just like raylloyd7, i was fortunate to be able to test this course and i really loved the experience...
this par 72, set again in england's countryside in trent, has a very nice hilly panorama with a wide-open landscape, beautiful and challenging holes, with a combination of doglegs, uphill and/or downhill fairways and greens, and quite a few water hazards.
after the nice dogleg par-4 2nd hole, slightly right, with a narrow fairway in the middle and an elevated green with a wide lake behind, and the dogleg par-5 3rd, similar, but with a slightly uphill tee shot, followed by a downhill shot to the green, you will reach the pretty par-3 4th hole, with its green beyond a big elongated pond.
the par-5 6th hole is very nice too with its downhill tee shot, a small pond and a wide lake on the right of the fairway, with the view of the castle, far left, the hills in front, and with a blind tee shot to the elevated green, slightly to the right at the tip next to the lake.
the dogleg par-4 7th hole, with the lake and the ruins of the castle on the rocky island on the right, and more rocks in the lake near the green, is very picturesque and quite different from the nice dogleg par-4 9th hole, beautiful with its trees on the small hill on the left side and four bunkers on the right.
the back 9 has some very nice holes too, starting with the downhill dogleg par-4 10th and its beautiful panoramic view from the tee box with four bunkers halfway.
after two uphill shots on the left dogleg par-4 11th hole, the right dogleg par-4 12th has a downhill tee shot and is quite nice with a slanted and undulated narrow fairway and an elevated green with the lake behind.
if the left dogleg par-4 14th hole is pretty with a downhill tee shot and a little quarry on the right near the elevated green, the par-3 15th hole is “cute”, with a little pond at a bottom of a big rock and with a small fence around, not far from the green.
then, after the long and pretty straight par-5 16th hole, with a narrow fairway and quite a few bunkers lined up on both sides of the fairway, you will have a beautiful panoramic view from the tee box on the par-4 17th hole, with two big ponds on both sides near the green.
as for the left dogleg par-5 18th hole, with its slightly uphill tee shot, small rocks on the right and an elevated green, not far from the clubhouse, it will offer you one last chance for an eagle opportunity...
well designed, this course is a pure delight to watch and play and is a very good complement to micko's trent vale, released earlier...