the flag on the right a high fade is the ideal shot, on the left then a straight shot or draw is asked for.

From the elevated tees the fairway and green stretch out below. The descent to the fairway brings your first glimpse of Bearwood Lake beyond the huge oaks on your right.

The first bunker at 190 yards should be carried to gain the best line into the green. Alternatively, you may choose the safer route to its left but your second will then be met by a green that slopes away towards the greenside bunker.

Into the wind you may prefer to use the higher ground to the left of the green to run the ball onto the putting surface. However, do not stray to the right where it falls away to lower ground.

The drive is over open parkland with the fairway sloping from right to left, before the hole enters the forest. The prevailing wind is at your back and a long drive may give you hope of getting up in two to a green set against the glistening backdrop of Upper Lake.

If so, your second must hug the pines and carry the approach bunkers guarding this shallow green. The shorter player will tend to favour the left side of the fairway away from the approach bunker and then pitch up over the two bunkers protecting the green.

This is a marvellous hole full of surprise and drama. Standing on the tee you see the green on top of the crest nearly 400 yards away. The hillside falling in front of you partially obscures the landing area while the statuesque redwood gives your line for the drive.

Only as you and your fellow players reach the hill's brow will you see the result of your drives. The best will be up by the redwood with the shorter resting in a large bowl, requiring a long climbing shot to the green.

From either position your approach shot must be judged to perfection - too short or too long will require a delicate chip up to the plateaued green.

A daunting hole from the back tee, the 7th will certainly live up to its promise as Stroke Index 1. The drive is threaded through the flanking pines into the open ground of the landing area. The closer you drive to the bunkers on the right the better your line to the green. The further left you play the less of the green you will see so direction off the tee is critical.

However, to reach the green in two you cannot afford to hold back on the drive, as the second shot requires both length and accuracy to a well protected green. Taking an iron off the tee for placement will not allow you to get up in two.

After the rigours of the 7th, a chance to relax. The longest par 4 on the course is now followed by the shortest.

Placement, rather than length of the tee shot is the prime requirement - too far left and the green's entrance begins to be closed by lakeside trees and the greenside bunkers - too far right and the trees on the approach impair access to the green.

From the tee play it easily down the middle with an iron and you have no more than a wedge or 9 iron into the heart of the green.

The small lake which formed the fulcrum of the 8th is now simply a decorative feature from the 9th tee. Early morning players are likely to see the deer sipping at the water's edge.

Further ahead the green is framed by pines, oaks and holly trees. The putting surface is slightly crowned, a feature which is a stern judge of quality of your tee shots' strike.

No real terror awaits the ball which misses or sheds from the green, only two bunkers around and the grass hollows behind, but for a chance at a birdie you must strike your tee shot perfectly.

The back nine begins with this slightly dogleg par 4 which turns around the fairway bunker. Though there is room to the right, too far right and the overhanging pine trees obstruct the second shot. The best line of approach is achieved by driving as close to the bunker as you dare.

The green is tiered and set into an upward sloping arena. Three bunkers fringe around the back, placing great emphasis on the length of your second shot if the pin is on the higher tier.

Seemingly forever this long hole stretches uphill. The green sits amongst the pines in the distance. The tee shot carries the neck of Upper Lake to a fairway falling gently right towards the ditch which pinches the fairway 300 yards from the back tees.

Though uphill, the wind is usually with you and two mighty and accurate blows may get you to the putting surface. However, the route is more deceptive than meets the eye - two bunkers must be carried if your second shot is to reach the relative sanctuary of the plateau approach.

Only from here is a full view of the tiered putting surface available. Laying up before the bunkers or fading right with your second asks you to pitch over the deep gully guarding the green from any approach from the right.

This medium length short hole plays downhill to a welcoming and receptive green. Beware though - the shot appears much shorter than in reality as 40 yards of unseen approach lie beyond the first two bunkers. Again club selection is the key.

Redwoods, pine, ancient yew, two bunkers and deep swales encircle the green while oak and pine attend the carry to enclose the hole in private seclusion giving no hint of the expanse and vista on offer at the 13th Tee only yards away.

Given the glorious view accross the lake, just to focus on your tee shot will require much of your power of concentration. Add a splash of anxiety for the carry over the water, and here you have a golf hole to mix nerve and beauty in equal parts.

The perfect drive is to the higher, left side of the fairway and short of the ditch from where all the putting surface is visible - an eight iron should get you home.

However, with water behind the right of the green and an approach pinched in by hollows and rough, the shot allows little margin for error.

The lake dominates this beautiful short hole, set against a backdrop of pines and a majestic sentinel oak. In return for the fact that air and water are the only elements between tee and green, the putting surface in excess of 750 square yards is the largest at Bearwood Lakes.

You may elect to play with caution to the left of the green, but two deep grass hollows wait to collect a ball hit with over-abundant discretion and insufficient valour.

From each of these you have a chip to twenty yards' width of green and 40 acres of lake beyond.

A respite from water now as this long par 4 begins the stretch back to the clubhouse. To be in position to get up in two, the drive should be as near to the right hand fairway bunker as you dare.

From here, the approach bunker can be carried and the contours will bring your ball round to either tier of the green.

The further you drive the more the left hand greenside bunker obscures your route to the green. Indeed, miss the fairway left and the semi-rough steps down and you will almost certainly have to lay up with your second from well below fairway level.

All along the right side of this, the course's longest hole, ancient limes of the old avenue observe play from the wings. However, as play progresses towards the green, the trees change role from audience to arbiter of play.

The tee shot is up to a long plateau from which the best drives are rewarded with a view of the distant green, framed between the oak and the beech which guard the approach.

Getting on in two is out of the question for all but the longest hitters, so the second should leave the ball in the centre of the fairway. The approach shot bisects the trees and flies over the valley to the raised green which is overlooked from behind by a magnificent scot's pine.

Almost home but you must keep your wits about you on this short par 4. The fairway bunker appears for all the world to merge with the sandy trio guarding the front of the green, but in fact a hundred yards separate these two sets of bunkers.

Start a fade just right of the fairway bunker and your ball should curve around the oak on the right of the fairway to leave the best angle into the shallow green. As you walk up the fairway to your ball the clubhouse appears through the trees to your left and your mind may drift to its comforts. However you must rein your thoughts in and still play a crisp and precise wedge over the bunkers and use the contours of the green to bring your ball close to any pin cut on the left half of the putting surface.

The tees stand on the highest point of the course from where the tee shot must be threaded through the trees and onto the right half of the fairway to allow the ball to roll left and open up the green for the second shot.

As befits the final hole, the drive must be perfect - too far left and the rough slopes steeply away to give you an awkward iron to the green which must fly the deep flank the right of the fairway to lend unforgiving splendour to the hole.

The putting surface is some 35 metres deep and gently angled to accept the long approach and hopefully leave a birdie putt under the gaze of the clubhouse gallery.