While the Welsh lay-out, designed by Ross McMurray, will undoubtedly provide an intriguing test of Europe and America's finest, Jim McKenzie has identified the five closing holes, 14-18, as the stretch where the Ryder Cup is likely to be decided.

Here is Jim's take on the course and what the players can expect to confront when they take on Celtic Manor's 'Famous Five'.

Jim McKenzie on 2010 Course at Celtic Manor:

It's not a golf course that favours big hitters, it's a golf course that favours straight hitters. It's about putting the ball in the right place to get close to the pin. Fairways like two are very narrow, you can almost walk down the second in single file, it won't favour the bigger hitter.

Hole eight you could run out of fairway and end in deep rough leaving yourself a bunker on the right to come over to get to the pin. The par-fives are holes where I would expect all the players on both teams to be able to get up in two, you don't have to be a Bubba Watson to reach them. It will be the people that thread the ball down the fairway that do well - keep it on the short stuff is never a bad bit of advice.

Holes one to 13 are where you make your score. Myself and the architect Ross McMurray both agree that it's not until you get to the 14th tee that you even have a decision to make. Holes one to 13 are about putting yourself into a position to start closing the match out.

I guess on the first 13 holes, the best golf hole we have is probably number five, that's probably the best match-play hole we have on that part of the course.

It's rather unfortunate that it's hole five as it doesn't really contribute to the final outcome if you like. It's a great risk and reward hole and we'll play it about 433 yards, there's multiple options, and it's a shame it's at that stage as you're just building up a score.

Moving then to hole 14 as that's really where it all happens. How you play hole 14 and beyond pretty much depends on the state of the match, it may sound obvious but whether you're two up, two down, all square, whether you've just come off a birdie, whether you've just come off a bogey, whether you've been beaten by a par, if you're partner in fourballs has just put it into water or alternatively if you're sharing a ball or whether you're on your own in a singles match, hole 14 will be where your decision is first made.

Holes 14 and 15 are pivotal holes, you could walk on to the 14th tee two up and walk on to the 16 tee all square and alternatively it could be the holes that shut the match out or see you drag yourself back into it.

Hole 14: This hole is going to play around about 460-odd. The should be from behind and should give, the bigger hitters certainly, a chance to clear the water which for the event will be around 280 yards to clear. That will then leave a short shot into the green. Those that don't fancy the water will play up the left of the water and leave themselves about 180 yards in over more water to a very narrow green. This is the start of our Amen Corner if you like, holes 14, 15 and 16 which will be the pivotal holes.

Hole 15: It's quite an interesting hole. When the Wales Open on that hole in the old days of the Wentwood Hills course that hole was hole 13. It was a proper dogleg, a proper two-shotter and everybody hit it up the fairway and then took a wedge or a nine-iron on to the green. But with the advent of new technology and using new tee positions the green has now become in range. It's about 270 yards to carry the green which is about 35 yards long and during the Wales Open that hole produced twos, it also produced sevens and eights and rather embarrassingly in 2009 Corey Pavin was the only man to lose a ball on it.

Hole 16: We think that you'll turn back into the wind here, 16, 17 and 18 have designed to hit into the wind. Hole 16 will play 499 yards long, blind tee shot over a mound to a fairly modest fairway leaving yourself about 150 yards downhill to one of the biggest greens on the golf course which slopes wickedly from left to right. It will be very, very difficult to get close to the pin on hole 16 which is well-bunkered as well, there are some very, very deep bunkers to the right. This should be a real amphitheatre type of area with massive crowds on the left-hand side and hospitality units looking down on you.

Hole 17: This is a long par-three, it's 211 yards but the green is nearly 45 yards long. It's downhill which should take a little bit of the distance off it, it's into the wind and they'll probably be about three or four club selections from front of the green to back of the green. Again, the amphitheatre effect around this green will be quite incredible and, with a big grandstand behind it, from the tee you'll just be hitting into a big sea of faces behind the green. Miss this green to the right and you've got some very, very deep bunkers indeed, I think you would be lucky to see even the top of the pin from those bunkers never mind the bottom.

Hole 18: It would be wonderful to think that the Ryder Cup would finish on the last putt on the last green on the last day, I can't see it happening but you never know. I'm told over 60% of the games at the K Club went down the 18th and if that's the case then it bodes well. We're not going to play this one from the back because we feel that 613 into the wind will take the option of clearing the water in two and getting up on to the green out of the equation. We don't really want to see guys taking an iron down to the water and then pitching up for a five... unless they're a European and they only need a five to win the Ryder Cup of course! We'll play the hole 575 all the way down to 545 yards and that should encourage the players to go for the green in two from an elevated position, down and across water over a very undulating slope, similar to the 17th at Valderrama, and up to a highly-undulating green which is well bunkered and should provide a hugely exciting par-five finish.