Seaford Head – Golf Course Review

Golfer’s Tips

• This is a Council-owned course, which is perhaps why it goes under the radar in spite of its obvious strengths. With that comes very reasonable green fees, but practice facilities are also on the more basic side as you might expect. After hitting a few balls into a net and hitting a few putts then don’t underestimate the length of stroll over to the 1st tee.
• The short par 3 12th is up a significant incline with a false front and devilish deep bunkers sitting at the foot of the front bank. Aim to favour long here – short is an incredibly difficult spot, with the ball less likely to hold the bank in the Summer months, and at the same time there is always the chance that gravity takes its course and brings your ball back onto the putting surface from the bank at the rear of the green.

Signature Holes

• 15th – interesting par 4 which plays along the clifftop away from the Seven Sisters. The tee shot needs to avoid a fairway bunker on the right, but right fairway short of the ditch and associated narrowing at 250 yards is the prime spot. From here the approach is played to a bunker-free, linksy-style green which runs away from you.
• 18th – a truly memorable hole. A tee that sits up on top of a cliff, overlooking the beach and Seaford town, with a hole that plays some 150 feet downhill to an undulating fairway that leads you back to the clubhouse. A knockout viewing hole but also a nice finisher in its own right.

Review:

Seaford Head is a true hidden gem – hidden in that it does not feature on the Top100 website and many other esteemed golfing ranks, but a gem given its excellent views of the East Sussex coastline coupled with a fun and ultimately very decent golf course.

Owned by the Council, which perhaps does create the idea that this is a strong golf course steeped in history, but Seaford Head golf club was founded in the 1880s and was therefore one of the first to be established in the area – given the excellent drainage afforded to the land sat atop the chalky cliffs with their incredible views, you can perhaps understand why.

The round starts with a nice opener played sideways across a hill, where left is trouble but there is sufficient room right, and then you have a few up and down par 4s which are perhaps slightly on the simpler side, as perhaps you might expect for a Council-run course which costs only £35 in the Summer.

The par 5 5th, following the decent short 4th, is a nice driving hole playing over gorse to a fairway slanting diagonally left – a draw is the perfect shape here. The second shot plays down the hill to a green with bunkers left.

The front nine then closes with a few par 4s – although not a long course, these holes are far from basic and boring, all traversing ground that changes level and turns around areas that drop off with gorse and heather to catch you.

The clifftop views at Seaford Head are superb – unlike at Isle of Purbeck you cannot see coastline from the majority of holes, but on a handful (generally towards the end) you have an amazing vista across the coastline towards Seaford town and the ‘Seven Sisters’ cliffs in the other direction.

The 18th hole will rightly take many of the plaudits for its incredible view some 300ft down to Seaford town and the Downs beyond, but as you reach the green on the par 5 13th, which itself is a pretty moorland stretch with gorse left and right, you then turn and head towards the

Overall Seaford Head is a great day out – really fun to play and a great spot. Its absence from many golfers’ thoughts is somewhat puzzling, but at the same time a nicely kept secret for those in the know. I for one would sooner return here than many ‘ranked’ courses above it in the Kent and East Sussex listings.

• “Top 100” Ranking: Unranked
• Golfer View Rating: 62%

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