England, United Kingdom
Crowborough Beacon Golf Club is an undulating heathland delight. The course is laid out on the southern slopes of the East Sussex High Weald, 800ft above sea level, affording panoramic views of the South Downs.
Crowborough Beacon Golf Club
Crowborough Beacon Golf Club is an undulating heathland delight. The course is laid out on the southern slopes of the East Sussex High Weald, 800ft above sea level, affording panoramic views of the South Downs.
5
In short, Crowborough is nothing less than an excellent course offering variety, challenge and stunning views unique for the south of England befitting a course on the edge of the southeast's highest town and an area of outstanding natural beauty.
The use of the natural landscape is what allows the course to stand out alongside the heather-lined fairways and stunning views from the Ashdown Forest away to the South Downs.
The views are best from the 1st tee and the clubhouse balcony along with the 4th tee and 14th tee where a short par 5 disappears over the edge of the hill.
The golf is arguably best across the opening 6 holes which provide the best views, sternest test and creative use of a ridge that runs through the course. The first demands an accurate tee shot to avoid heather down the right and a well-judged downhill approach to avoid a road down behind the 1st green.
Across the road is the first of two excellent golf holes. A sweeping dogleg right demands an accurate drive of 250 yards or more from the yellow tees to beat the corner or risk a deep gully catching the ball. The approach plays downhill once again over another gully and for more than 170 yards to a relatively generous green for the course.
The 5th also makes great use of elevation playing across the ridge. Curiously this looks to play longer from the yellow tees at the base of the hill than the whites at the top. This leads on to without doubt the best hole on the course. A long par 3 requiring 160 yards to cover another deep gully that looks set to swallow up anything short. It's the perfect embodiment of the landscape and natural beauty found around the course used to trick the eye and challenge the player.
From the 8th to the 13th the scenery and course is less dramatic. The holes play well, demanding accuracy as a premium but lack the topographical drama of those before them. The feeling more of a standard parkland layout with trees rather than heather as the main obstacle. I am perhaps harsh to include 12 in this stretch where a rolling fairway interrupted by a patch of thick waste forces a layup drive and a long approach.
The 13th, a short par 3 has no doubt been squeezed in as the 14th tee is closer to the 12th. It also provides 3 shallow bunkers that somewhat detract from the natural nature of the course. While local courses Royal Ashdown and Piltdown esque sand for natural swales, hollows and long grass around small greens Crowborough provides a small number of them. While suitably light and fluffy I feel the character of the course would be improved if they were removed in renovation and the layout returned to its original bunkerless form.
Fortunately, the course layout and challenge improves again as the onward 9 climbs the hill descended previously. The aforementioned 14 provides a great backdrop for it's opening shot and like 7 relies on an interrupted fairway to offer risk/reward challenge to anything but the longest hitter.
15 feels like the par 4 that offers the most potential to add intrigue to a tight matchplay head to head and elevation is once again in play as 16 goes back across the ridge and 17 directly up it on a second but more interesting short par 3, once again offer endless views however this time back from the green.
Playing in early August when summer had finally arrived in the UK the fairways were firm and fast but quite playable the bounce was not as concrete as parkland layouts further north and at no point did a fairway camber in an impossible manner. The greens were receptive and evenly paced but without feeling quick perhaps aided by early morning rain but baked for a good 5 hours before my £60 twilight tee off. That said get the wrong side of the hole, as a playing partner did on 18, and you were likely to face the consequences of a 3 putt.
The walk was relatively tough with something of a slog up the final two holes but this is a fair price for the views and natural beauty that surrounds the course far and wide. I cannot think of many clubhouse balconies, 1st tees or even club car parks that offer a better vista. Just 45 minutes from the M25 it should be a must-play for any London golfer looking for a completely different golfing experience.
Overall rating
4.0
The latest ranking of the Top 100 Golf Courses in the World serves as the ultimate global golf bucket list. Most members of our World Top 100 Panel are seasoned golfers, each playing 20-30 of these courses annually while travelling extensively over decades to form their opinions on others. We recognise that opinions vary—even among our panel members. Rankings are subjective, and there are undoubtedly 50 or more courses in the UK and USA alone that could easily fit onto this list. Links Golf Pilgrimages The rankings
California, United States
New Jersey, United States
Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
New York, United States
New York, United States
Overall rating
4.0
