SOUTHERNDOWN GOLF CLUB: Bracken to the left of you, bracken to the right and a fairway rising up to the sky. The maestro Henry Cotton described the first here as one of the most difficult opening holes he'd encountered. This is not surprising considering the number of experts who've had a hand in shaping Southerndown into one of the finest natural downland courses. Willie Fernie designed the original in 1905 and Harry Vardon and James Braid also gave their advice on the layout, predicting it would be one of the best. The renowned W. Herbert Fowler added refinements in 1907, as did Willie Park in 1913. In 1918 Harry Colt made his contribution and recently Donald Steel advised on extensive improvements. But the bracken and gorse-lined and sheep-cropped fairways that once hosted the Piccadilly Masters and the Martini International are still much as they were with a tough finish culminating in an 18th hole that takes you towards the sea via a split-level fairway. As Bernard Darwin said in 1910, "an excellent course, Southerndown. It is perched high aloft and looks down on Porthcawl, amid the many other glories of a beautiful view."