Top: Sea view on the stunning 5th hole. Above: One of the many raised greens at the 11th hole

Looking out to sea at the 1stBunkers protecting the 3rdMore pot bunkers at the 8th

I must admit I’m not one for long drives and at first the five-hour slog from London to Cornwall wasn’t something I was particularly looking forward to. But the exciting prospect of playing a Harry Colt jewel with the sea in front of me means those five hours fly by. I just can’t wait to smell that fresh sea air and step on that first tee – and I’m not disappointed.

It’s a warm summer’s day and the weather is perfect, not too hot with a nice breeze to make things interesting. I tee up just outside the beautiful white clubhouse and look out to the hard brown fairways – just the way links courses should look with their emerald greens like jewels in the desert. I take out my 3-wood because the fairway funnels through two dunes that stand like sentries with their pot bunkers waiting to collect anything long and slightly wide. I place the ball in the middle of the fairway…and I’m off. I feel like a kid at his first fairground and it’s only been three weeks since my last links fix. But I’m happy to take centre stage, stand hand on heart and declare: my name is James Mason and I am a links addict!

I’ve heard so much about Trevose and as I play my second shot over the dunes to the hidden green on the first, this track is living up to what I’d imagined. I would recommend you make an excursion to the championship tees on the signature par-5 fourth hole, just to look out to sea and see how tough that tee shot is from up there.

I could now run though every hole shot by shot, telling you how the greens are raised on pedestals waiting to be worshipped and anything short will be discarded like some lowly commoner wanting the princess’ hand. As I sit here in the Constantine Restaurant looking out to Quies Rocks, with the shafts of dying orange sunlight breaking through the clouds and reflecting off the slate-grey sea, I can imagine Mr Colt sitting in this exact same place, pipe in hand and smile on his face, looking out across his creation and over to the calm Atlantic Ocean, which like this course can be a beast when the wind blows. I raise my glass in a silent toast to his genius, and I know you will do the same.

The green at the Par 5, 10thBunkers at the beautiful 17th18th is a tough finishing hole

All golf photography taken on the day of play © James Mason