Mannings Heath (Waterfall) - Sussex - England

Mannings Heath is quite unique amongst the English courses I have played in the last decade. It is in an incredibly beautiful tranquil setting in the heart of West Sussex. The rise and fall of elevations makes the use of a buggy important unless you are young and fit! Every hole is different and requires some thought. Accurate tee shots are essential to score well. When I played there yesterday it was in very good condition. The club house is delightful and the staff very welcoming band helpful.

Mannings has far more good than bad, and is as tough a walk as mentioned below. It felt like a pure parkland though, besides some bracken. Maybe in a less squalid summer it’ll seem more heath-y.

There is room from the tees but for 6000 yards from the yellows it’s a hard course, even with a sloped range finder there’s a lot of guesswork. The most narrow hole is the par 4 11th which has such an alluring stream down one side that the club have left a ball retriever there. After this the course goes figuratively downhill in my view, the par 5 13th is severely uphill but tight, internal OB forces a lot of people to hit irons.

Oddly there are only three par 3s, 5 and 10 (both pictured) are good fun then the 14th’s relatively flat and bland. There is a nice mixture of par 4 lengths, though the terrain and elevated greens get a bit repetitive. So overall I like Mannings Heath but expected a little more.

Having played one hilly course (Manor House Castle Combe) I found myself playing another one at Mannings Heath a few days later, the big difference being at Castle Combe the hills are primarily the walks between the holes whilst at Mannings Heath most of the holes have some sort of hill or slope to negotiate. As a result Mannings Heath had far more flow to the course and I much preferred. Much has changed since my last visit some 30 years ago with new clubhouse (not sure about the pink !) in a different location resulting in a revised course layout. Having read some negative reviews about course condition I can only say that I thought it was pretty good although probably helped by the fact that the Europro tour event was the week before; greens were good and true although I personally did struggle to get to the hole on a number of occasions. Lots of interesting holes with many streams (probably not a good winter course), trees, dog-legs, slopes etc to negotiate. I can only think of a handful of relatively flat holes, 16 and 17 spring to mind (the old 1st and 18th I think); also the 11th 'The Valley' which is a standout par 4, a real card wrecker I would imagine, with banking to the right, a narrow fairway, a stream all the way down the left hand side and around the back of the green and a hump to the right of the green encouraging balls to the water. Many holes seem to have uphill shots to the green (not my favourite) but none of them ridiculously unfair and I guess become easier as you get used to clubbing them. Only three par 3's, the downhill 10th (picturesque), the very narrow 14th (good hole, must be tricky with a wind from the left taking you down a steep bank into the trees, another card wrecker !) , and the 'Punchbowl' 5th which was my favourite hole on the course (haven't played another par 3 like this). Overall a really interesting course in pleasant countryside, thoroughly enjoyable and well worth playing if in the area

Was disappointed by my visit to Mannings. I used to be a member here, and have really fond memories of it. There are some great holes, and the par threes are outstanding. Also holes such as nine and eighteen are wonderful. The condition of the course, however, was poor. The number of divots was amazing and the greens were poor. It could best be described as scruffy. This should be a great course, but at the moment it's disappointing

We really enjoyed a beautiful sunny day here combined with the Kingfisher, lovely countryside with challenging changes in elevation and nice use of natural water features.

The course was in good condition, pace of play not too bad, and would happily return.

I visited Mannings Heath (Waterfall) for the 1st time this week and found it to be a challenging and most enjoyable round of golf. We played on a warm sunny day and found the fairways and greens in great condition. You will need to be reasonably fit to walk as it is very undulating in places but to be fair over half the golfers that we saw were on foot. There are a number of very good holes and there is great variety in the design of the course. Of the longer holes 3, 6 and 9 are very good but 11 and 18 would be my pick. There are only three Par 3’s but they are all lovely holes with the 180yard 5th - “Punch Bowl” - being my favourite. The 18th is a truly memorable finishing hole where you can really open your shoulders on the downhill drive before hitting over a stream to a raised green. The clubhouse looks very impressive indeed from the course and the staff were all very friendly. If you get a chance to play here take it. Brian W

Played last week in the golf day for Sussex & England wicketkeeper, Matt Prior's benefit year. Lovely, newly refurbished and friendly pro shop welcome. Course in superb condition. Was told that new fairway and rough mowers have aided definition of the course which looked great and played really well. Greens true and gave a lovely roll. The food in the clubhouse afterwards was also fantastic. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable place to spend the day. Would certainly recommend and will definately be back if I get the chance.

Played in June 2011. Course was in good condition. A selection of some very nice elevated holes, the 1st, 5th (par 3 'punchbowl') and 18th come to mind. Quite short off the yellow tees, which made for easy scoring (40 pts). Lovely welcoming clubhouse with a fantastic elevated setting. Good practice putting facilities.

Played 2 rounds on 17th and 18th September 2010 and I was quite impressed. The first hole is quite intimidating at the tee and a good drive is usually followed by a huge sigh of relef. Thereafter there are some simply stunning holes - the par 3 5th, the par 3 10th and the par 4 11th all spring to mind but also the 18th is a glorious finishing hole. On the down side I found some of the greens a little slow and "hairy" but I guess this is forgiveable in view of the recent weather.The course is challenging but good shots are usually rewarded and if you have a good driving day you should score well. On the second day I was fortunate enough to score 24 points on the first 9 (off 16). This left me feeling "Is this course too easy?" but the 11th brought me back down to earth and I just managed 15 points coming back for an overall 39.We stayed at the cottage and found it to be excellent. Also the food in the clubhouse restaurant was of a high standard and the staff courteous and efficient.All in all we had a great time and look forward to playing and staying again.

I played here on one of the few decent September days this year, clear blues sky's and a gentle breeze. If you're not a member (which I'm not) the only way to get on the course is to stay at the cottages on the grounds or nearby South Lodge Hotel, other than that it's members only - who I have to say - must be an extremely fit bunch of golfers! The course has many elevation changes and the first hint of this is the intimidating first hole; you tee off in full view of the club house and bar terrace with quite a narrow shot hemmed in by trees over a valley at least 80 feet deep with a stream running along it.

There was no respite as the second is a tight left dog leg with lots of trees on the left (with another carry over a stream) which was no easier for my playing partner who's stock shot is a fade. This is a tough course physically and there's a good amount of variety between the holes so you'll be thinking your way around all day long.

Other memorable holes are the 5th "Punch-bowl" a gorgeous par 3, as is the 10th "Waterfall" where you can order your halfway house food/drink from the 10th tee, then play the hole and have your food ready when you've finished putting.

You wouldn't be bored as a member here - I thought the course was challenging from first shot, right up until to the last onto the elevated 18th green - great hole to finish on - then I was off to that terrace to watch someone else tee off over the valley whilst enjoying a much needed & well earned drink or two. But I may take a buggy next time!