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Richard Fisher

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Sussex recommendations?
« on: June 07, 2017, 04:45:15 AM »
The happy band from the Gogs that graced Northumberland last month are thinking of a Sussex outing at the same time next year, maybe involving Piltdown and Crowborough and The Dyke in successive days: Rye won't work as a 2-ball-only course, and Royal Ashdown and Pulborough are likewise a bit tricky. There are about a dozen guys, mainly in the handicap range 5 to 12, usually playing 36 holes a day, and the local amenities and value (and beer, where Sussex scores highly) are not unimportant.

Any interesting/fun/congenial Sussex courses that we should be contemplating? I played at Littlehampton well over 30 years ago, and recall half a dozen proper seaside holes, and some rather less inspiring inland ones. I recall from this site that Worthing and Cooden Beach and one or two of the Brighton course have their adherents. Anyway, plans just in gestation at the mo', so any GCA wisdom gratefully received.

Sean_A

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Re: Sussex recommendations?
« Reply #1 on: June 07, 2017, 04:53:02 AM »
Richard

Does it have to be Sussex or can you spill into neighbouring counties?  Where will your base be?

Ciao
New plays planned for 2024: Nothing

Richard Fisher

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Sussex recommendations?
« Reply #2 on: June 07, 2017, 07:25:34 AM »
Thanks Sean. Probably Fletching in East Sussex, and ideally no more than 30-45 minutes' drive to each venue. So Sussex, pretty much (no Kent or Hampshire excursions).

Sean_A

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Re: Sussex recommendations?
« Reply #3 on: June 07, 2017, 08:41:28 AM »
In that is the case the courses I would focus on are

Royal Ashdown Forest West
Piltdown
Crowborough

However, Knole Park is definitely worth the extra 20-30 minutes roundtrip time.

Ciao
New plays planned for 2024: Nothing

Sam Krume

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Sussex recommendations?
« Reply #4 on: June 07, 2017, 11:53:37 AM »
I would also throw in Seaford as a possible option. Roughly 20 miles from Fletching. A JH Taylor course with some great views

Richard Fisher

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Sussex recommendations?
« Reply #5 on: May 01, 2018, 04:17:00 AM »
Our Sussex itinerary for later this month has now been fixed as

Piltdown
Royal Ashdown Forest
Crowborough Beacon
Copthorne

which (I am happy so see) chimes with Sean's general recommendations. I'll report back in due course: given the amount of rain that has fallen this spring (not least yesterday) I don't think that, sadly, we are going to get fast, running heathland golf: I expect RAF to be the pick of the bunch, but also hear Huntercombe-ish things about Piltdown, and much to look forward to.

Sean_A

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Sussex recommendations?
« Reply #6 on: May 01, 2018, 04:21:10 AM »
Our Sussex itinerary for later this month has now been fixed as

Piltdown
Royal Ashdown Forest
Crowborough Beacon
Copthorne

which (I am happy so see) chimes with Sean's general recommendations. I'll report back in due course: given the amount of rain that has fallen this spring (not least yesterday) I don't think that, sadly, we are going to get fast, running heathland golf: I expect RAF to be the pick of the bunch, but also hear Huntercombe-ish things about Piltdown, and much to look forward to.

Having fairly recently played Crowborough and Knole Park, if at all possible, it is a no brainer to play Knole Park.

Ciao
New plays planned for 2024: Nothing

Sam Krume

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Sussex recommendations?
« Reply #7 on: May 01, 2018, 04:31:46 AM »
Our Sussex itinerary for later this month has now been fixed as

Piltdown
Royal Ashdown Forest
Crowborough Beacon
Copthorne

which (I am happy so see) chimes with Sean's general recommendations. I'll report back in due course: given the amount of rain that has fallen this spring (not least yesterday) I don't think that, sadly, we are going to get fast, running heathland golf: I expect RAF to be the pick of the bunch, but also hear Huntercombe-ish things about Piltdown, and much to look forward to.

Having fairly recently played Crowborough and Knole Park, if at all possible, it is a no brainer to play Knole Park.

Ciao

As Sean says its a no brainer to play The Knole over Crowborough. The Knole is only about 20-25 mins from Crowborough(if using the A25). So much more to see at The Knole.


Scott Warren

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Re: Sussex recommendations?
« Reply #8 on: May 01, 2018, 07:08:20 AM »
I’m a bit keener on Crowborough than others seem to be and I’d also say it has a pretty enviable clubhouse deck for enjoying a few too many beers and talking shit with your mates, overlooking the course and the long view.

Sam Krume

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Re: Sussex recommendations?
« Reply #9 on: May 01, 2018, 08:18:36 AM »
I’m a bit keener on Crowborough than others seem to be and I’d also say it has a pretty enviable clubhouse deck for enjoying a few too many beers and talking shit with your mates, overlooking the course and the long view.


Don't get me wrong, I like Crowborough, its a fairly decent knock but personally I feel the Knole has a lot more to keep me interested in.

Richard Fisher

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Sussex recommendations?
« Reply #10 on: May 24, 2018, 06:15:59 AM »
Just back from four days in Sussex and thanks to all for their comments and recommendations above. We had, with the exception of one sharp thundery shower, lovely weather throughout with sunshine and a bit of breeze, and Albion was looking particularly Fair after the recent burst of growth. The golf was challenging and enjoyable and sometimes very good indeed but not quite, we thought, great, and this latest tour only confirmed that, in the end, ours is a better game played by the sea.

Three of the four courses we played (Piltdown, Royal Ashdown, Crowborough) all feature in the original (1962) edition of Frank Pennink's Golfer's Companion, and there is a very nice article by JJFP on RAF (of which he was a loyal member, commemorated in the RAF clubhouse) in his Homes of Sport (1952): the fourth venue, Copthorne, had lovely greens and some nicely shaped holes but with otherwise rather forgettable, with far too many trees for this claustrophobe.

We loved the club atmosphere at RAF (and the buffet lunch served as part of the Day Ticket is highly recommended) and it's clearly a special and historic golf place with some cracking holes: Crowborough was very tough and challenging, and unquestionably contained the worst hole (its 5th) of the 72 we sampled in Sussex. The wonderful photo that adorns the clubhouse  of Henry Cotton driving from the back tee there in 1937 only shows how much better Crowborough would be with proper clearance of tree and scrub, but even then we did find its elevated English ranking a little surprising: CB did have one truly excellent feature, namely a 'meet and greet' rota of members for visiting parties, and this was a genuinely nice touch, and for a sensory experience redolent of the way British golf used to be (and used to smell) I would recommend all visiting American friends to sample the CB locker room. The treacle tart and cream was without doubt a Category One clubhouse dessert.

For fun and value, Piltdown unquestionably took the prize: £25 with a County Card at 3.30 on a perfect Sunday afternoon, with a lovely club vibe of families enjoying themselves: a really intriguing and compact design, with parts akin to West Sussex, parts akin to Huntercombe, and parts redolent of the Sacred Nine (and it's no surprise that Piltdown was one of Henry Longhurst's favourite courses), made this perhaps the surprise Pick of the Four for many of us. Warmly recommended, and perhaps Sean might visit for one of his photo-tours in due course.

We played 18 at Piltdown, 36 at RAF and Crowborough, and 18 at Copthorne, thus cunningly choosing the two severest tests and walks for two rounds in a day. Our base was the Brambletye Hotel in Forest Row, an earlier version of which was apparently the site of the foundation of the Ashdown Forest Golf Club. Excellent Harvey's beer served almost everywhere, and very fine club claret at RAF (although not cheap), and lots of friendliness from club staff and indeed members at all four locations.

Back to the seaside though for this Tour next year (Silloth and Southerness, very probably): as we all get older (and I still carry 12 clubs) flattish duneland gets more and more enticing!

Mark Chaplin

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Sussex recommendations?
« Reply #11 on: May 27, 2018, 11:16:08 AM »
Richard the 13th at RAF has a few of the slog features of CB 5th. Both holes are hilly fillers to get you between two better pieces of land.
Cave Nil Vino

Adam Lawrence

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Re: Sussex recommendations?
« Reply #12 on: May 27, 2018, 02:03:53 PM »
Worthing is really worthwhile. Excellent Colt work on a cracking piece of downland.
Adam Lawrence

Editor, Golf Course Architecture
www.golfcoursearchitecture.net

Principal, Oxford Golf Consulting
www.oxfordgolfconsulting.com

Author, 'More Enduring Than Brass: a biography of Harry Colt' (forthcoming).

Short words are best, and the old words, when short, are the best of all.

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