Top Island carries

The fairways form island oases surrounded by a desert scrub which is designated as one big bunker. Every tee shot involves a carry of" at least 120yd (110m), and many of the holes need another good hit to clear more wasteland to find the green.

The penalties for missing the fairways or greens are severe. Miss a fairway and you must contend with the unraked natural bunker -and a really wild shot is lost in the thick woods.

The sand runs right up to the greens - many of which are slightly raised - and is shaped into the more usual manicured bunkers. A fraction off line and the ball is gathered into trouble. It's green or nothing.

Pine Valley doesn't stage professional tournaments - the trees and scrub make the course so tight that it can't cope with the large galleries that accompany an event. But the Walker Cup has been held here twice, in 1936 and 1985, as the spectators are allowed to walk the fairways while following the matches.