Wednesday started very early in the morning. We decided that Deal deserved another round in proper weather, so we booked a tee time at 8, to have enough time to play 18 holes there and drive to Rye to play another round in the afternoon. In addition, we had to check out from the hotel, since in the evening we were returning to London.
The first surprise of Rye was long before the trip. I had read many comments about how restrictive the club was and how difficult it is to be allowed to play. After sending an e-mail to the secretary, we couldn't have a warmer response. He made things very easy.
We played the Old course (there is a Jubilee course, built on reclaimed land not long ago). Before playing, you can easily be tricked into believing that it is a short and easy course. Just a par 68. What a wrong impression. Rye it a very long a tough course. It has only one par five, the opening hole, which at 481 yards plays not very long. 5 par 3s of different length add to it. The remaining 12 are par 4s, of which only 2 measure less than 400 yards. There is even one, the 6th, that from the back tees measures 468 yards, with a blind tee shot.
Rye is a fantastic course, a true gem. It has a perfect mixture of holes. The highlights are, in my opinion, the 4th, a 440 yards par 4, in which the landing area for the drive is just a narrow stip of elevated land, the 6th, with a wonderfully old fashioned blind shot from the tee, the 7th, a 159 yards par 7 with a well bunkered green, the 13th, with another blind shot this time the second shot and the 18th, a very difficult finishing hole at 439 yards par 4.
The only hole that we didn't like was the 11th. Not that it is a bad hole, but it has a pond in front of the new tee (or running parallel on the right, from the other tee). It looks odd in a links course, a bit out of place.
Unfortunately, our camera run out of battery, so we don't have pics from it, but I've scanned a few from the booklet Rye Golf Club 1985-2010. Here they are:
A map of the links. The Old course is on the upper part of the map and the Jubilee is on the lower part, closer to the English Channel.
A view from behind the 7th tee. The green on the right is the 6th.
The green at the 17th
This is a view of the pond, taken backwards towards the tee of the 11th
