HOLE BY HOLE

Pro's Tip - A drive favouring the right half of the fairway, while taking care not to end up in the strategically placed bunker on the right side of the fairway, will set up a second shot into the largish, flattish, circular green which is guarded in front by two bunkers on the left and right sides. There are several mature conifers to the right and out of bounds is a matter of yards from the back.

Pro's Tip - With most of the front left side of the green guarded by a large bunker, a drive down the right centre of the fairway (avoiding the bunker on the right) will provide the best route in for your second shot to this largish circular green with a raised tier in the back right quarter. Out of bounds looms close to the back and to the left.

Pro's Tip - Straight and long is the objective from this tee. It is unlikely, other than for the very longest of hitters, that you will be able to see the green for your second shot as it lies at the bottom of a downward slope beyond the first fairway over which this hole crosses. A bunker catches long drives to the left. A white disc marker, above and behind the green, indicates the centre line of the green, however anything landing short will usually be moved from right to left by the slope. Be warned though that anything more than a few feet through the two tiered green will, more often than not, result in a lost ball and that dreaded walk back to replay. The 150 yard marker on this hole is actually 170 yards from the green as it would otherwise be in the centre of the first fairway.

Pro's Tip - Trees left and right, a ditch (lateral water hazard) along the left, ground sloping from left to right on the right side and bunkers surrounding the green all make for an intimidating tee shot. Having successfully negotiated these putting is no less difficult from almost any part of this sloping green, with the easiest putt normally being played directly uphill from right to left. Walk off with a par from this tough par 3 and you will feel happy.

Pro's Tip - Having taken in arguably the finest view on the course, your drive should favour the right side of the fairway. Anything centre, or left thereof, will invariably roll into the left hand rough, making your second shot to the green, which is guarded by a bunker on the left, a rather difficult shot to play. The green itself tends to slope from right to left and to a lesser extent from front to rear making it easy to run through the green under fast conditions.

Pro's Tip - Down the middle from the tee to a quite wide and flat fairway is the target. The real difficulty lies with the second shot as towards the green the fairway narrows, with the added hazards of a bunker to the left about 110 yards from the green, and a second positioned on the front left of the green. There is still the challenge of getting up on to the upper tier, where the pin is regularly placed, of this elevated green. Moreover, the upper tier is rather narrow from front to rear, with a bank and heavy rough behind it. Out of bounds is close in at the back and along the whole of the right hand side so there is little margin for error.

Pro's Tip - From an elevated plateau tee you will be all too conscious of a dense wood (out of bounds), fronted by a ditch (lateral water hazard), along the right hand side of the fairway. Nevertheless the ideal tee shot should be aimed to the right side of the fairway. This is because the fairway slopes right to left and the left rough contains a number of maturing trees. Also, further ahead,on the left is a line of large mature oaks towering at right angles to the fairway, all of which can prevent a clear second shot to the green. Your approach shot (hopefully your second), has to be equally accurate to avoid the two bunkers, one to the right a few yards in front of the green, and the other closer in on the left and negotiate a narrow entrance to a slightly bowl shaped green. Take care not to be long or left as the ground falls away to the left and behind the green into often heavy rough and trees.

Pro's Tip - Considered by many to be the most intimidating hole at Surbiton, if not the most difficult. With mature trees close in to the left, the out of bounds Waffrons' stables and paddock to the right and a thick hedge running obliquely right across in front of the fairway, a long straight drive, into a sloping left to right fairway, is called for if you are to reach the green in two. The entrance to the green is narrow, guarded on the left by the First Tee and the practice putting green (which is out of bounds!) and on the right by two bunkers. The green itself is huge, serving the 18th as well, undulating, and with a slope from left to right and from front to rear ensuring that putting out is challenging from most positions.

Pro's Tip - With an upwards sloping fairway, a slight dog leg from right to left, a small copse of conifers to the right and an old World War II wooded bomb crater to the left, an accurate, rather than a long drive, into the right half of the fairway is called for. Thereafter, your approach shot to an elevated, two-tiered green, guarded by two bunkers, one on the left between the crater and the green, and the other closer in to the right, will need to be carefully judged.

Pro's Tip - From the tees the ground falls away gradually for about two thirds of the length of this hole, and a little from left to right, so your tee shot should ideally be to the left of centre of the fairway. Too long and too right will invariably result in your approach to the green being blocked out by the trees on the right. From the centre of the fairway, your shot should be directed at the flag, or perhaps a little to the left, depending on its position on this oval shaped green, which is guarded by a deepish, sharp faced bunker to the right front, and by a shallower bunker on the left front. The green itself is pretty flat and long, with a small ridge circling the left and rear of it.

Pro's Tip - It is uphill, semi-rough of course, all the way to the green from the tees. Either side of the sloping entrance to the green are large, high grassy mounds which taper down the sides to the rear of this oblong-shaped green. Tee shots which land on the inner slopes of these mounds will usually end up on the putting surface with a par or a birdie a real prospect, but, landing on their outer slopes can spell trouble given the bunker on the left and the heavy rough on the right.

Pro's Tip - A long straight drive over a thick hedge crossing in front of a generously broad fairway, right by a fairway bunker should set you up nicely for your second shot laying up to or flying over the centrally located mound where the progressively rising fairway starts to plateau. However, whether short of or over this mound your third shot to the unseen green at the bottom of the reverse slope will be influenced by any wind and the ground conditions. Better to be short than long as there are only a few yards of roughish grass behind the green before the ground falls away abruptly to the seventeenth hole.

Pro's Tip - A straight tee shot to the heart of this largish, oblong-shaped green on this picturesque, almost completely tree encircled hole, will set you up nicely for a birdie opportunity. Club selection can vary from a wedge to a mid iron, depending partly on the position of the flag and partly on whether there is any wind which can assist or hold up the flight of the ball as it rises above tree-top height. Don't miss this green left as a large bunker, sloping ground with moderate rough and woodland with dense undergrowth are all waiting to gather, or worse still, relieve you of your ball. Miss it right and you are in another bunker or the tress beyond.

Pro's Tip - Avoid the out of bounds all along the right side and the three fairway bunkers, all visible from the tee, and the drive and second shots are relatively straight forward. Your approach shot to the green, assuming you, like most, haven't reached in two, should allowing for the left to right incline down to the green, which itself also slopes left to right, be ideally aimed to the front left of the green.

Pro's Tip - From the tee the ground rises quickly and steeply to the plateau green, with a bunker guarding the front right half. With mature trees and out of bounds to the right and the ground falling away fairly steeply to the left a well struck straight tee shot is required to the heart of the green.

Pro's Tip - A longish well-directed drive ideally left of centre, to compensate for the fairway's slope and keeping clear of the out of bounds on the right, should be the aim here. But beware that too far to the left will probably catch the line of trees that separate the fourteenth and sixteenth fairways. Your second shot needs to carry a large clover leaf-shaped bunker, in the middle of the fairway, about 100 yards from the green. Take into account the rising ground, which will take some of the steam out of a rolling ball even under quite firm conditions and a large bunker guarding the front right half of the green.

Pro's Tip - With a mature wood along the left-hand side, a bank of mature trees crossing in front of the fairway which tilts from left to right over the greater part of its length before dipping down over the last 50 yards or so to the green and a copse of trees to the right, accuracy is the priority and your tee shot should be aimed down the left side. The front right half of the kidney shaped green is guarded by a large bunker that draws balls from left to right so only the bravest will take on a right hand pin placement directly.

Pro's Tip - Arguably the hardest hole on the course, a right hand dog-leg with mature trees and out of bounds lining the right side requires a steely nerve on the tee, as going left adds extra distance to your second shot. From the dog-leg the fairway slopes down all the way to the large green, shared with the 8th, in front of the clubhouse. Out of bounds continues all along the right side, including the practice putting green. A bunker on the left front of the green and a shallow bunker between the 18th green and the practice putting green are waiting to catch all but the straightest of approaches. Par this one and you will have good reason to walk off the last happy!