There are holes that can make a round, and holes that can break a round. Like many good golf courses Port Royal Golf Course has more than its fair share of both, and it is conquering the tough ones that separates the winners and losers. Josh Ball looks at the critical stretches of Port Royal, site of the 2010 PGA Grand Slam of Golf.

Holes 1-3

A good golfer would hope to come out of this grouping with at least two birdies under his belt.

A two-club drop from the first tee can present some problems, but once the ball is on the flat at the bottom it's a fairly straightforward iron shot into a large green. The only danger comes if the flag is back left when the entire approach is over water.

The second hole is a regulation 567-yard par five, with an eagle a certain possibility, while three is a relatively simple 148-yard par three over water.

Holes 4-6

At first glance the fourth looks like a simple, 458-yard par four, with a birdie almost a formality. But, clearing the right-hand fairway bunkers requires a 316-yard carry, and the second shot is far from simple.

The green is protected by bunkers on the left, and at the back, while there is a tight opening at the right, so a poor second shot could easily turn this into a bogey hole.

Five and six have little that should bother the better players, and again, provide the possibility of early birdies.

Holes 7-8

Seven is where it can all come apart on the front nine. A hole with plenty of bunkers, an elevated, exposed green, and the first hint of the damage the wind can do on this course.

Clearing the fairway bunkers on this dog-leg left par five requires a 310-yard carry, but the second shot is then a high-iron from 160 yards into a green that is around one club lower than the distance would suggest, and that's if the wind isn't blowing.

While the second shot is sheltered, the long, but narrow green is exposed, and surrounded by bunkers and steep slopes on the right and at the back.

Pin position will be everything on this hole, with a two-tired green sloping sharply at the front. Putting passed the flag could well see the ball trickle back onto the fairway.

Eight is another relatively simple par-three, but it sits exposed, and if the wind is whipping in off the sea it could cause all sorts of problems.

Holes 11-12

Birdies all the way, keep the ball straight and there's no reason why these two holes shouldn't make the players' scorecards look quite healthy.

Holes 15-17

The closing stretch, this is where it could all go horribly wrong, or where one player might pull away from the rest.

Again 15 will lull the unsuspecting into a false sense of security. Looking down at the green from the tee a mere 412-yards away, this par four screams birdie, and yet it is the ultimate risk-reward hole.

A little pot bunker on the right guards a narrow strip of fairway that will be the players' first target. While it requires a carry of only 250 yards to hit the fairway, the left is protected by more bunkers further on, and the right hand edge disappears down a steep-slope of bushes and rough from which it is almost impossible to recover without taking a penalty. Safety first is the only option.

Sixteen, the signature hole, a 235-yard par three over the sea into a narrow green with wind swirling from either side. Get out with as little damage to the scorecard as possible.

If 15 and 16 have hurt the card, then chasing a birdie at 17 could be fatal. A straight up and down 507-yard par five, the devil is in the green, which slopes sharply at the front, and runs away to the left.

A birdie or bogey are just as likely, and a card that looked like a five-under can just as quickly become a two-under after these three holes.