The Royal Sydney Golf Club: Exuding all the pomp and character that's reflected in its Royal status, RSGC's Championship course presents a demanding test of golf in very pleasant surroundings. The clubhouse is a fabulously large, almost fortress-like building; the course itself a delight to play and always immaculately presented.

Although housing may have engulfed the hills behind Rose Bay, Royal Sydney has stood the test of time. Through a process of gentle evolution rather than radical redesign, the layout has remained a challenging test for top-level professionals and amateurs alike. The course can still be characterised by one early description of it: "there are no gimmicks, no tricks, chasms or watery caverns on the layout. It's a traditional, old-fashioned, heavily bunkered, tough test of golf, especially in any wind".

On this out-and-back layout, the front-nine follows the boundary fence, with some unintrusive traffic noise occasionally in the background. These early holes contain more undulation than you may at first think, and quickly introduce two of the layout's main defences - a plethora of impressive bunkering and large subtly sloping putting surfaces.

No less interesting than the "outer" front-nine, the "inner" back-nine is slightly less undulating, with small copses of "paperbark" trees providing good definition to the holes. Several times on the back-nine the layout will stretch your driving and approach play, requiring both length and accuracy from tee and fairway. In golfing terms, Royal Sydney is as blue-blooded as they come. A wonderfully crafted and immaculately presented golf course; well worth playing if you possibly can.