As a matter of respect to the golf course and its traditions. There will be no photo documentation used. The image and name of Splashworld, should suffice as a suitable substitute.

In the fortnight leading up to my trip to Splashworld, I asked my friends about their time and experience of the place. In order to gauge a deeper understanding and appreciation of Splashworld, beyond the fly over videos or old footage that exists. The general consensus was that Splashworld was one of the best places they have ever visited in their lives and the difficulty of Splashworld was made abundantly clear to me.

Upon reflection, the feedback given wasn’t helpful in the slightest. In fact, I wasn’t prepared for the examination that occurred in the slightest. So today I come to you as a fellow student or tutor if you will. To best help you best succeed or cope with ‘The Splashworld Exam.’

If you are one of the fortunate ones that has received an invitation to Splashworld. I would first of all like to congratulate you. You’ve reached a significant standard and standing as a golfer to warrant an invite. The pass mark of the Splashworld Exam is a Par 72 or better. Frequently asked questions for the exam do include ‘But I’m not going to Splashworld to be examined, I’m going there to have fun!’ I had similar intentions when going to Splashworld, but if you intend to tee a ball up on the first, then you’ll be examined against your will. You can try and not keep score, but deep down you will know whether you have passed or failed.

The duration of the exam is over the 18 holes of golf, with the first section of four holes testing the fundamentals of ball control. The first hole and opening question being, can you hit 2 consecutive straight golf shots? The dog leg right Par 4 plays to a green complex that is walking the plank. A miss left or a miss right and your caddie will be calling for “man overboard!” Question number two in the test has 3 parts to the question and is over the duration of 2 holes. How good is your distance control? Can you lay back the distance of your drive to the optimal position? Can you control the distance with an uphill approach shot? Can you control the distance with a downhill approach shot? Splashworld places a premium on ball control and it puts you to the test immediately through the first 3 holes. The fourth hole is a long bending par 4 that climbs up an over a large dune formation, the perfect time to question the golfers ability to shape a golfball and to shape the ball with control.

If you’ve managed to answer the first section of questions in the Exam, then hey! you might in with a chance with passing the exam. If you’re on the fence as to whether you’re going to pass or fail, you’ll definitely know once you’ve finished hole 5. As for the rest of the exam, it’s combination of all the opening questions, like a sickening algebraic algorithm where ‘x’ is your golf ball and every question from here on out looks completely different from the last. Remain in control and don’t do anything you haven’t studied for in the Splashworld Exam, Good Luck.