1st -The view from the first tee is perhaps familiar to more golfers than any other. The fairway, including the adjoining 18th, is nearly 100 yards across and there are no bunkers or rough. There was a bunker once, called "Halket's", on the far left, but that disappeared long ago, almost certainly because there were grazing rights on that part of the course, and in bad weather sheep would have huddled in and wrecked it!
The only danger on the way to the 1st green is the Swilken Burn, snaking in from the far right before swinging right, parallel with the fairway. Just short of the green it turns sharp left and, invisible from the tee, its 8ft breadth menaces every shot to the pin. Any slice can either go out of bounds or leave an appalling shot over water and out-of-bounds rough. Down the left is sensible; but although the hole is under 350 yards, that line is too long for many even when the wind is only slightly against.
