No surprise, played this in the rain this September. We were told on the first tee, if a ball looks like it is going in to the rough, all 4 must watch, otherwise, it will be lost. They are not wrong. Feels very narrow, but still a great course to play. Despite the weather, the course was in very good condition, great tees, fairways and greens. Some blind shots off the tee, make it a tricky first time round and it destroyed completely one of my playing partners. The par 3's were good and we were made very welcome in the clubhouse. One to play should you have the chance.

I played Hoylake on a number of occasions and it's a wonderfully strategic course. It's tempting to tackle the length of the course with your driver, but it's taken me a few goes to realise what Tiger worked out quickly, that you have to think your way around very carefully to have any chance of putting together a good score. I tend to disagree with the assessment that the course is not easy on the eye, the views along the Dee Estuary stretch are simply stunning, particularly the view of Hibre Island from the 11th green. The conditioning of the course is fantastic, the greens are true and very easy to putt on, the challenge is finding them in the first place! There are some great holes on the course, the 1st stands out as a tough par 4 to start with a 3 iron to the green with the threat of OB just near the green, the 11th is a real signature par 3 with a tough tee shot and the 16th stands out as a real risk-reward par 5 with a birdie or a double bogey equally likely. The course has undergone some improvements over the winter including a brand new 17th green, which looks like it will be fantastic, I can't wait to play the new changes. Take some time to experience the amazing history and golf memorabilia in the clubhouse, it's truly inspiring, especially when you see the type of clubs the old pros used to tackle this classic links with.