East Brighton Golf Club

East Brighton is a typical Sussex downland course. The excellent fairways and greens are both firm and running on fast draining chalk, and the views of Brighton, and its Marina are superb. It has a few stiff drags; the first four holes are all uphill, and then it drops away sharply at the fine 5th. From then on it is a series of gentle and not so gentle climbs to the excellent halfway hut. The 10th hole is a nice par 3 across a gully formed by the 9th fairway. Then you turn away to the perimeter of the racecourse and two straightforward holes (with another steepish climb at the 11th), before beginning the turn for home playing a run of holes on the top level of the course. These are fully exposed to the ever present wind, and pitch and run shots are probably more advisable then a lofted wedge. The 15th and 17th holes have the added danger of partially hidden "tank trap" gullies which can not only catch out the errant shot, but also the too well hit drive or approach. The course finishes with a fine downhill short par 5, where a well struck tee shot left of the marker post can set you up for a downhill approach and a good chance to putt for an eagle. The traditional Edwardian clubhouse is excellent, with friendly and helpful staff, and the members we spoke to were a nice bunch and made us feel very welcome. Great value for £17.50 (members guest rate). 7.5/10

Played here again on Wednesday (I said I would return) and loved every minute of it. The course was in exceptional condition, a real credit to the greenstaff. I have putted on worse greens in July, let alone January! I didn't play as well as I had on my first visit, but still thoroughly enjoyed it. £15.00 green fee on a 2fore1 voucher has to be bargain of the year. Go play.

Played mid April on the twilight rate £17.50 which included a drinks voucher in the bar. Although initial impressions were mixed - you enter via a narrow track to the back of the club house - the welcome from the Pro shop couldn't have been more friendly. The first hole plays up a blind drive away from the clubhouse. It is a bit off putting that returning golfers walk down the side of the fairway - it is a bit of a funnel back to the start. Once out of sight of the club house the course opens up. Few trees - it really is windy and exposed, but great views of the sea and Brighton. What I struggled with was the roll and bounce on the course. This was mid April after a very wet winter and the course was bone dry. Not a hint of 'drop and stop'. They were already watering the greens so I will be interested to see what it looks like in the height of the summer. It feels like a victorian course - quite traditional layout and not that long. Some 'old' bunkers look like they have been left to become obstacles rather than hazards. Best to play off the whites for a bit more challenge and an extra stroke. Much as others have said there are numerous cross overs and I would be concerned if it was busy. Playing over the 9th green would be off putting with players on it. Again as said before when you head back via the 15/16/17 holes what feel like bomb craters come into play - avoid! All in I managed the 18 holes in just under 3 hours which made the rate good value. Look forward to playing again in the near future.

Played here for the first time yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed myself despite it being a bitterly cold day. I had been warned that the course was exposed to the elements but I awoke to a lovely sunny day with barely a hint of a breeze and had high hopes. Unfortunately they were dashed once I got out onto the course! Lovely turf to hit a ball off, and the greens were in fabulous condition. But the wind!! I'd hate to play this on a really windy day, I reckon it would be almost impossible. But never the less, really nice course as I say, with some very good holes. I didn't particularly like the fact that some tees were very close to other greens, and on a couple of occasions you were actually driving over other fairways. A bit confusing first time out, and potentially dangerous. A few blind tee shots as well where you are firing over marker posts with no idea of what's beyond. But that was purely a case of not ever having played there before, a couple of times around would see you knowing where you are going. Some really good holes, in particular the par 5 5th played off an elevated tee which reminded me of hitting off the 18th at Seaford Head a little, and the following par 4/5 6th hole is a cracker. Played off the yellow tees it's a helluva par 4, but a great hole nonetheless. Closing stretch has a nice selection of 4's and 5's but two words of warning if you are playing it for the first time. 17th hole is a par 4 and there are some deep, gorse filled "bombholes" short of the green that you can't really make out from the tee. Two of my friends (who were also playing the course for the first time) drove into them and couldn't find their balls. Best to play short or miss to the right (like I did luckily) and end up down by the next tee. Simple flick with a wedge from there to secure your par! And the 18th....the only hole I had a N/R on. Aim well to the left of the marker post. I hit what I thought was a perfect drive over the top of it. A combination of the crosswind and the slope of the fairway (which you can't see from the tee by the way) saw my ball bound miles down to the right hand side and my ball ended up just 2 or 3 inches the other side of the OOB fence. You have been warned! It's not a long hole by any stretch of the imagination and I don't think (on distance) it warrants being a par 5. The fairway runs all the way down to the green and had my ball been in play I would have been able to knock a 7 iron or even less down there and have made the green. It would be better as a lower SI par 4 to be honest. But that aside it was a very enjoyable day. I would love to go back and play it on a Summers evening when the wind was hopefully dying down. Lovely turf, great holes, and solitude, with great views. What more could you want? A great clubhouse by the way, very olde worlde and steeped in history. And at £17.50 green fee on a Sunday using 2fore1 vouchers tremendous value for money. I will go back again.

This is a very open, exposed course situated on the downlands above Brighton Marina, with sea views from most holes. Although set on well draining soil rather than sand the course very much has the feel of a links. We played when it was blowing a southerly gale, which made distance and direction judgement very difficult. The course was designed by James Braid in the early 1900's and has a similar feel to other of his courses around the country. The course is well maintained and is a good test of golf, especially when the wind is blowing. For my taste some of the tees are a bit adjacent to the previous greens, to the extent that errant approaches can easily stray on to the tee. It would be nice to play the course on a calm day, but the members tell me that is rare. Good value on 241 schemes.

Played here midweek December 08 ( £12.50 with 2 FORE 1 ). Fantastic value for money with a voucher. Elevated ,blustery ,downland course with a lovely links feel & a touch of quirkiness.Set back a bit from the sea but due to it's lofty setting there are fine views (unfortunately we played on a cloudy day). While going round i was thinking i was going to categorise it as a hidden gem but on reflection i wouldn't quite put in that category, but not far off. There are lots of elevation changes here & the holes have been cleverly designed (James Braid).I was impressed with the bunkering (e.g. the bunker in front of the 3rd tricks you into thinking that the green is just beyond it)& there's a Scottish links feel around the greens with rough & humps & hollows which i liked. The greens were superb for the time of year .Fast & true but also receptive . This is a very well conditioned course & despite it being December you hardly had to pick & place your ball on the springy fairways.Despite recent rain this course drains brilliantly & there were no wet patches anywhere. On the day we played the wind was a major factor .The northerly wind gusted down the valley towards the end of the front 9 & what was a serene round became a war of attrition with 2nd shot woods not reaching par 4 greens .Then ,with wind helping from the 12th & in ,such was it's strength meant hitting driver /putter on the downhill 395 yard 12th ,the 261 yard par 4 13th became in range & driver /8 iron on the downhill par 5 last. Great fun. Nice atmosphere & very friendly attitude at this club (from pro,bar staff,secretary & members). Cosy ,traditional clubhouse . Kevin B.

What a find - You must visit this course and enjoy it like we did. The Greens were some of the best I have played on - very impressive compared with others I have played on recently. The course has very little in the way of trees, being located on the downs, but was set-up very cleverly so that only really stray shots were punished by the graduated rough. Placing your shots on the correct part of the fairway is desirable, but even when some of our shots strayed into the semi-rough you could still have a fair chance at getting back on track. The halfway house was a welcom sight located after the 9th hole. Refreshed we then headed back out to the top of th course and were rewarded with fantastic views streatching for miles and miles east and west along the english channel. We were made welcome by everone we met - it was hard to find any fault with anything? Can't recommend this course enough.

What a great day, Although a little windy we found the course in fantastic condition with no temporary tees or greens, somthing we seem to find all to often on our travels around other courses. The course was extremely fair with holes that presented a 'fair challenge'. I particularly likes the valley holes even though they were fairly long!! The snack at the halfway house was most welcome, where we were able to admire the fantastic views back down the course and out to sea. We certainly will be back - thanks for a brilliant day.

Nice course but extremely windy. I would recommend getting a course map as the position of some of the pins (and even some fairways!) is not that obvious. Definitely would play again.

If you want to play on a course where you can play to or beat your handicap, then come here on a windless day. The problem is that you'll never find one. If someone sneezes in the marina then a gale blows on the golf course. Our society has played here 3 times. Each time the wind has been the main influence on scores. But what a neat course - with many interesting/challenging holes. The lies on the fairways and the condition of the greens have always been excellent, too. Also, the catering is quality, with "man-size" portions and good value for money.

A year on from the previous comments, I'm pleased to say the course was in excellent condition and lived up to its reputation. I'm also very pleased to say the wind blew and anybody under 10 stone should consider don-ing a ball and chain! Our only negative that the club house could do with losing the bunting, I know it's the Seaside but a bit too Hi-de-Hi!

One of the best courses I have played on. The views over the English Channel and Brighton itself are fabulous. The course is beautifully maintained, and the holes are all interesting.

I played at East Brighton for the first time on Monday 17/5/99. I was introduced by a member (Denis Hayes) who highly recommended the course. Although the wind was so strong that it lifted some of the flags out of their holes it was an enjoyable day. Besides as a beginner the wind did not make a massive difference to my usual performance.\r\n\r\nThe condition of the course was outstanding especially the greens. The views over Brighton, the country side and the Channel were beautiful. I live locally and I am looking for a local club to join later this summer. Regardless of which club I end up joining, I look forward to playing at your club many times in the future.\r\n\r\nRegards\r\n\r\nJohn Willsher