Bro Hof Slott Castle

"Tell us whether we got the order right."

Our hosts had spent weeks meticulously planning the schedule for our trip to Sweden to ensure it ended on a high note.

Surprisingly, they chose the Castle course at Bro Hof Slott as the grand finale, even though it was the only one on our itinerary not ranked in Continental Europe's top 100.

This isn't to say it's unheralded. Top100golfcourses.com rates the course 16th in Sweden, and the top ten in the country are all on the Continental Europe list.

Our hosts weren't the only Swedes who felt it deserved a higher ranking and was superior to its sibling, the Stadium course we had played the day before.

I wasn't so sure. For me, the Stadium's intense water holes and dramatic run-in gave it the edge.

However, the Castle certainly has some superb holes.

And it was a shame that our England versus Sweden match ended on the 16th, as we missed out playing competitively on the final two holes next to the lake in front of the baroque-style clubhouse.

The Castle course is a rarity, featuring six par-fives, six par-fours, and six par-threes.

The Berkshire Red is the only other course I can recall with a similar layout.

Risk and reward is the name of the game here, and I regretted playing it safe on the par-five first hole.

My drive went well, navigating between trees and bunkers, but my second shot only reached just short of the dogleg turn towards the green.

With a tree and rock formation to my left and a stream to the right of the tiered green, which was also guarded by a bunker, I should have gone for it.

Instead, I laid up and paid the price of a lost hole.

The tantalising par-three fourth hole is a test, with sand stretching from tee to green.

Players must negotiate a waste area dotted with grassy mounds. My shot faded to the right, and the ball was engulfed by the sticky, abundant rough that is a feature of the Castle course.

A similar style is a feature of the par-four sixth, with its green surrounded by tall pines.

Mrs W and I had been struggling to keep pace with our hosts when we arrived at the seventh, a super downhill par-three surrounded by trees.

 I hit a great shot that zipped past the cup and came to rest at the back of the green, while our opponents came up short.

However, I hadn't realised how fast the green ran from back to front, and watched my putt trundle past the hole. I missed my return shot, giving them another win.

The par-five ninth is a superb hole. It demands a drive over a waste area before the fairway turns towards the perched green, which is protected by a stream running diagonally in front of it.

The par-four 14th also features a waste area dotted with rocks, adding to the intimidation from the tee. Accuracy with the driver is paramount again on the 15th, a par-five cut into a forest.

We were holding on by our fingernails as we teed up on the 16th, a brilliant short par-four with a wide waste area down the right.

I belted one of my best drives of the day down the left and struck a pleasing approach shot to about 15 feet.

Our Swedish host was equally inspired but went one better, sinking a superb birdie putt that put my par in the shade.

That completed an excellent four-round match that had gone to the 70th of 72 holes.

The game deserved to be won with a birdie, but it was a shame we couldn't stretch it further, as the 17th and 18th are two of the Castle's most memorable holes.

The 17th is a par-three that runs along a lake to a swirling green on the water's edge. Our final hole was a fantastic par-four that comes back the other way with the clubhouse in the background. It demands a shot over the lake before it turns towards the green.

While I disagreed that the Castle course was more fun than the Stadium course, it was certainly well worth playing.

It capped off a few days that made us eager to return to Sweden very soon.