For anyone new to the game, beginners or even those seeking to hone certain weaker parts of their play, you can do far worse indeed than take to the tees at Colworth Golf Club.

By taking the A6 north of Bedford for ten miles through the quaint little village of Shambrook, you will find the club and its lovely 9-hole course. It can be played as an eighteen-hole off alternative tees which allows a variety of golf to played, and if played like this, it measures only just over 5000 yards, so it is not too heavy on the legs.

It is laid out on some luxurious parkland and, next year, will celebrate its 20th birthday, having been founded in 1985.