thesussexgolfer Course Reviews

Mid Sussex Golf Club – Course Review

Course Review- Mid Sussex Golf Club (http://www.midsussexgolfclub.co.uk/)

Date: 17/06/2017

Time: 17:20pm

Conditions: Clear, Calm, Warm.


Green Fee: £20.00

Range: (Closed due to FootGolf)


Par: 71

Tees: Yellow

Yards: 6045

Score: 86


Another sunny Saturday evening that I’ve managed to sneak a round of golf in! I left it as late as I could to tee off, as we were at the start of a heatwave (for the UK!).


I decided to head out for my first round at Mid Sussex Golf Club, a little bit further afield from the previous two rounds, but chosen due to my hope that they would have a yardage book to keep my girlfriend happy- as I had managed to convince her to join me for a nice evening walk! Luckily Mid Sussex Golf Club were able to provide the entertainment!


Upon arrival, I was greeted by the friendly pro- who explained the lay of the land, where the practice facility and first tee was. Unfortunately, the driving range was shut, as they open it up to play FootGolf on occasionally, which I don’t mind if it is drawing more people to golf courses and generating revenue for the industry. I was still able to hit a few balls into the practice net, and a few putts on the perfectly manicured practice green.

 

Today is my first round with my new Garmin Approach X40- a fitness and activity tracker with built in GPS of approximately 40,000 golf courses. I’ll cover my experiences of the device in more detail in a following review!


The 1st starts with a gentle short par 4, and a birdie opportunity that could be wasted for those not warmed up! A 5 iron down the middle followed by a lob wedge to 8ft has me lining up my first decent attempt at birdie of the day. Seconds later the ball drops into the cup and I’m walking away with a 3. Nice start!


The 2nd is a dogleg left, which sets up (in theory) nicely for my right to left ball flight. Still, being the first round I am playing on the course, I pick the wrong line off the tee, and end up hitting through the dogleg into the right hand rough. A pulled approach from the rough followed by a poor pitch and then chip from the fringe, leaves me two putting for double.


The 3rd is a dogleg right par 4, with approach shots to a well guarded green. A drive out the heel of the club finds me missing the fairway left, with quite a way into the green. A pulled hybrid has me hacking out of the rough for my 4th, with some more poor examples of the short game, seeing me come away with triple.


The 4th, a short dogleg left par 4 sets up nicely off the tee for me. A slightly drawn 4 wood over the ditch leaves me only a lob wedge into the green. Finding the left fringe, I nestle my putt from off the green close, and tap in for my par.

The 5th is a short par 3, where I only had a Pitching Wedge in hand. Caught a little heavy, I come up short right. A pitch and two putts later (one from the fringe)and I’m making another bogey.

 

The 6th, nicknamed ‘Eastbourne Express’, runs alongside the train track. Well worth taking an additional moment to ensure you’re settled before teeing off. This dogleg right par 4 has me hitting 4 wood to the corner of the fairway, leaving a 6 iron into the green. A crisply struck shot has me with a 12ft left to right breaker for my 2nd birdie of the day, but my putt slides by and I make the comeback putt for par.

 

The 7th is a straightaway par 4 with a well bunkered fairway and green, heading directly back towards the South Downs, making the tee shot nice and picturesque. Safety and a relatively short 326 yards has me picking 5 iron, and I leave myself nicely positioned within the middle of the fairway. A disappointing approach has me finding the back edge of the green a long way from the flag. My second three putt of the day means I’ve made bogey from a good position in the middle of the fairway.

 

The 8th is a pretty par 3, over a small ditch and protected by trees to the right of the green. With my draw, this leaves little room for error, which I duly make, clattering my tee shot into a tree overhanging the green from the right edge. Luckily, I end up dropping just off the back of the green, A nice lag putt from the fringe ensures I’m tapping in for par.

 

The front 9 is finished with a reachable par 5. At 484 yards, I’m drawn into having a go at the green with my second after a solid drive down the middle. Water awaits all down the left side of the approach, which needless to say is where I end up! From my drop, my next shot finds the green, and I 2 putt to close out the front nine with a bogey 6 for a 42 total.

 

The back 9 again starts with a fairly straightaway hole, this time with a par 5. With little trouble off the tee, I use driver and get my tee shot away down the right side. The green may be within reach for longer hitters in 2, but two large trees and a ditch running across the fairway about 50 yards short of the green means I’m laying up short of that and leaving myself a short wedge into the green. From the centre of the fairway, I slightly over club and end up on the back fringe with my 3rd, straight over the pin. I don’t manage to get my putt from the fringe close enough to set up and easy par, so have to settle for bogey.

 

The 11th tee is back over the ditch, but the hole heads in the same direction as 10. An intimidating tee shot with three cross bunkers. Feeling confident, my driver is out the bag again and I arrow my drive between the gap between the left two bunkers, leaving myself in a great position in the fairway around 70 yards out. Having learnt from having a similar shot into 10, I judge the distance well with my approach, and leave myself 8 foot for another birdie. Taking a little longer over the putt than normal, I’m happy with my line, and strike my putt, the ball dropping straight in the centre for my birdie 3.

 

The 12th is dogleg left par 4, which in theory should set up great for my draw, however I get a little ahead of myself after my last drive, and end up blazing my drive way right into the deep rough under the trees. Taking a unplayable, I’m left with a long way in still, leaving my approach short left with the pin back right. Again I leave my chip short, and 2 putt for double bogey.

 

13 is a short par three protected by a couple of bunkers at the front of the green. Still reeling from my last tee shot, I compound errors by catching my tee shot heavy, leaving it short of both the green and the bunkers. A pitch onto the green and 2 putts sees me making another bogey.

 

14 follows a similar shape to hole number 2, however is 30 yards longer from the yellow tees, increasing to a par 5. Another error off the tee leaves me having to play for position with my second, short of the ditch running across the  fairway. I find the greenside bunker with my 3rd leaving myself in not too bad position. However, this is where it starts to go wrong! I leave my 4th in the bunker, blade my 5th out of the bunker over the ditch opposite the green. My 6th i fail to find the green again with an attempted flop, my 7th has me finally find the putting surface, before holing my putt for an 8. One to forget!

 

The 15th is a fairly simple par 3 around 150 yards, guarded only by a single bunker left of the green. I narrowly miss the green, finishing on the fringe on the short side of the hole with an 8 iron from the tee. The birdie putt falls just shy, and I tap in for a welcome par.

 

On to 16, and another dogleg right sees me playing safe off the tee. I find the left semi rough about 80 yards out with my 4 wood. A lob wedge onto the green has me with a good look at birdie, but a tough left to right putt slides by, leaving me with a tricky come back for my par. Centre cup, the putt drops and I walk away with my 4.

 

The 17th is the second longest par 4 on the course, but I again fail to get a good drive away, finding the left rough just shy of the lake- which really doesn’t look too in play off the tee due to how wide the fairway is. My 2nd shot comes up 40 yards short of the green from a poor lie, before my approach finds the green, but leaves me quite a lot of work to do for my par. 2 putts later and I’m taking bogey.

 

18 is another par 4 around 400 yards, where after the last few misses left with driver, I opt for ‘safety’ with my 4 wood. Missing high and right, I have a lot of work to do to find the green in regulation. I attempt with my 4 Hybrid, but manage to turn it over and find the left rough just short of the green, which actually sets me up quite nicely for the back right pin. My approach to the green isn’t too bad, but rolls downhill and through onto the fringe, from which I would attempt to putt for par. My putt falls just short and I’m finishing up with another bogey for an 86 (+15).

 


In summary, Mid Sussex Golf Club is a very nice facility, that is easily walkable, with a good mix of holes to keep interest. My favourite holes were par 4 7th with lovely views back towards the South Downs, the risk-reward par 5 9th and the par 4 11th (but my birdie might make me biased!) The course was in very good condition, and I would more than happily return. It is a course that I feel that I could score fairly well at given a couple more rounds.

three and a half stars

–The Sussex Golfer

 

thesussexgolfer Course Reviews

Brighton & Hove Golf Club – Course Review

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Course Review- Brighton & Hove Golf Club (www.brightongolf.co.uk)

Date: 10/06/2017

Time: 17.55pm

Conditions: Clear, Breezy.

Green Fee: £14.00 (all you can play after 15:00pm)

Range: n/a

Par: 68

Tees: White/Black

Yards: 5841

Score: 86

A beautiful Saturday evening in sunny Brighton and some spare time led to my decision to head out to Brighton & Hove Golf Club to make the most of the lovely weather.

Brighton & Hove Golf Club was again another local course that I hadn’t had the chance to try. I chose Brighton & Hove Golf Club for my round as they had a very good offer of a twilight rate of £14 for as many holes as you want to play after 15:00pm. I had every intention of playing until the sun went down, hoping for some fantastic photos later in the day from up on the downs, and boy I was not disappointed.

Upon arrival, I headed straight to the pro shop where I was welcomed, and the Pro was kind enough to give me a little talk through the 9 hole layout. Despite having no driving range, Brighton & Hove Golf Club does have a small practice facility, adjacent to the 1st and 9th fairways, a practice putting green and a driving net. Despite being a course with only 9 holes, it has the ability to be played as 18, with two different sets of tee boxes on each hole, offering differing angles, yardages, and even pars. This adds a nice twist as opposed to playing the exact same 9 twice.


After warming up hitting a few balls into the net, a short stroll to the first tee had me ready to tee off, with not another soul in sight. The 1st starts with a fairly straight hole slightly downhill. From the first fairway, there are views over Brighton in the distance. I manage to get a decent drive away down the left side of the fairway, but a pulled second shot has me failing to make my par, after having been left with a tricky approach after my ball was kicked left down the bank.

The 2nd is a dogleg left uphill par 5, with a blind second shot over the crest of the hill. Again, I manage to get a nice drive away, but a pulled second shot (again) from a ball above the feet lie, leaves me in trouble down the left rough. I manage to come away with a 6 after a one putt.

The 3rd is a par 3 to a large flat green, although the putting surface isn’t overly visible from the tee. Let down by my rusty short game after missing the green with my tee shot, I come away with a disappointing 5.


At the 4th, a short par 4, it is tempting to go for the green​ from the tee for longer hitters, but a shorter club and the middle of the fairway should be the sensible play. Playing on my own- I opt for the risky approach out of curiosity more than anything, and end up over drawing my drive into the long rough- lost ball. I had hit a provisional off the tee, with a 5 iron striped down the middle- definitely the play next time! A lofted wedge safely onto the green, before 3 putting has me come away with a triple.

The 5th is a long slight dogleg right par 4, up the hill back towards the coastline, with a fairway that slopes from left to right. setting up nicely for a draw. I block my drive right, and luckily stay in bounds with a swing (just). I advance my ball further up the fairway with a 6 iron, before leaving my approach from the centre of the fairway short right, behind a bunker. Despite being short sided, a risky flop over the bunker sees me tapping in for bogey.

The 6th is a very steeply downhill par 3, and one of Brighton & Hove Golf Club’s signature holes. Measuring around 155 yards on the scope, and surrounded by bunkers, I boldly pluck my Pitching Wedge out of my bag (usual 120 yard club), and hold off the finish, trying to flight it down a bit. I judged the distance perfectly (more luck than judgement) and end pin-high. A 2 putt sees me walking away with a solid par.

The 7th is a pretty dogleg right par 4, with a tee shot that goes over the 6th green. Luckily with the course being so quiet- this provides no hold ups. At the corner of the dogleg, the 2nd shot has you hitting over an area of small trees, so having a decent lie and being in the fairway off the tee is key. A pulled drive sees me hitting my long approach from a downhill lie and end up leaving it short right again. The short game woes continue which sees me take a further 2 shots to get onto the green, and a further 2 to get it in the hole! Double!

The 8th is a long par 3 from the white tee box. A crisply struck 7 wood has me just left of the green, chipping downhill from a few yards off the green- one of my main weaknesses! An average chip followed by a 2 putt sees me make another bogey.


The 9th is a severely uphill, and doglegs sharply to the right when reaching the top. It is hard to judge quite how far to hit it off the tee, but I pull my 4 wood, and a nice strike sees me going through the fairway- definitely need a gentle fade off the tee (a shot not currently in my locker!). A random shank from nowhere with my second, sees me again failing to make par from a good position. I come away with double, to close the front nine in a disappointing 47.

The 10th plays very similar to the 1st, but the tee is pulled forward approximately 30 yards. I get a solid drive away, down the left side, but the less said about the rest of the hole the better! Shank, Penalty, poor approach and a 3 putt compound the misery.

The 11th changes from the par 5 2nd to an uphill par 4 which plays longer than its yardage, despite the tee coming forward 120 yards. Another solid drive again sets me up for a decent chance for a nice approach, which again fails to find the green. A chip and a 2 putt sees me make bogey.


The 12th changes the approach angle into the 3rd green, increasing the yardage and adding a couple of clubs. I leave my tee shot way right (down the 11th fairway!), but a fantastic recovery lob wedge and 1 putt sees me come away with only my second par of the day.

The 13th tee adds approximately 60 yards to the downhill par 4, taking 5 iron out of play. I opt for 4 wood and get a decent drive away down the middle. A solid approach to the heart of the green and another two putt for back to back pars.


The 14th adds 50 yards to the already long 5th, but gives you a shot back turning it into a par 5. A similar drive to before down the right has me playing sensibly with the second back to the centre of the fairway. Again I fail to find the GIR but a tidy putt from the fringe and tap in leaves me with my 3rd consecutive par.


15 is another par 3 in which they change the angle of attack- this time, adding approximately 10 yards. I try to get a little extra out of my Pitching Wedge (greedy!) but end up finding the front fringe. My next doesn’t get close enough and I’m 2 putting for bogey to end the run of pars.


The 16th becomes an even tighter dogleg, by shifting the tee box 40 yards right. For me this opened up the line on the tee shot a bit better for me, and I left myself in a good place with a 4 wood. The uphill approach is again left short, but nothing a chip and a putt can’t fix. Back on the pars!


17 becomes a nice mid range par 3 at around 160 yards, simplifying the hole. An 8 iron to the centre of the green followed by a 2 putt and I’m going back to back again.

The 18th again shifts the teebox further to the right, sharpening the dogleg. A nice 4 wood finds the centre of the fairway, leaving myself a considerably shorter yardage than before. A low, spinning sand wedge into the green, sees my ball nestling up to around 8 feet. I make a decent putt for what feels like the first time today and I’m signing my card off with a birdie. I rescued my card on the back 9, with a 39  helping me finish with a an 86.

 

Whilst there was still some daylight left, and by which point I was the only person left at the course, I headed out for an additional 4 holes to get some much needed practice in.

In summary, Brighton & Hove Golf Club is a friendly course, which I have to say offers a fantastic twilight rate- particularly in the summer. Holes that stood out for me were the downhill par 4 4th and the challenging par 3 6th, The course was in very good shape, and I would definitely return to take advantage of the twilight rates. I would hope to score better the next time round, with my newly acquired course knowledge.


three and a half stars

–The Sussex Golfer

 

 

thesussexgolfer Course Reviews

West Hove Golf Club – Course Review

Course Review- West Hove Golf Club (http://www.westhovegolfclub.info)

Date: 29/04/2017

Time: 15:40pm

Conditions: Clear, Calm.

 

Green Fee: £21.00

Range: £4.50 approx 50 balls.

 

Par: 70

Tees: Yellow

Yards: 6022

Score: 84

 

A sunny Saturday late afternoon and the prospect of half of Sussex being glued to the final Brighton & Hove Albion home game of the season led to my decision to head out to West Hove Golf Club to make the most of what would hopefully be a nice quiet round considering I hadn’t played much recently.

This was the first time I have played at West Hove Golf Club, despite living less than 2 miles from the course for the best part of three and a half years, and regularly driving passed it. I chose West Hove GC for my round mainly due to the fact that it has a driving range- considering it was the first time I had hit balls for a month.

Upon arrival, I headed straight to the pro shop to grab a range token. The range was surprisingly busy, yet well equipped, with plenty of bays, targets, and tees. Hitting the ball well considering being a bit rusty- a good sign?

After warming up, a short stroll to the first tee had me up next. The 1st starts with a gentle dogleg right up the hill. The fairway is well guarded with bunkers (needless to say I pulled my Hybrid into one off the tee). A few whacks later and I come away with double – not the best start!

The 2nd is a challenging hole for me being a very sharp dogleg to the right, with my typical right to left ball flight. With the absence of any course knowledge, I opt for safety of the tee with a fairway wood, but still manage to hit through the dogleg and end up in the left rough. Straight uphill and more bunker trouble has me taking a triple.

The 3rd is a nice downhill par 3 to a large flat green. Miss the green however, and it slopes off to the rear and right. A 6 iron to the front edge and I 2 putt for my first par of the day.

At the 4th, a short par 4, it is tempting to go for the green​ from the tee for longer hitters, but a shorter club and the middle of the fairway should be the sensible play. My typical left miss has me below the height of the green, but only hitting a wedge in I manage to find the putting surface, 2 putting for par.

The 5th is a winding dogleg left par 5, setting up nicely for a draw. Another miss left and I’m declaring an unplayable. Back on the fairway and bunker trouble later, I’m glad to be only taking 1 putt to come away with a triple.

The 6th is a long downhill par 4, overlooking the fast growing Rampion Wind Farm. A snap hooked tee shot into the steep left to right slope managed to work out okay, but left a long way in to a green​ guarded by a bunker on the right. A solidly struck 4 wood (and probably a nice downhill kick!) led to my ball ending up on the rear fringe. A nicely weighted putt from the fringe and I’m walking away with my only birdie of the day!

The 7th is a short downhill par 3, with further views out to the sea. The green is nicely framed by trees and is guarded by a couple of bunkers. Careful club selection had me finding the centre of the green and 2 putting for my par.

The 8th is a dogleg left par 4. At only 332 yards from the yellows I opted for the safety of a 5 iron off the tee. A poor approach shot left me scrambling, but I missed the par putt, so had to settle for bogey.

The 9th sets up for a gentle fade off the tee, with the fairway sweeping around to the left back towards the clubhouse. Another bogey after some tree trouble had me taking another bogey 5 to finish the front nine on 43.

The back nine starts with the short uphill par 4 10th. A 4-wood to the top of the hill left a short approach to the green, 2 putts later and I’m walking away with par.

The 11th is a hole must make for some fantastic matchplay golf. A short but tight par four offering risk reward off the tee, but a lot of chance for error. Due to not driving the ball well, I opted to try and force a 4-wood down wind, turning it over for some more tree trouble. A stroke of luck left me with a line to the green. Green in regulation made, 2 more putts for another par.

The 12th is a long par 4, which sets up nicely for a draw. I manage to get a nice tee shot away with my 4-wood this time, finding the fairway. I was still left with a hybrid in, but managed to find the dancefloor. My first 3 putt of the day. Bogey.

13 is a downhill par 3 back towards the clubhouse. I managed to sneak a 6 iron on to the front edge, but left the birdie putt short. Par.

The 14th is another hole which sets up nicely for a fade, as the fairway sweeps uphill to the right. More tree trouble down the left means I’m taking a drop. I managed to find the green with my 3rd and two putt for another bogey.

15 is another dogleg right, with very little room for error down the left as the slope drops away close to the left edge of the fairway. Which is where I end up! My approach from down off the left finds the right fringe, and I take 3 to get down for my bogey.

The blind tee shot on the 16th can seem quite intimidating and hard to select a line. I crushed my 4-wood towards the bush in the distance with a slight draw and it turned out perfect. Another nice approach to the green followed by a 3 putt means I’m making bogey.

17 is a long par 3, which was playing directly into the wind to make it harder. There is no room for error on the right, with slopes which will kick your ball down the 18th. I came away with 4.

The 18th is a fantastic finishing hole, all of 600 yards back down the hill towards the clubhouse. Sweeping from right to left setting up lovely for a draw. I bring the driver back out for the first time since 6 and stripe it down the left side. I get over confident on the approach after the drive, and end up blocking it out right. I only manage to find the fringe with my 3rd and then 3 more to get down from there sees me finishing with a 6 for my 84.

 

In summary, West Hove Golf Club is a very solid downland layout with an interesting mix of short and long holes. Holes that stood out for me were the downhill par 4 6th, the picturesque par 3 7th, driveable par 4 11th, the blind 16th and the long par 5 18th. The course was in good overall condition despite work having recently been carried out on the greens.

three and a half stars

Gallery

–The Sussex Golfer