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Our latest course review takes us to Camberley Heath; charming, immaculate and full of character.

Golfers in the south-east really are blessed with some truly fantastic courses to test themselves, none more so than those heath, heather and woodland courses on the sandbelt around Surrey and Berkshire.

Camberley Heath, a private members' club just off the M3, is positioned beautifully on the intersection between Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire, and is undoubtedly one of the area's gems.

It has a rich 95-year history and some notable royal connections; King George VI was an honorary member and the Prince of Wales, later to become King Edward VIII, followed as patron of the club. And approaching the club, it is immediately obvious that Camberley Heath remains a high-class club.

The Eurosport-Yahoo! trip there was one of the highlights of the golfing summer; from friendly welcome from club manager, pro-shop staff and course marshall, to 18 holes on an consistently immaculate and occasionally dramatic layout, to end-of-round drink outside the impressive club-house overlooking the 18th green.

The course is virtually free of water, until the small lake on the 16th hole, but, typically of architect Harry Colt, the challenge is still significant, thanks to effective bunkering and clever use of the towering trees and rolling contours of the land. The first hole is Camberley Heath in a delightful microcosm: elevated tee, with a drive down to a beautiful fairway which dog-legs right, leading up to a small, sheltered, two-tier green protected by bunkers.

The par threes are worthy of note, with tee-shots requiring hands-on-hip, chin-stroking thought, and greens that rarely leave a simple up-and-down putt. The 140-yard second, for example, is played to a raised green with a steep drop into the heather should you club short.

Meanwhile, the final three holes are real round-breakers. The 16th is where the first true expanse of water appears, a nicely manicured lake three-quarters of the way down a short par-four, prompting a precise approach. The 17th is a 414-yard par four with out of bounds down the left, and trees and bunkers down the right.

And then comes the 18th; a stunning closing hole. The drive from the elevated tee looks out over one dip to a heather-coated hill, behind which is a hidden landing in a second valley, with a safer second option being an iron off the tee down to "Old Man's Corner," to the left of the hill.

Either way, you'll leave yourself with an approach to an elevated green so high above it is blind from the fairway - make sure you club correctly, because the last thing you want to do is over-hit and have the members watching from the patio behind the green scampering for cover.

Overall: A fantastic layout in very atmospheric surroundings at a welcoming and friendly club, Camberley Heath is a very pleasant place to play some heathland golf. Thoroughly recommended.

Favourite hole: The 18th is a cracker, a really unusual and thoroughly testing finish. But the 487-yard par-five third also stuck in the memory, with an elevated tee-shot through a corridor of trees and an amphitheatre green.

Value-for-money: Around £50 for a mid-week round (call the pro-shop for the latest prices) represents fine value, especially when compared with the more expensive courses on offer close by.

Details: Camberley Heath Golf Club, Golf Drive, Camberley, Surrey

GU15 1JG. Tel: 01276 23258

Website: www.camberleyheathgolfclub.co.uk

Alex Sharratt / Eurosport