West Sussex - Sussex - England

West Sussex Golf Club is another case of unappreciation on my part.

I was 16 when I played West Sussex, and as with Royal Ashdown Forest, and many others, I did not know where I was. How lucky I was. I may now not get the opportunity to return for some time. Silly me.

I somehow managed to represent Radley College at The West Sussex Invitational Golf Tournament. I say somehow, because I remember playing absolutely appalling. The tournament is a historic public-school golf meet, between some of the top schools in the world – Eton, Harrow, Wellington, Radley and many more. The format is foursomes, as with many schoolboy matches, and I enjoyed the day thoroughly from memory.

6 of us, 7 including our math professor/scratch-handicaper Master in Charge of Golf ‘Wee-man’ Kevin Reed, bundled into a minivan and travelled down to West Sussex. Packed lunches littering the seats. These were a real highlight, believe it or not. Consisting of a chicken-mayo sandwich, crisps, apple, banana and bar of some sorts. The kitchen staff had no idea how many people make up a golf team, so we often had two each. Hoorah!

3 pairs were decided on the journey and I was paired with my best friend K. Lots of laughs were to be had but good golf, not so much.

West Sussex Golf Club is one of England’s quintessential hidden gems, and the club seems perfectly at ease with that status. The big stars of Sunningdale, Walton Heath and Swinley Forest are all within an hour’s drive and have much in common with this fine golf club, but attract all the attention, visitors and plaudits. West Sussex is little-known except by real golf aficionados, yet it offers one of England’s best heathland challenges.

I fondly remember the clubhouse and the practice facilities. One of its nice features is that everything is so close together. The clubhouse is a lovely red brick building with a cosy feel inside. The surprisingly large driving range was 20 steps from the clubhouse and from there it was a few more steps onto the putting and chipping green, tucked in by the bar patio.

The team as a whole, played badly. A shame. But not a day wasted. A truly beautiful course and I cannot wait to return.

A great heathland course, that is more towards the Sussex coast than the Surrey heathland stronghold, West Sussex is a beautiful Par 68. The bunkers are what you would expect, with heather on a lot of the faces. Fairway bunkers always seem to be well placed, and the green complexes mean finding the correct part of the greens are crucial. Not long, and not even particularly tight, this course has enough natural defence (especially the heather!) that means it is by no means a pushover. The first is a ‘easer inner’ par 5 that starts a great stretch of golf, highlighted by the long dogleg style par 3 6th. The hole wraps its way round a pond, but the green site is particularly skinny and has deep bunkers either side. There are great holes throughout, and the layout means that one hole just flows into the next which allows the course to be extremely walkable. Slightly more out of the way than the heathland classics, but well worth a journey.

I suppose you subconsciously set the bar a little higher when you play a course in the World Top 100, expecting a little more than you might from other places that are “only” ranked inside their national chart. Well, a lot was anticipated of West Sussex before playing here and it delivered in every way imaginable.

There’s an intimacy to playing this heathland track that you’ll not find on bigger, championship-orientated layouts – overall length from the yellow tees is just under 6,000 yards, which is more than enough for the average golfer – and the holes are routed in a very interesting sequence across lovely wooded terrain.

The 1st and 18th occupy the flattest part of the property, closest to the clubhouse, so the round at West Sussex doesn’t exactly get off to a spectacular start and neither does it finish with a flourish, but what goes on in between these two holes is pretty special.

The downhill 6th hole over a lily pond was a big surprise and one of the finest long par threes you’ll play, offering a big bail out to the right if required. There’s a bit of a lull in proceeding around the turn and holes 9 to 11 are more in the category of “breather” holes.

Thereafter, it’s one top class hole after another, with two terrific par fours sandwiched between the par threes at 12 and 15 (the two-tiered green for the second short hole sitting behind another lovely lily pond), followed by a pair of right doglegged par fours where two big heather banks protect the front of the 16th green and menacing cross bunkers need to be carried on the 17th.

My host was completely unaware that his course was as well-regarded on this website as it is. He lives locally and enjoys playing occasionally – mainly midweek, and often on his own – when things are a little quieter. What a lucky man!

Jim McCann

Second only to Woodhall Spa’s Hotchkin, West Sussex is perhaps my favourite inland course in England. The magic starts on the 3rd hole where you weave through pine trees, thick heather and impeccable bunkering.

The back to back par 3s (5&6) are great fun, with the latter being 230 yards down hill over water with thick stuff immediately left of the green and a bunker long-right. There isn’t a weak hole on the back 9, but the run of holes from 13-15 are simply brilliant. The 14th is somewhat similar to the 11th at Augusta with water left and whilst you think the bailout is right, it leaves you with no shot to a green that slopes away from you towards the water.

At Par 68, the course plays deceptively long off the back tees.

Can’t wait to get back there in Spring!

A view from a non-member from Scotland: West Sussex is a great golf course and club. Yes it's a short par 68, so it doesn't get ranked as a championship course, but it doesn't play short and anyway to rate it as such would be to miss the point. There are a great many championship courses with relatively minimal architectural interest or merit, and a number of non-championship courses which are architecturally brilliant. West Sussex falls into the latter camp.

How best to describe the feel of the design? People will accuse me of exaggeration, but it feels to me like the British heathland course most like Pine Valley. I say most like, because it's obviously not up at that 'best in world' level, but there are some striking similarities.

Firstly, like PV it's very much a club course rather than a championship course, and is tucked away in a small patch of sand down a non-descript road, and the members like the place to be quiet.

Secondly, it has a similar wonderful variety of types of holes on what is overall a flat piece of land but which has variation of c. 100ft creating wonderfully twisting, turning and diving holes without you ever feel like you're climbing a mountain.

Thirdly the ordering of the holes is in beautiful balance (despite the weirdness of the only par 5 being the first). Almost every hold changes direction, and you feel that you could almost start the course numbering on any hole and it would still all work.

And finally almost every hole is memorable and almost every hole makes you think. This last point is an overused phrase applied to every course these days, but most holes on most courses have one sensible way to play them. Of the courses I've played West Sussex is up there with Pine Valley, National Golf Links of America and Yale in quirkiness and genuine thinking-man's golf. And another similarity is that like PV the course was ultimately the vision of one man who had no experience in golf course design (albeit at West Sussex there were famous designers in to begin with, before they were let go and many changes were made, so WSGC is more of a hybrid, but there is still a similar father-figure reverence in the club).

If I were to add a few other comments, I would perhaps stray from the course and to the overall experience. The clubhouse and setting is beautiful, the club is traditional and yet forward looking (the nice combination of old-world bar and new conservatory works very well), and the practice facilities are second to none.

However, I feel the club could move up one notch into the 'really special experience' bracket by addressing a few very minor bits of polish which make a difference (even if just subconsciously). For example, there are beautiful old-school gold-on-wood signs all around the club and car park, but there are also signs on doors (about access codes and spikes etc) on laminated paper taped to the door - surely these could also be gold on wood? And the tee furniture could be improved by removing some of the weird metallic pattern plastic boxes on the par threes and replacing with more classic boxes. And finally, the locker room was a bit of a let-down as the lockers look (design-wise) like filing cabinets with two-tone colouring and empty name tag holders. I like the metal locker look - it's infinitely better and more old-school and understated than the american country club perfect huge wooden locker look. British locker rooms that have gone in that direction (like RStG) may be comfortable but they just look like a hotel golf club's changing rooms. So I like that West Sussex's locker room is understated. But simply spray painting the lockers a matt white and getting faux-slate name tags to insert in the current holders (probably initials rather than names, since they're square), would transform the room at very little cost into the kind of locker room that befits a course and club of this beauty.

There are also one or two tweaks to the course I'd personally like to see. These are 1. levelling all the tees - most are good but one or two are not flat at all, 2. removing all the trees to the left of hole 10 and reinstating the sahara bunker. For me, holes 9 and 10 are the only two weak holes on the course. But 10 could be a famous hole that everyone anticipates on holes 1 to 9. Reinstating sahara and extending it right up to the fairway and all the way to the green (plus adding another hazard to the front right of the green to make going for the green very very risky) would create a dramatic risk/reward hole which would mentally tug tee shots left even of those laying up. It would look dramatic and would be fantastic to play. And 3. looking to introduce sandy waste areas to the course to move it back in the direction of the early days and aesthetically make the course even more beautiful than it already is. Perhaps start with Sahara, to minimise upkeep and make lies bad!

I submit the above not as a lecture but as one man's opinion, which is hopefully an interesting set of thoughts both for the club and for those who have not played West Sussex, hopefully giving a good feel for the place. The members are very lucky and if you're visiting the Surrey area I'd strongly recommend you extend your trip to fit in this small piece of golfing heaven.

I played West Sussex on a windy evening and it defintely lived up to my high expectations. West Sussex is a classic heathland course with total piece and tranquility whilst you are out there playing your golf.

The condition of the golf course was simply levels above most other golf course I have played, with the setting being quite spectacular. What particularly impressed me about the course was the extremely high quality of the bunkers. Each and every one of them were filled with sand and beautifully designed, they were practically perfect. Another thing that I loved was the condition of the greens and the fringe. The holes had some lovely drop offs and were cut to look very sharp.

Although all 18 holes were absolutely awesome, i would have to say my favourites were the par 3 5th, a lovely short par 3 filled with thick heather runnig all the way down to the green, its simply a beautiful hole. Also the par 3 15th was a fantastic hole over the water towards a 2 tiered green. Just the par 3’s in general were fantastic, and every hole was just a joy to play.

Overall i massively reccomend playing at West Sussex, it is totally worth the money and I will definitely be back to play there again in the near future!

I originally reviewed West Sussex 8 years ago when I was just starting my quest to play the English top 100. Having completed 66 of them now, I can comfortably say my opinion 8 years ago was wrong.

This course is an absolute belter. I can’t think of a weak hole.

I still maintain the 1st should be a par 4 (especially off the yellows), but other than that. Wow

West Sussex deserves all the plaudits it gets. We played early November this year and the course was in fantastic condition given the harsh Winter/Summer combination we’ve had in the UK in the past year.

West Sussex is just packed to the rafters with memorable holes. I loved the early sequence of 3, 4, 5 and 6 - a tough par 4 littered with bunkers, a clever short dog leg left par 4 followed by two fantastic par 3’s.

The heather at West Sussex is not penal, rather hole-ending. Having played Swinley earlier this year I’m no stranger to heather but I felt that whilst at a Swinley it’s a lost shot, the heather at West Sussex was a little out of control in my opinion. Obviously this gives the course tremendous shape but did cause issues for our group having not played the course before.

All in all this is a well deserved world top 100 course. The club were incredibly welcoming and even allowed us to play on a Saturday - a rarity amongst top courses.

I could find only one previous review here by an American. When I pointed out to a member that West Sussex was not on many people’s radar in the States, his reply was quick: “Yes, and that’s fine with us.” This was not a xenophobic anti-American thought but rather an attempt to keep a splendid little secret to himself and his clubmates. The greatest strength of West Sussex is its tee shots. The best example is the 10th, a shortish par 4 that swings left around a menacing bunker complex. Bite off enough of the dogleg and a wedge to the green is your reward. Take the more conservative route and you’ll approach with a longer club. And time and again, the golfer stands on the tee pondering just where to position her/his tee ball. The line of charm is most always in evidence as one decides just how much risk to take to receive the best possible reward.

The routing is also quite ingenious. The property is long and narrow, but instead of a simple out and back configuration, holes run in a variety of directions, creating a variety of challenges when the wind blows. The greens here don’t match the rest of the course as too many are flat and featureless……..a small negative. And I found too many footprints in the bunkers, though I suspect that may be to keep the visitor population down. West Sussex was otherwise a delightful golf experience. It’s not much more than an hour’s drive from the great courses of Surrey and definitely worth the trip.

Well, we all like it shaved. Don’t we? The fashion these days is to strip away the superfluous bush and leave just the solid oak and juicy heather.

The last time I played here twenty years ago each hole was framed with gorse and shrub. Now, like so many courses there is a concerted program to clear the vista across the course from one horizon to the other. Breathe course, breathe.

I arrived to this quintessence of an English golfing Elysium on a Monday and took a light lunch in the club before assailing the first tee. All good thus far.

From the arts and crafts clubhouse, the course looks underwhelming for a top 100 in the world layout. A little flat, a little bit obvious. A deception majeur. However gentle the start maybe, it just keeps ratcheting up the challenge. This course keeps its powder dry until the back nine. If you don’t have a score by the 8th, then by the 18th you will be enjoying only the weather.

What is striking here is the contrast to the somewhat ubiquitous Harry Colt Heathland classic. This is a serious golf course. Harry lures you into fancying it, having a go. Here they ask, “think twice sir.” Do you have the necessary? There are plenty of gulps. You can bail, but you pay double with long shots in to well-guarded greens. This course asks you how much can you chew? How good are your approaches? There is interest and strategic decision making to be had on every hole. No two are remotely alike. The language is the same however. I love a course that presents all golfers with a challenge, whether they hit it 200 or 300 from the tee. Tick. So many courses have a pool of interest at a given yardage. Not here. The 17th was my favourite but only just.

Well routed, cherished and timeless. West Sussex will delight you. The largely flat ground is surprisingly, naturally contoured and undulating. The heather is typically unforgiving. each hole has interest from tee to green. You won’t be disappointed.

JCB LAY