Located near Bilbao, Laukariz is a big challenge for any level of golfer. Surrounded by a forest, the A+B course is physically demanding and requires very technic tee shots where smart placements are crucial in order to succeed in this course. Out of bounds and water come into play in many holes. Tee shots and bunkers have been rebuilt in the last couple of years to improve the experience of the golfers.

Wrotham Heath is a short course at just over 6000 yards and was pleasingly busy on the day we played. Wrotham Heath started life as a nine-hole course in 1906 and it wasn’t until further land was acquired in the 1990s and Donald Steel was commissioned to build a second nine, that the golf course became more well-known in this beautiful part of Kent.

It is in my view the newer holes, which are mainly on the front nine, that has raised the bar, and this part of the course has some excellent challenges making the best of the ideal hilly terrain. The back nine in comparison seems squeezed in and has some extreme elevation changes and quirky tests, including two very ordinary holes at 14 and 15 across a busy main road.

We played on a glorious spring day which after a very dry spell saw the fairways running fast, while the greens were a bit bumpy in places yet put far better than they looked. There was a lot of recent evidence of tree-felling in a bid to restore the heathland, and the thinning out of vegetation and scrub can only continue to improve the playability of the course over time.

The best of the early holes is the signature hole at 3, a tight downhill par five, and the stretch from here to the par three 7th, which is played over a gulley to a raised green. These holes are all quite outstanding, my photos are of the gorgeous short hole at 5 between heathery banks and the pretty dogleg at 6.

Before and after this there are some slightly more routine parkland holes which work well, except for the run from 12 to 17, including three short holes, which can best be described as adventurous.

Wrotham Heath is a short course at just over 6000 yards and was pleasingly busy on the day we played. The welcome is warm with a delightful clubhouse (a former oast house) fronted by an excellent viewing arena overlooking the opening and closing holes for each nine.

My course rating comprises a good 4 for the front nine, while an average 3 for the back.

Whakatane Golf Club is a solid 18-hole course - the holes are generally forgettable but reliable.

Par 70, about 5,676 meters from the white tees. When I played this course, the conditions were wet. The greens had resisted and drained well, which was great. However, there were huge puddles in some fairways, one of which prevented any approach to the green from being bumped and run.

It has a wonderful 16th hole with a sloped face on its par-3 green. The course is presented in good condition, and the members and staff are welcoming to visitors, allowing us to tee off on a Saturday before the members' competition.