Sweetwoods Park

Back in the early 1990s, at a time when new golf developments were all the rage, farmer Peter Strand, made the decision to convert his 230-acre property on the Sussex-Kent border into an 18-hole golf course. Forming a partnership with another farmer, Michael Hewson, they constructed the 18-layout without any formal architectural assistance, establishing the Sweetwoods Park Golf Club.

Early in the new millennium, businessman Martin Long - who made his fortune by founding then selling a couple of big insurance companies - took control of the operation, pledging to upgrade the layout if necessary. Indeed, the owner has been quoted as saying: “the course is an area of the club I believe deserves ongoing investment and constant improvements; I always strive to find the finishing touches to make your experience more memorable.”

Feature holes at Sweetwoods Park include short par fours at the 280-yard 6th and 297-yard 16th, back-to-back par fives at the 13th and 14th, and a terrific closing hole where tee shots must avoid a large tree in the centre of the fairway before an approach can be played to the two-tiered home green.