I think what keeps most golfers coming back to the maddening game is the memory of 'that' shot. Where everything comes together, and amongst a great backdrop, you have pulled off the shot you have been striving for and that memory is treasured for a long time.

With the Manor House Golf Course, with its well-maintained beauty, exhilaratingly challenging holes and captivating views, you are offered plenty of chances to capture several amazing memories during a round.

What strikes me on my visit in the middle of what was a very wet March was how well the course has held up to the torrid weather, with only one small patch of water remaining on a fairway across the whole 365-acre course.

This is due to the topography of the area but also the natural stone underneath that helps with drainage. But this is not to take away from the efforts of a loving grounds team all throughout the year.

Work has been going on to improve this course with some extra water features being brought in and the recent deployment of dozens of robot mowers to keep a high consistency for visitors throughout the season confirms the care and love put into this place.

Your first drive is, somewhat concertedly, played out in front of the clubhouse, with the potential for many armchair spectators. Here you have an invitingly wide fairway to play onto, albeit after a daunting gulley.

After this public beginning, you are off, traversing the steep hills and lush woodland of the Cotswolds on this captivating course.

There are some truly staggering holes on this course in Castle Combe, Wiltshire. Three especially (Par 3 Dipper Bridge at 2, Stepping Stone's Par 4 at 8 and the breathtaking Burton Brook par 3 on 17) make the best use of the hillsides and offer huge drops onto the greens, leaving you wanting to stay there all day to get that picture-perfect drop near the pin.

As mentioned this is a tricky course to try and beat your handicap, with many holes demanding either plenty of layups or some truly excellent shops to keep to par.

Of note is the steep incline to reach the pin on Brodmead Brook at 13 surrounded by bunkers as well as the equally well-defended Par 5 Doolittle which requires some island hopping as well as a straight and true second shot.

Finishing it off is the picture-perfect Woodbury at 18. With its narrowing approach into a small green hemmed in by bunkers and a pretty water feature, it appears to welcome you into the clubhouse after a well-fought game.

The clubhouse itself is a place of easy charm and you find it easy to unwind and talk out how your round went with friends either in the cosy lounge or out on the patio watching fellow golfs embark on hole one or roll in on hole 18.

As well as a simplistic range, practice chipping area and a smart putting green, visitors have a plush changing room to use and a golf shop for all your needs.

The carts (a must for everyone bar the fittest of players due to the steep inclines you will face) are to a high spec with GPS maps and plenty of prompts during your round.

Coming in the form of an Airstream, Manor House has to have one of the best halfway huts I have experienced with the range of hot drinks, cool beers and tasty snacks including warmed-up pastries - just the ticket after a gruelling but satisfying first nine.

Churchill once said that golf was a good walk spoiled, but I doubt he played at Manor House. Regardless of your ability or your eventual score on this demanding course, you're almost guaranteed to come away with a special memory of your time there. Failing that you will have enjoyed traversing such a lovingly maintained route through the stunning Cotswold hillside and woods.

Scenery aside, this is also a place that golf was meant to be played on you can't fail to enjoy some of the challenges this course will throw at you and, particularly due to how well it can hold up in wetter months, this has to be on anybody's 'must do' list of courses both in the south and perhaps in the UK overall.