A short par five which is reachable in two for the longer hitter. This is potentially a gentle opening hole which offers a birdie chance. The trees on the corner of the dog-leg have added more jeopardy to the hole.

The practice ground and out of bounds border the left of the hole so err on being right. There are bunkers left and right at the front of the green which narrow the entrance. Finishing just short of the green, leaves you with a tricky uphill pitch from the gulley where you won’t be able to see the base of the flag.

The longest par three on the course has an elevated tee which gives a great view of this lovely looking hole.

The cross bunker 20 yards short of the green often catches the shorter hitter / player with a lower ball flight. If your ball finishes anywhere on the green after your tee shot, you have played a good one. A two here in competition is always regarded as a “proper two” by the members.

A short, sharp dog-leg left par four with two cavernous bunkers guarding the front of the green. The putting surface has a significant slope from back right to front left.

In the summer, especially when the ground is firm, position is more important than distance from the tee. Hitting into this green from the fairway significantly improves your chances of being able to hold your ball on the green. That said, there is more room right rather than left from the tee. Shorter hitters might favour laying up their approach shot in front of the two deep bunkers rather than risk visiting them.

Our new stunning par three hole hugs the Bollin to the left and has a pond short and right of the green. Like the second hole, it has an elevated teeing ground.

The further up the green the pin position is, the narrower it gets. A slight pull here can send your ball into the River Bollin so aiming at the front or middle of the green no matter where the pin is located is a sensible strategy.

A tough par four up the hill which can play very long at times.

The tee shot is intimidating as you must drive between two trees and hit up the slope. If you hit it far enough, you have a flat lie playing to a huge MacKenzie style green which is below you. There are two flags on this green and you are playing to the near one. The mounds and the slope often obscure the base of the flag from you.

A fabulous looking hole from an elevated tee, where you can see the entire hole laid out in front of you.

From the tee, the Bollin lurks to the right of the trees and left, for that matter, if the long hitter pulls their tee shot. The ground falls away to the right of the green and there are some tricky greenside bunkers which are best avoided.

This hole plays up the hill with a strip of rough across the fairway where the slope begins. This is approx 200 yards from the men's tees and 170 yards from the ladies tees. Out of bounds flanks the right hand side. The green is perhaps the trickiest on the course with a big slope from back to front. Be warned, in the height of summer, players have been known to putt off the green and into the front left bunker.

Hitting the fairway to give a good line to the green is key here. Because of the location of the Bollin, a fade is the perfect shape for the right-handed golfer from the tee.

A drivable par four for the longer hitters with a public footpath and out of bounds down the right hand side.

This hole is welcome relief after the previous three tough holes. Played correctly there is a chance of a birdie. A tee shot that favours the right-hand side of the fairway gives the best angle to the flag. It’s a big green so make sure you know where the flag is before playing your approach.

The clubhouse is now back in view with a par four that has been lengthened over the years. The out of bounds here is on the left-hand side and a large tree is in the fairway approx 110 yards from the centre of the green. The hole plays as more of a right to left dog-leg from the red tees.

Playing right off the tee is the safer option but makes the hole play longer and the semi rough can get quite thick over the summer months. You then have to navigate the large tree in the fairway which intercepts many a ball played in the direction of the green. A pushed, green high approach shot can easily finish in the car park so play the shot with caution. The green is long from front to back.

Just a slightly different angle for the tee shot compared to the first hole. When the men play this hole from the red tees, it becomes a difficult 426 yard par four.

The practice ground and out of bounds border the left of the hole so err on being right. There are bunkers left and right at the front of the green which narrow the entrance. Finishing just short of the green, leaves you with a tricky uphill pitch from the gulley where you won’t be able to see the base of the flag.

From this tee position, the hole plays a little shorter than the first time around and it brings the left-hand greenside bunker more into play.

The cross bunker 20 yards short of the green often catches the shorter hitter / player with a lower ball flight. If your ball finishes anywhere on the green after your tee shot, you have played a good one.

Probably the hole with the greatest difference between the front and back nines. The tee is elevated giving a beautiful view of the first half of the hole and beyond. It plays approximately 60 yards longer than the third be it from the blue, yellow or red tees. This is often described as the signature hole of the course.

The tee shot is a little intimidating but if you can hit the ball any distance down the fairway it should mean that a big number has been taken out of play.

This time around you are much closer to the Bollin and the hole plays over twenty yards longer but is much flatter.

When the ground is firm, it’s probably worth landing the ball short of the green and allowing it to run up to flag.

The hole is a little longer and is almost dead straight compared to the fifth hole. Remember this time around you are heading for the far pin on the MacKenzie green.

This is a difficult and long hole for a stroke seven so dropping a shot here to your handicap is no disgrace.

On the back 9, this hole plays longer from the blue and yellow tees and, consequently, it is not possible to see all of the fairway.

Trust your swing and let your playing partners watch the ball off this tee.

The hole plays a little longer this time but with a better view of the fairway.

Hitting the fairway to give a good line to the green is key here.

The length of the hole is a little shorter on the back nine and the tee is positioned closer to the boundary of the course.

This hole is welcome relief after the previous three tough holes. Played correctly there is a chance of a birdie. A tee shot that favours the right-hand side of the fairway gives the best angle to the flag. It’s a big green so make sure you know where the flag is before playing your approach.

For your final hole, the tee shot from the blue, yellow and red tees is shorter than on the ninth.

However you have played, we hope you have enjoyed your visit to Hale GC and will now take the time to enjoy our renowned hospitality. On a fine day, there really is no better place than sitting on the terrace with a drink and admiring the view.