Painswick GC

The blind 90m 5th hole, played to a tiny punchbowl green, is one of a kind

A more amazing inland view would be hard to find

Course name: Painswick GC

Location: Painswick, Gloucestershire

Four Word Course Review: Quirk at its best

I never thought I would play a course with a 220m par four, a blind 90m par three and a par four with the drive played over a four-way road intersection - not to mention nine crossovers or shared fairways - and describe it as a must-see. But there you go, life's full of surprises.

Painswick was the site of an Iron Age quarry and fort. The opening five holes see you climb up to Painswick Beacon, playing over and alongside the quarry the whole way. At the 5th, you hit a wedge over a high ridge to a punchbowl green!

From there the course heads back down the hill, criss-crossing holes played peviously five times and utilising the same fairways - albeit played in opposite directions - at the 2nd, 3rd, 8th, 9th, 14th and 15th. It comes in at less than 4900 yards and has a par of 67 (SSS is 62), but you'll struggle to find a golf course with more fun shots, that puts a beaming smile on your face and takes as much out of your legs in such a short distance.

It's a once in a lifetime experience, as is the experience of standing atop Painswick Beacon, behind the 6th tee, which offers views all the way to Wales on a clear day.

New Zealand GC

Equal parts beautiful and lethal: the par 4 15th, with a fantastic centreline bunker at the green

The 10th - far from an easy par despite being no more than a wedge for most golfers

The second green features a beautiful snaking bunker, the front of which leaves you with a gruelling 30m explosion shot. The running approach is possible, but not evident from the driving zone, which is typical of the bunkering at NZGC

Course name: New Zealand Golf Club

Location: Addlestone, Surrey

Four Word Course Review: Bunkering overcomes flat site

I spent a wonderful afternoon at New Zealand Golf Club, a real haven of old-world charm.

Assistant secretary Richard Pennell greeted me and showed me through the cosy and charming clubhouse and locker rooms - the latter featuring a 100-year-old locker bearing the name of former member Arthur Conan Doyle - before we ventured out onto the course.

There isn't much change in elevation, but Tom Simpson's bunkering and redesign of Mure Ferguson's creation and lifelong love overcomes the site's natural limitations.

Bunkers that seem to be on the greenside reveal themselves to be 30m short as you approach them having been deceived as you weighed up your approach, several greens tilt subtly but sufficiently towards the back that a ball not run on from short of the putting surface will continue through to the trouble waiting beyond, and most holes exist in their own, private corridor - surrounded by pines, heather and the natural flora and fauna (including deer) of the London heathland.

The short par four 8th and equally short 13th each stand out as highlights, as do the collection of one-shotters: the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 10th and 16th, ranging from a 160m carry over heather at the last of them to a wedge to a multi-tiered green surrounded by sand at the 10th.

The only par 5 on the course, the 14th is reachable for many, but a front-to-back sloping green and smart bunkering on the drive and approach, as well as a sea of heather, conspire to make it a worthy stroke index 2.

The course really hits its stride when you cross back to the main paddock and walk onto the 12th tee. I've played very few stronger finishes, and can't recall a more charming golfing experience.