Type of course? As hilly as Madeira. There are three 9 hole courses. Two tough hilly ones and one easier, flat one. We climbed a mountain the day before and were both hobbling on very sore legs, so we picked the two tough, hilly ones. Pleasant staff? Very welcoming and all spoke English. Best hole? The 4th par 3 on the Machico course. The fairway hugs a curved chasm on the left and the green is...

Type of course? Parkland Pleasant staff? Yes Best hole? None stood out Après golf? Mediocre nachos for me, mediocre egg and salmon sandwich for Charlotte Nice round? We were both very disappointed by the course. At £47 a round (even though we only played £26 thanks to the James Braid discount), we had high expectations. However, it was just a bit… meh. Completely unremarkable. And very...

Type of course? Parkland. Pleasant staff? Wonderful, all of them, especially the bar staff who always gave me two pieces of shortbread with coffee. Best hole? The first two times I played the 17th, I hated it. It made me quite angry, in fact. Imagine a dogleg left that, unless you can drive 250 yards into the wind, gives you no other choice but to hit your second shot over a long row of HUGE,...

Type of course? Downland. Pleasant staff? Yes. Best hole? I liked the 12th because I love risk/reward holes. It’s a short par 4, so the driver isn’t needed, especially as the entrance to the green is very narrow. There are trees on the right if you’re short, rough on the left if you stray a little bit and a bunker to collect your ball on the right if it catches the slope...

Type of course? Parkland/Downland Pleasant staff? Did their job Best hole? I really liked the 18th. It’s a short par 4 with a tree in the middle of the fairway, which makes for a tricky drive, but the second shot is even trickier. The green is down the slope and is well protected by a couple of bunkers. The best way to come in is to float a ball above the bunkers and land it softly on the...

Type of course? Parkland Pleasant staff? Really, really lovely golf pro. He couldn’t have made us feel more welcome. Best hole? I really enjoyed every hole, but the 14th par 4 (SI 1 for women) was brilliant. I love an elevated green and the stream just before the green makes for an interesting second shot (I thought I’d keep things simple and went in the water). Après golf? Another...

Type of course? Parkland Pleasant staff? Nice friendly pro Best hole? None stood out Après golf? This was an after-work practice round for an important match (not for me), so the clubhouse was closed. Nice round? It was ok. Maybe I should stop reviewing parkland courses because I just don’t like them and I don’t like not liking golf courses. I like slopes that take your ball into...

Type of course? Trees and ditches Pleasant staff? Lovely – we particularly appreciated them bringing us bottles of cold water while we were playing Best hole? None stood out Après golf? Great ploughman in the lovely shady outside area. I really like the whole ambiance of the club: very welcoming, unpretentious and down to earth. Nice round? Trees and ditches and deafening planes every 20...

Type of course? Parkland. Pleasant staff? Yes. Best hole? None stood out. Après golf? It was a match, so we had average quiche and salad afterwards. Nice round? My opponent was lovely and I played well, so yes. Special memory? My opponent making a rare mistake and going into a pond. All I had to do to win the hole was avoid the pond and put the ball on the green. Simple, no? Splash. Must play...

Type of course? Links. Pleasant staff? Again, no pro shop. Is it a Northern thing? Again, efficient and nice service from the ladies behind the bar. Best hole? The 13th par 3. It’s not really about the hole, but more about the view you get from the tee of the impressive ruins of 14th century Dunstanburgh Castle. As a backdrop to a green, it doesn’t get much more impressive. It was also quite...