Cavendish Golf Club

Cavendish Golf Club: the English county of Derbyshire may not boast too many household-name golf courses, but it's flag-bearer, Cavendish, delivers everything you'd want from a scenic inland course.

Located just outside the spa town of Buxton, on the lower slopes of the Derbyshire Peak District, Cavendish is home to a wonderfully natural mix of parkland, heathland and moorland golf holes. As a collective, they exude the best of Alister MacKenzie's superb design skills. The present day layout retains the routing and virtually all the features crafted into the original design by MacKenzie. Very little has been altered.

Not long by modern standards at just over 5,700 yards from the back tees, the layout makes full use of the naturally undulating terrain. The out-and-back design includes a few blind drives over marker posts, as at the back-to-back par-4 7th and 8th holes. There's also one or two tighter drives to keep you straight and honest, as well as plenty of MacKenzie's excellent bunkering around the greens.

An abundance of wildlife such as buzzards, sparrow hawks, kestrels, deer and hares can prove to be a distraction for even the most focused player. But this all adds to the experience of playing in this quiet, natural corner of Derbyshire. If you can't enjoy Cavendish, maybe it's time to think about giving up the game!

Pick of the holes: Cavendish's "Amen Corner" comes at the par-3 9th and par-4 10th and 11th holes, all of which require a carry, at some stage, over a meandering brook (the River Wye). Our favourite hole was the impish downhill par-3 4th ... simply fabulous!