Golf: Hole by hole guide to Inverness course

1 395 yards, par 4. Players will probably not use drivers on this short, straight opening hole, which features a small, elevated green guarded by bunkers on each side.

2 385 yards, par 4. This straight par four is lined by trees on the right and a series of bunkers on the left. The green, protected in the front and sides by three bunkers, has severe undulations.

3 194 yards, par 3. A big pond guards the right front of this green, which has three distinct levels allowing for a variety of difficult pin positions.

4 466 yards, par 4. The longest par four on the course will require most players to hit a relatively long iron to a small, round green which slopes down from back to front.

5 409 yards, par 4. This dog-leg left, with a stream running along the right side, will require a precise tee shot. A big hump in the middle of the green could play havoc with approach shots.

6 210 yards, par 3. The course's longest par three has a slightly elevated triangular green well protected by bunkers. A north-east wind could make this hole play extremely long.

7 454 yards, par 4. The fairway is bordered by a stream along the right and the left side is filled with mounds and swales. The green is elevated and falls away sharply from left to right.

8 554 yards, par 5. The green on this long dog-leg left hole may be reachable in two shots, but plenty of trouble awaits - several deep bunkers in front and on the sides and dense trees at the back.

9 422 yards, par 4. Length off the tee is important to set up a short-iron approach because the well-bunkered green is bordered by out-of-bounds.

10 361 yards, par 4. The drive here must carry well over 250 yards in order to have a flat lie for an approach to a green with a stream in front and bunkers on both sides.

11 378 yards, par 4. Except for an extremely narrow landing area guarded by two gaping bunkers, this is a relatively easy hole with a flat, open green.

12 167 yards, par 3. The elevated green, surrounded by a necklace of bunkers, has a ridge that runs through the centre from back to front.

13 515 yards, par 5. While reachable in two shots, this green is no easy target. It is severely elevated and bordered by big bunkers.

14 450 yards, par 4. The ideal tee shot here is a fade that avoids an enormous horseshoe-shaped bunker - from which the green cannot be reached. The putting surface, which has a rise in the middle, is the smallest on the course.

15 465 yards, par 4. The long approach shot here must avoid five bunkers which surround the small, fairly flat green.

16 407 yards, par 4. While relatively short, this hole can be troublesome. A big bunker to the right and about 15 yards short of the green makes the approach shot distance difficult to judge.

17 435 yards, par 4. A long drive will help here because the approach to the green is downhill and somewhat blind - and because of the the green slants severely from back to front.

18 357 yards, par 4. Perhaps the shortest closing hole for a major championship, this hole still requires a precise tee shot to set up a possible birdie opportunity. The green is very heavily bunkered in front and to the left and slopes severely towards the right rear.

Inverness was designed by the Scottish architect Donald Ross, with four holes modified by George and Tom Fazio for the 1979 US Open.