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
Occasionally an arrival at a golf course whets the appetite and reveals just enough of what is to come to get the anticipation juices flowing. Crowborough Beacon (as the name would suggest) is routed across high ground in East Sussex and offers an absorbing and tantalising spectacle when viewed from the clubhouse window. I can imagine Alister Mackenzie was enthused to work across this undulating and varied terrain, which is punctuated with diving swales and hollows and pockets of effervescent heather. I’m told that the vista has steadily filled with trees and undergrowth as the years have passed, and the club have recognised that and been working hard in recent times to open up the playing corridors. On this evidence, they have been doing great work.
The 1st hole is a strong par 4 played downhill with an extensive view of the countryside (the name of the hole is ‘South Downs’) beyond. It is a fitting hole to begin any course and is certainly no gentle handshake, as the tee shot is often played into the wind and the green boasts some testing contours which become more so if approached from the wrong side of the fairway. The stern opening continues at the 2nd which is a dangerous downhill dogleg right that rewards the brave and accurate and punishes the errant and foolhardy. Once you get around the corner you are greeted by an excellent approach shot, where a deep valley protects the front and right of the green, but a small passageway of fairway to the left allows the shorter hitter to navigate the hazard on the ground and feed the ball on to this dangerous surface defined by a subtle fold down its middle. The theme of dangerous putting surfaces continues at the uphill par-3 3rd, where it is essential to find the section of the green where the flag is located.
The quality and memorable moments come thick and fast, with no let up over the next three holes. The 4th is pretty and boasts an elusive and small green, the 5th plays well in excess of its 356 yards due to its uphill nature, and the par-3 6th is a quite brilliant hole, probably my favourite on the course and one that demands accuracy and an awareness of where not to miss. There are plenty of moments to take a step back and take in your surroundings, and the area around the 5th green and 6th tee is one of those spots.
There are proposed plans at the end of the front nine to rekindle a lost section of the golf course, that would have the routing returning to lower ground to the left of the 8th fairway. This would mean the already treacherous 8th green (designed by Mackenzie) would be attacked from the left side and when you look at the green from that angle, you see the intent in which that green site was devised.
Two pretty holes finish the opening nine and begin the return, and then you enter the section of the course I would probably describe as the weakest (when compared with what sandwiches it). It feels like you should be on the highest part of the course at this point, but the ground here has a propensity to hold the water a little more easily and I found the short par-4 11th and longer par-4 12th a little lacking in character. Another proposed change as part of a re-routing plan would be to do away with the 13th altogether which would alleviate the routing issue that comes at that hole, where the walk to the par-3 tee is unnatural and it would be easy to miss the hole completely and tee off straight from the 14th (undoubtedly a more natural flow). It would be a shame to lose the 13th as it is a pretty hole, but I feel on balance and dependant on the quality of the hole that replaced it earlier in the round, this would be a change that would enhance the collective.
I absolutely loved the return to the house from the 14th, with drama and excitement in abundance. It feels like you might be able to make a little bit of an impression on the scorecard when you reflect on the stretch 14-16, with a short par-5 followed by two relatively short par-4’s. The green on 15 and the drive on 16 will keep you honest however and make those with a good score think twice about taking on too much risk.
The home hole is a fine finisher that rivals the 2nd for the most testing of the par-4’s. It has just about everything I like in a closing hole; it is characterful and offers a compelling risk reward question, with the hitting of a longer club and taking on a tighter line bringing in an element of danger. The green site is beautifully framed by an amphitheatrical backdrop of rising ground up to the loftily seated clubhouse. It just feels like a hole befitting of closing a round, whether it be in a large tournament or a regular match played with friends.
Crowborough Beacon is my kind of golf course. It boasts a rawness and natural beauty that enhances the experience while maintaining a level of conditioning that is remarkable considering the energetic ground it is laid across. The walk is bracing without being too arduous, yet because of the wind and the elevation changes, I could barely believe the course measures just 6300 yards from the back tees. Having played most of its notable neighbours included in the English Top 100, Crowborough is the golf course that I feel I have an affinity with the most; an understated masterpiece sitting in rarified air atop the beautiful South Downs. The loosely proposed plans sound positive and will enhance the course further, and the recent clearance work has already paid dividends. Each will have their own preferences as to what makes the perfect golf experience, but if you are a subscriber to the notion that golf is about more than merely the score on your card, I would anticipate you might just love this place.
Overall rating
4.0
Overall rating
4.0
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