West Sussex

The long par three 6th, will all kinds of trouble looming

Looking towards the 13th green, defended at the front and right by deep bunkers remeniscent of the Melbourne sandbelt

Rolling terrain, beautiful bunkering and ample heather come together at the par four 17th

Course name: West Sussex
Location: Pulborough, West Sussex
Four Word Course Review: Perfect rolling golf terrain

Climbing out of the car next to West Sussex Golf Club's practice range, clubhouse and 1st and 18th holes, you'd never believe some of the world's most perfect golf terrain is sitting within a couple of hundred metres.

But walk off the first green (and the opening hole, the only par five on the course, is far from pedestrian despite its flatness) and you enter Nirvana, except this one smells like heather, pine trees and - at times - the smell of raw fear.

After some gentle yet challenging par fours from the 2nd to the 4th and a picturesque if not ball-breaking one-shotter at the 5th, you stroll onto the sixth tee without a care in the world to be confronted by a green 200m away down a steep hill, over a lake and with heather to its left, sand to its right and thick woods over the back.

There are certain parallels to the 16th at Cypress Point (especially in its combination with the 5th, just as 15/16 at CPC are often mentioned as a package) in that a wide bail-out zone sits safely to the side, but something about that green almost ordains that you must have a crack.

From then on it's time to buckle in for some awe-inspiring golf amongst the heather, with pines and other trees framing the wide fairway corridors. Doglegs unguarded by trees tempt you to go for glory, but a heathery end awaits anything misguided. Or at least it should: on the 430-odd-yard par four 7th, I blocked my drive into the pretty but deadly bushes, for reasons best known to myself hit a hybrid out and got lucky as it sailed to within 30m of the green, from which point I pitched in for a birdie. But the vagueries of the heather became apparent on the 14th as a seven iron from the heather flew just 20m!

The 10th and 11th each dogleg over fairway bunkers that, depending on the day's wind, are either there to be bombed over or a sturdy defence. The 11th green particularly, with its steep green-front upslope, is much easier to access with a wedge than a six iron.

The 13th has one of the most fiercely-bunkered greens around, and the most major putting surface slopes on the course, while the 16th has no bunkers at all, but two seas of heather short of the green and another two flanking the driving zone ensure it doesn't want for intimidation!

The greens are quite tame, but after what you face getting to the putting surfaces, that seems reasonable. What's more, the par 68 course measures under 6300 yards from the tips, so there's plenty of time for 36 in a day with a relaxing lunch in between - just the way golf should be played!

Woking

The par three 2nd is 220 yards of terror, but a hell of a fun hole. It occurred to me after the round that by combining the first and second holes at Woking, you could have an all-world short par five!

The 5th captures the serenity of Woking, with a green among the most challenging and perplexing on the course

The drive on the par four 6th is from up on a hill, providing one of the best views on the course. I can only imagine how amazing it looks when the heather is in full bloom

Course name: Woking
Location: Woking, Surrey
Four Word Course Review: Heather-clad rollicking ride

Woking is a beautiful part of Surrey, so it stands to reason that the golf course is pretty easy on the eye. Heather abounds, tall trees frame the holes (without encroaching on the playing lines) and make you feel you've descended into another world for three hours.

And what an enjoyable world it is, once you've found the entrance to the golf club driving in from the town centre, which is no mean feat!

Like many old UK courses - and I suppose my home course fits this description and this could be why I love it - Woking doesn't bash you with length. If I had to play courses calling for long iron second shots into featureless greens all day I'd probably give the game away.

The presence of quirk to ensure the shortish holes can't be manhandled is really charming, the simple green on the 277-yard opening hole a case in point. It tilts significantly but not dramatically away from the golfer, so even someone skillful (or lucky) enough to reach the green with a straight opening drive could well see their ball spat off the back of the green.

The thick, purple heather bordering most holes - and making its presence most acutely felt at the 5th, 6th, 12th, 13th and 14th - adds an air of challenge to some otherwise open tee shots, and the bunkering is superb. There may only be 47 bunkers on the course, but their placement is awesome, a case in point the way the 3rd and 11th greens are so well protected by a single bunker.

The greens have a heap of movement for an inland course of Woking's age (it was built in 1893), allowing for wildly differing strategies and driving lines depending on where the hole is cut. Encountering a few long putts up, down and across steep tiers was a highlight of the round, even if I did come of unquestionably second-best!

You could play Woking for the rest of your life and never get close to being bored (my Artisan playing partner has done just that!), and when it comes to a member's golf course such as this, that's really the highest praise you could ask for.