Hole 1

382 yds par 4: Those who may be wondering what's happened with the routing, are reminded that this is how the course was played until 1971, when the location of the clubhouse was changed. No more than a drive and a pitch, the hole is characterised by a crowned, bunkerless green, which Darren Clarke compared with those at Pinehurst No 2.

Hole 2

420 yds par 4: Rebuilt after being seriously damaged by coastal erosion, the green here represents a very tight target for a mid-iron second shot. But it is off the tee that the real problem lurks, with out of bounds on the Long Beach beckoning the blocked or cut drive. A hole where par will be a very acceptable score.

Hole 3

154 yds par 3: Wind direction has a critical bearing on the difficulty of this splendid par three, which has a wickedly contoured green. Bunkering is strong, especially on the left, where a second trap is hidden. The first taste competitors will get of a what is essentially a very strong grouping of short holes.

Hole 4

456 yds par 4: This offers yet another perfect example of how the course rewards straight driving. Conversely, drives hit right or left will result in long-iron approaches from which it will be virtually impossible to set up realistic birdie chances on a severely sloping, elevated green. One of the most difficult holes on the course.

Hole 5

361 yds par 4: The right-to-left configuration calls for no more than a long-iron off the tee if the ubiquitous rough is to be avoided. A short-iron pitch must then carry a large depression short of the left-to-right tilting green. A bunker on the right and heavy rough on the left will ensure a severe penalty for waywardness.

Hole 6

451 yds par 4: With only mild exaggeration, Jose Maria Olazabal described the entrance to this green as no more than 10 feet wide. It is a classic, visually and strategically, offering a searching examination of driver, long-iron and putter, depending on the wind off the Atlantic. Described by Tom Watson as the best par four in the world.

Hole 7

200 yds par 3: Club selection here is absolutely crucial, given the sheer drop off the front of the green. Though the green is generous, it offers an intimidating target off the tee for a medium to long-iron. The green drops off to the right and is protected on the left by a grass bunker towards the middle and sand further back.

Hole 8

486 yds par 5: Comfortably reachable in two shots in calm conditions, this par five runs in the opposite direction to the parallel 15th. But the difficulty of the green complex was illustrated by Padraig Harrington's experience in yesterday's pro-am where he chipped over the green in three and back over it again in four, on the way to a double-bogey seven.

Hole 9

135 yds par 3: Probably the most difficult hole in practice, even though it was playing no more than a short iron. The problem lies in the firm, crowned nature of the green which is not unlike the 15th at Portmarnock, though considerably narrower. Players will prefer to miss this one to the left.

Hole 10

212 yds par 3: More than any other hole, this evokes vivid memories of Watson's first visit in 1981. Standing on the tee, he had "a dram of whiskey, which I would not normally do, but given the beauty of the location, it seemed highly appropriate." The longest of the par threes, it is characterised by its two-tier green, sloping severely from back to front.

Hole 11

499 yds par 5: Depending on wind direction, this right-to-left dog-leg can be reachable comfortably in two, by taking a brave, diagonal line off the tee. The second shot is played uphill to an elevated green with partially-hidden bunkers to the left. A clear birdie chance to ease the pressures of the homeward journey.

Hole 12

376 yds par 4: From the elevated tee, there is yet another stunning view of the shoreline. On this right to left dog-leg, the ideal tee-shot will pitch at 240 yards on the apex of the fairway. With the right bounce, the second-shot can be reduced from a seven-iron to a wedge into one of the more generous greens.

Hole 13

379 yds par 4: This is normally the 18th, where the drive should be no more than 250 yards on the right side of the fairway, directly towards the clubhouse. From there, a short-iron second shot will carry the famous Sahara bunker, consisting of a curious mixture of sand, shells, stones and ones which can be traced back to Mesolithic times, 5,000 years ago.

Hole 14

400 yds par 4: Barring a hurricane from the left, the graveyard, which dominates this hole, is not in play. The drive, probably with a three wood, should land on the right side of the fairway and feed down the natural contours of the fairway, short of the two bunkers from left. From there, the second is no more than a short iron.

Hole 15

439 yds par 4: A very difficult hole to a seriously elevated green, sloping from back to front. From a medium-iron second shot, the player must be careful to stay below the pin, otherwise he faces a downhill putt of breakneck speed. Sadists looking out for high numbers, should pay particular attention here.

Hole 16

220 yds par 3: It can be taken that only the foolhardy will attack a back-left pin on this green, especially in a right to left wind, giving the proximity of the course boundary. Whatever about where the pin is located, the challenge is to hit the left half of the left-to-right sloping green, so as to remain on the putting surface.

Hole 17

529 yds par 5: This hole has been lengthened on Watson's advice. And he also added strategic bunkering at driving distance both left and right. Out of bounds on the right could also be a factor, depending on wind direction, but from an accurate drive, the green is reachable with a long-iron or fairway-wood second shot.

Hole 18

552 yds par 5: Watson also added bunkers here, once more heightening the importance of straight driving. In fact seven bunkers are in play off the tee, on either side of a fairway measuring only 25 yards. The overall effect has been to make these two par fives far less likely to yield birdies, than the finishing holes at Wentworth.