When you arrive at RCGC you could be excused from querying why this achieves Royal status and Sheringham not.  However once you have played your second shot (or 3rd or 4th!!) on to the first green you will soon understand.  The layout and design of RCGC is fantastic.  A course where good shots are rewarded (particularly tee shots) and poor ones, or those career shots you probably shouldn’t have taken on, are penalised.   Without a par 3 until the 9th, this course is a delightful break from the normal scorecard.  The blind 14th is the signature hole (aim further left than you think if you can carry 200!) although my 3 ball was particularly taken with the downhill par 3, 9th hole.  Surrounded by bunkers and dropping a good 100 yards,  the vista should you use the correct club is one to be enjoyed.  We played this course in early May with, as many members informed us, a helpful wind which usually is switched and not helping.  Also the comments of ‘if you can’t play this course today you my as well give up” made us realise perhaps we would never again play RCGC in such calm conditions.  We will be returning though as this is a super track.

Par 72, 6300yds.  Links layout.

A few pointers:  we hired electric trolleys at £8.50 – well worth it as there are some lengthy walks between holes.

Also beware after the 5th that you check the tee data as the natural next tee box is not the next hole.  You need to walk around the tee and the green to the coastal 6th!