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Not overly long at 5,655 yards, Dunwood Manor provides a testing mixture of holes which make maximum use of the changes in elevation, the mature trees and the occasional pond and stream that seem to have a magnetic attraction to any wayward shot.
The 1st is a short uphill par 4, but with tree lined out of bounds along the right edge of the fairway, par here will be a relief. The 2nd needs a drive down a narrow avenue of trees before the fairway opens and doglegs left to a distant green, a true par 5. Then the start of a run of holes, which includes two par 3's separated by another testing uphill par 5. Accurate mid-irons and a trusty driver needed here.
The 6th is fast becoming a signature hole with a very testing second shot over the pond that protects the green, and the 7th provides a little respite before the return run to the clubhouse via four lusty par 4's, three of them over 400 yards including the 11th, our stroke index one.
The 12th is a downhill single shot, with a narrow green and trouble if the putting surface is missed. Time to open the shoulders again on the 13th tee, a dog-leg with a pond and ditch, and the 14th an uphill par 5. Both will reward a long drive on the right line! On the 15th, there is a lake to the left which seems to be out of play, until you hit the drive, a fairway that falls and rises to sweep to the left, and a small green at the end of it - a hole to savour.
Sixteen and seventeen offer the chance to retrieve some of the lost shots. The finishing hole is a cracker, a downhill par 3, with views of the clubhouse, and over the farmhouse, across to the 12th, 14th & 15th holes and the Fairway Lodges set on top of the hill.
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