Mill Hill

The 5th green is the start of the really good golf, the putting surface hidden from view as you approach over a diagonal valley that grabs anything short and funnels it away to the left

Hugging the creek and flying the bunker pays dividends at the 7th, which is much easier to approach from the right, with anything driven safely left having to contend with the large left-hand greenside trap. The bunker visible short-right of the green is a good 30 yards short of the putting surface

Perhaps the best shot on the course is the second to the 13th, with the bold pulpit green rejecting anything short and sending it either into a bunker or back 20 yards or more down the steep fairway

Course name: Mill Hill
Location: Mill Hill, London
Four Word Course Review: Bloodline evident despite shortcomings

Changing our shoes and discussing how lucky we were to score a sunny 19C day in mid-April, a Mill Hill Golf Club member sauntered up in the locker room to ask if we were visitors.

The Australian and American accents may have given it away. We said we were. First time.

"You're going to love it out there," he said. "Great course. You know what I love most about it? Every hole is separated from the others by lots of trees, so you can't see anyone playing another hole because of the trees. There are so many trees it's... perfection."

Mill Hill - one of six John Abercromby designs in southern England (The Addington, Worplesdon, Knole Park, Coombe Hill, Mill Hill and Bovey Castle) - has the potential to be a better course than it is, but to achieve that you'd have to break that bloke's heart and rip out a few of his beloved trees.

The 3rd could be a tempting hole of 280 yards were it not for the thick grove that blocks your view of the green - set tantalisingly behind a diagonal creek - from the tee, though I accept that with the M1 Motorway over the OOB fence it does its job in deterring you from having a crack, pulling it left and hitting a car.

Elsewhere there is an occasional over-treed tightness that dimishes play, but never as seriously as it does on the 3rd.

The terrain is extreme, just as at The Addington, and here Aber has not been shy about routing holes straight over the hills and valleys, though without the bridges that save you on a few holes at The Addington, this is a far more taxing walk.

Many holes play from a high tee over low ground to a high green (something you see on the likes of 9, 10, 12, 13 and 15 at The Addington). Also in common with Aber's most famous course is just how much you want to avoid overshooting greens at all costs. There are very few examples on either course where missing long is anything but the worst option.

Obvious driving hazards like bunkers and ravines are rare at Mill Hill, but in many instances the better line is protected by uneven land, some man-made humps and hollows or a flanking creek/OOB. The bogey or worse golfer will appreciate what seems a let-off for a misplaced drive, but the better golfer will still aim for the tougher side knowing the benefit of the preferred angle.

Similarly subtle at first glance, there are many greens set just over upslopes that will stop a ball landing fractionally short, while allowing a deliberate running approach to scurry through. But where the property's natural streams cross fairways (2, 3, 9, 10, 17) the green is set well back, allowing a slight miss to be recovered from.

Stealing the show are the:

5th; a par five bending right uphill on land sloping to the left with a deceptive plateau green fronted by a diagonal gully,
7th; a downhill two-shotter bending right around a narrow creek to a grade level green sloping away,
8th; a mid-iron par three to a green leaning left that offers a front tongue for a running approach if you fancy flirting with the LHS bunker,
13th; uphill par four to a pulpit green with a wicked front slope that will repel anything underclubbed, and
14th; a 300-yard journey to a challenging green that is acessible thanks to land that feeds from the left.

The DNA of a great designer like Abercromby is definitely present, largely in the above holes. Ultimately, Mill Hill raises its head above your typical suburban course while not reaching enough high notes to demand that a visitor to London include it on his itinerary.

I can see why the member who warmly welcomed us loves the place so much. The course is genuinely fun to play. It is also sneaky tough, with lots of greens playing much harder than they look, and the clubhouse is first-rate - full of history and class.