Championship golf courses

Superior courses, unrivalled appeal

Both our championship courses were designed by Robert E Cupp, one of Jack Nicklaus’s course architects, with major championship golf in mind. It’s no wonder that the club staged two European Opens and played host to some of the world’s leading players including Nick Faldo, Ernie Els, Vijah Singh, Colin Montgomerie, Jose Maria Olazabal, Nick Price and Ian Woosnam.

At the time of construction, our East Course was the first of its kind in the country to be galleried – even those not playing feel the superiority of our courses as they offer unrivalled spectator appeal.

East Course - view course guide

The East Course was specifically designed with championship golf in mind. Measuring 7138 yards from the gold tees, this is a formidable test of golf.

The East was the chosen course for the 1993 and 1994 European Open and has subsequently paid host to five European Challenge Tour events and four PGA European Tour qualifying schools between 1994 and 1997, plus numerous other high profile golf tournaments. Cleverly placed tees permit the less competitive golfer to enjoy the character of the East, with blue tees providing a challenging 6,760 yards or, for the less ambitious the white tees measure a modest 6,046. The ladies have course ratings on both the white tees and their own LGU markers which measure 5,294 yards.

Unlike the West, the East has two loops of nine holes bringing you back to the Clubhouse after each nine.

Well bunkered greens and fairways on the front nine lull you into a false sense of security for the challenging back nine which contains arguably one of the best stretch of finishing holes in golf.

The 15th marks the start of the finishing run. A long par four with a substantial carry from the tee, followed by the second shot into a plateau green where club selection is paramount.

The 16th, a deceptive par three over water with bunkers guarding the front and the back of the green leaving little margin for error.

With one hole to go you are faced with the daunting 17th where, if the adrenalin is pumping, you can easily run out of fairway. The second shot to the green is, again, over water and needs to find a generous but well contoured green.

. . . and finally – you are now on the 18th tee of what many of the tour Pros consider to be one of the most demanding finishing holes in golf. Measuring 454 yards off the Championship tees, is an uphill par four and is waiting to catch out the finest golfers in the world.

West Course - view course guide

Formally known as ‘The Members Course’, the West is often regarded as the more scenic but is certainly tighter and more undulating. Surprisingly at 7,154 yards it is slightly longer than the East. There are still, however, tees to suit varying standards of golfer, the blues measuring 6,638 the whites 6,069 and the ladies 5,199.

After a gentle opening dog leg par four, the second takes you uphill on a long par five to a tight green. From there you face a par three over water, followed by a gentle par four and a long and sprawling par five 5th. Soon you reach the halfway point of the west as you approach the 9th green. Back in the late 80’s when the courses were being built, the first nine holes to be opened were the 10th to the 18th on the West. The then Great Britain and Northern Ireland Walker Cup squad were the first to savour the magnificence of what was to be the East Sussex National golfing complex.

The West boasts no fewer than four signature holes. The 12th is a demanding par five without out of bounds either side of the drive, followed by a difficult second shot with water on the right and trees on the left, culminating in a plateau green guarded by a severe pot bunker and water around half the perimeter of the green.

Standing on the 16th tee looking at the par three green, no more than 100 yards away, looks easy. Beware!

The 17th is another demanding par five. When you reach the lone oak tree on the right hand side and look back to the gold tee ask yourself how John Daly, when playing in the European Open, pitched his drive beyond this tree.

The 18th, in the opinion of many is one of the most underrated finishing holes you could find. From the tee an accurate drive is essential on to a tree lined fairway, followed by a shot into a heavily guarded green with the backdrop of the magnificent Clubhouse beyond.