Perky PILTDOWN GC

[Sean_A]

The Piltdown Gang by John Cook, 1915. Charles Darwin's portrait hangs rather murkily above the fireplace.



A suspected hoax from the start, the Piltdown Man fraud was definitively proven as such in 1953 and it was later determined Charles Dawson was responsible for the “missing link” lie. The blind alley of Piltdown Man led scientists in wrong directions for a good three decades which produced some 250,000 papers!  Bringing the matter to the heart of US politics, Piltdown Man was introduced as evidence in one of the most famous American trials on record. The Scopes Trial of 1925 was an almighty struggle between Modernists and Fundamentalists.  The battle rages to this day.

Charles Dawson happened to be a member of Piltdown GC during this time and it may not be a coincidence that the “fossil was discovered” not more than a modern drive behind the 6^th green of the bunkerless Piltdown GC; quite near the Piltdown Man Pub. Ten miles south, on the other side of Ashdown Forest, is where Royal Ashdown Forest GC is located.  Another bunkerless course, both clubs are charming, although the two courses are of a very different nature in their designs and terrain. 



The 1905 map of the course is quite similar to what exists today. The major difference is the 18th is now a par 3 which plays to a location near the old 1st tee. The opening tee is now where the 18th green used to be located.


The opener is a mild handshake playing over the drive of a house surrounded by the course. More golf over quite flat terrain, like the opener, the second is good, but not a hole to gush over. The third ups the ante.  Playing around Piltdown Pond on the right, the green up the hill is a tough target. Behind the green looking down the fairway.


Now then, the 4th is a do or die hole unless one lays up or plays well right of the green. The hole measures close to 200 daily tee yards straight over a sea of heather. Below is the layup position.


A tough par 4, the fifth turns a bit left off the tee. The green is set well back of a large diagonal depression. It could be that this depression, like many on the course, is a remaining drag line.  These drag lines are the routes for which trees were removed and now make for admirable features.


Turning back on the 5th, the 6th is another testing two shotter.
 

Once again heather shields the full view of the green.


The short 7th didn't turn my head, but the 8th features an interesting green. At this point it does seem clear the greens were rebuilt sometime in the very recent past. They play like very well maintained parkland greens built to a high spec. I also believe many of the greens were re-shaped. The 8th strikes me as one such green with its sharp fall-off down the right.


A short par four, the 9th can pack a punch.


More to follow.

Ciao

[Sean_A]

Piltdown Tour Cont

An engaging short hole, the 10th stands out as one of Piltdown's modern looking holes.


Turning right around the boundary, the 11th also feels quite modern. Around 2018 fourteen greens were rebuilt and reshaped.


A side view of the 11th.


We now cross back over Shortbridge Road for the remainder of the course. These holes also happen to be the highlight of Piltdown. The short par four 12th's green is protected by a patch of dense heather.


Things get intriguing for the 13th. The flag for the green can be seen just left of the tree, but there is internal OoB in that direction. Instead, we play a dogleg left where the second shot can be blind if playing from the far right side of the fairway.




The sunken green sets slightly above a large depression which would make for a great green extension.


More to follow.

Ciao

[jeffwarne]

Fantastic tour Sean.
Was attempting to play Piltdown the first week of November two years ago, but they were closed for multiple days due to the amount of rain they had gotten that October. The inland courses we played were mostly fine further west and south, but we did play Royal Ashdown Forest and it was quite soupy in areas, leaving muddy footprints in many of the fairways.
Probably the muddiest, softest golf I have played.Beautiful place and course however.
It made it clear why links is the way to go in late fall/winter, and also the pitfalls of playing in a forest during an extremely wet period.

[John Mayhugh]

Interesting that 10 & 13 greens both seem somewhat boomerang shaped, though the curve is parallel to the line of play. Not sure I've seen that before, and then to see twice in four holes.

[Thomas Dai]

Seems interesting. 9th green looks particularly cool. Like the heather. Free draining terrain?
Looking forward to seeing the rest of the holes.
Atb

[Sean_A]

Interesting that 10 & 13 greens both seem somewhat boomerang shaped, though the curve is parallel to the line of play. Not sure I've seen that before, and then to see twice in four holes.

13 could be a very cool boomerang green if the green was extended to the front. There is a large section of short grass that could be converted.

Ciao

[Ally Mcintosh]

Interesting that 10 & 13 greens both seem somewhat boomerang shaped, though the curve is parallel to the line of play. Not sure I've seen that before, and then to see twice in four holes.

13 could be a very cool boomerang green if the green was extended to the front. There is a large section of short grass that could be converted.


Ciao

Not sure I see these two being unusual in shape or orientation. In fact, The Road Hole is very similar.

[Sean_A]

PILTDOWN TOUR CONT

As if transported to Surrey or Berkshire, the 14th feels far more heathery and all the better for it. Driving over the 16th green, the hole turns away from a large swath of heather on the left and a magnificent tree. The club has cut down thousands of trees, but wisely left this beauty standing.


The winning approach plays to a plateau green.


An alluring par 3, the 15th. The fronting pit is evidence that bunkers were once in play at Piltdown. Just after the 1st World War the club decided to remove the sand from all the bunkers.


A bit of an odd hole, the 16th tee requires a walk and results in a blind position. I understand a drive from a blind area to save a walk, but it doesn't make much sense to me to walk to a blind a tee when there is a good tee adjacent to the green. Needless to say, we played the shorter tee.  With heather creating a lay up or go for it decision, the shorter hole has plenty of interest.


The uphill approach.


Looking back to the tee.  The driving zone is far bigger than it seems from the tee.


More to follow.

Ciao

[Thomas Dai]

Sean,
Do you reckon the putting surfaces have shrunk in size over the decades?
Atb

[Sean_A]

Sean,
Do you reckon the putting surfaces have shrunk in size over the decades?
Atb

Fourteen greens were recently rebuilt and shaped. So no, not really.

Ciao

[Niall C]

Sean

Maybe David's question should have been, are the greens being cut as far out as the architect intended ? It certainly looks to me like they are less than intended. BTW, nice tour and looks a lovely course.

Niall

[Sean_A]

PILTDOWN TOUR CONT

Perhaps Piltdown's best hole, the 17th is certainly one of the tougher holes. The fairway is broken up by heather, but it will take a very good drive to reach. I wish some trees down the left were removed!


Shrouded in shade, the green is a hard to figure out.


The green contours are very good and quite tricky for pulling off a successful pitch.


The home hole may be a slight let down as a par 3, but at least its a good hole.


The winsome house fits in with the neighbourhood.


There are a few artifacts of interest hanging about the place.


I am not especially impressed with Piltdown.  While very different from Royal Ashdown Forest, I would say the two courses are about the same quality with RAF just about pipping it.  It is therefore startling that Doak sees a four a point gap between the courses in his Confidential Guide. However, despite several good holes, it takes too long for Piltdown to hit its stride. I also believe the number of heather carries is overdone. Hence, I am luke warm on Piltdown, but in the right circumstances I could be cajoled to return. 2021



Nearby courses:

RAF
https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,56478.msg1311588.html#msg1311588

Crowborough Beacon
https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,64918.msg1547500.html#msg1547500

Ciao

[Ally Mcintosh]

Have to say it looks a lot more pleasant from the photos than I was expecting, probably because those expectations were lowered due to that 4 point gap.

[Sean_A]

Have to say it looks a lot more pleasant from the photos than I was expecting, probably because they were lowered due to that 4 point gap.

I don't understand the 3-7 spread in favour of RAF. A 3 is incredibly stingy and I would suggest an inaccurate assessment. I also disagree that Crowborough Beacon is better than Piltdown.

Ciao

[Richard Fisher]

Thanks for another super tour. I think that overall I liked Piltdown rather more than Sean seems to have done, and my personal Sussex inland pecking order would be


RAF
Piltdown
Crowborough


with not a great deal between RAF and Piltdown, but a gap then to Crowborough. Mind you, a £25 Sunday afternoon green fee on a county card at Piltdown may have influenced my thinking: Piltdown was one of Henry Longhurst's favourite courses and clubhouses, with echoes of his two absolute inland faves, The Sacred Nine and Huntercombe, and to me it's certainly vaux un detour.

[Sean_A]

Thanks for another super tour. I think that overall I liked Piltdown rather more than Sean seems to have done, and my personal Sussex inland pecking order would be


RAF
Piltdown
Crowborough


with not a great deal between RAF and Piltdown, but a gap then to Crowborough. Mind you, a £25 Sunday afternoon green fee on a county card at Piltdown may have influenced my thinking: Piltdown was one of Henry Longhurst's favourite courses and clubhouses, with echoes of his two absolute inland faves, The Sacred Nine and Huntercombe, and to me it's certainly vaux un detour.

Richard

Depends on the detour! I like Piltdown, but don't think it's interesting enough to spend an extra night on a trip to see. That's my basic threshold to award 1*. Piltdown is more like a day trip course for those who live close enough, which I dont. If a fine bunker scheme was in place perhaps I would change my mind.

Ciao