Home to the BMW Championship since 1984 and the HSBC World Match Play Tournament for almost half a century, Wentworth's esteemed West Course will be comfortingly familiar to all who enjoy the cerebral experience of televised golf.

Some may even remember the club hosting the 1953 Ryder Cup, in which a British team captained by Henry Cotton and featuring Peter Alliss, Dai Rees and Fred Daly lost by a single point to the United States.

So steeped in tradition is the Wentworth club that Alliss lends his dulcet tones to an affectionate hole-by-hole guide to the West Course on its website, and the European PGA Tour have set up base in their hallowed halls. If St. Andrews is Britain's answer to Augusta, then Virginia Water is surely the closest we come to Jupiter, Florida.

Winding our way up to the impressive clubhouse, the sense of grandeur was unmistakable. Unsurprisingly, mine was the only second-hand Peugeot in the players' car park, and we were soon smiting balls on the driving range with a couple of high-profile Premier League footballers for company - let's just say they were from the red side of Merseyside.

As first-tee nerve-wranglers go, courses don't come much harder. With a statue of former Wentworth and two-time Ryder Cup captain Bernard Gallagher watching on, you're required to drive out over a private road with an expansive putting green very much in play to the left if you hit a vicious opening hook. Add to that the "comforting" presence of a starter and you're all set.

Designed by Harry Colt and opened for play in 1926, Wentworth's West Course was updated by its most famous resident, Ernie Els, in 2005 and 2007, and plays a lengthy 7,308 yards from the championship tees. Right from the opening hole it becomes clear this is not a course for the cautious. To score well you have to launch drives like exocet missiles.

Unusually for such an exclusive and historic course, play was infuriatingly slow. With several fourballs ahead, we laboured from hole to hole and frequently stood poised for as long as 15 minutes waiting for the opportunity to play. At the ninth we had time for a three-course meal, but made do with a Mars bar.

Such delays allowed time for contemplation, however, and the opportunity to soak up a quite beautiful golf course. Lined by pine, birch and oak trees and with abundant heather to add colour, Wentworth is everything you've seen on television and more.

The fairways, though scarred by far too many divots for a course in its price range, played soft and true and the greens are as you would expect - devilishly fast and liable to cause to the weekend sluggers among us a world of pain. But then that's all part of the experience.

The real challenge of the West Course is finding position from the tee. Wayward drives are punished heavily and it's extremely easy to send a sleeve of balls into the woods. Though it's tempting to draw irons, any sacrifice on distance will invariably leave you requiring a monumental second shot.

After finishing our round, we strolled onto to the elegant terrace to sup well-earned beers under the late evening sun - a memorable conclusion to a memorable day.

Wentworth's West Course is undeniably a wonderful golf course, and for any golf fan the chance to play a championship course is a truly special thing. You can't help but feel, however, that this course has sacrificed some of its charm for corporate gain.

Overall: A beautifully designed course with a fine sense of tradition, but sadly tinged with a soulless corporate feel as a result of over-crowding on the day of our visit.

Favourite hole: The 388-yard eighth, which requires a solid drive and an accurate iron over a lake to a sloping green - devilishly hard, but glorious.

Value for money: The green fees fluctuate with the seasons, and range from £115 in the winter to £285 from late May to September. While this may be a world famous resort, the latter is an absurdly inflated rate when you consider the cost of comparable courses in the south of England.

Details: Wentworth Club, Wentworth Drive, Virginia Water, Surrey, GU25 4LS

Website: www.wentworthclub.com

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Will Tidey / Eurosport