Cooden Beach Golf Club

COODEN Beach Golf Club, which celebrates its centenary year in 2012, is one of East Sussex’s host of hidden gems by the sea. While it is not classified a links, like nearby Rye, the par 72 layout is as close as you can get to one, with a railway line the only thing separating many of the holes on the back nine from the English Channel. The course, on the outskirts of Bexhill, begins with one of the county’s hardest opening holes. The 455-yard 1st has out-of-bounds right, trees left and is often played into wind. The result means that you are frequently left with a wood or long in your hand for your second shot of the round, to a green guarded by a bunker short right. The 2nd is only 24-yards longer, but as a par 5 offers the perfect chance to get a shot back if you dropped one at the difficult 1st. A generous landing area sets up an approach that is often reachable under green-in-regulation for the chance of an eagle. The 3rd, and your first par 3, is 160-yards long with out-of-bounds right. It is again often played into wind and strategically placed bunkers lay waiting to capture any stray shots. The 4th looks intimidating from the tee, but played sensibly can often yield a birdie. A small pond sits in-front of the green, some 250-yards from the tee, with thick bulrushes left and bunkers right. A successfully placed fairway wood or hybrid will leave you with a wedge in your hand and the chance to make a three. The 315-yard 5th is probably the easiest par 4 on the course. With the wind in your favour an eagle putt is attainable. If it is in your face then a hybrid-pitch combination still leaves you with a chance to improve your score. The 6th is the last of three consecutive par 4s on the front nine, from here to the end of your round no two holes are of the same par. The 415-yard stroke index 2 is the hardest hole on the way out, with water bordering the landing zone left and out-of-bounds right. Because of its length you cannot bail out with a long iron and so only the best tee shots are rewarded with pars. At 175-yards, the 7th is another par 3 that can prove tough with unfavourable wind conditions. Bunkers guard a raised green short left and right, while long wispy grass makes going right from the tee an automatic re-load. The 532-yard 8th uses two ponds and adjoining streams to create a great risk-reward par 5.  The first of these water hazards curves into the fairway around 230-yards from the tee and to have a chance to putt for eagle you will have to flirt with it. The second is about 50-yards short of a generous green, waiting to catch anything less than a perfect long second shot. The final hole on the front nine is also the closet you get to the sea on the way out. At 364-yards, the par 4 is flanked by water and rises steeply to a hilly green. Dependant on the wind, it can play anything from driver-pitch, to driver-hybrid.

The risk-reward par 5 18th is often reachable in two and so offers the chance to close out victory or complete a spectacular comeback

The par-5 10th is also flanked by water on both sides, but has a considerably wider fairway. This helps anyone hoping to cover the 477-yards in two and putt for eagle. The green is raised, but is large enough to reward anyone who takes on the second shot. The 11th is stroke index one, and while it is not one of the longest par 4s on the course at 395-yards, it is definitely one of the toughest. The narrow fairway doglegs to the right, with dense trees left and out-of-bounds right. A long second to a smaller green completes the challenge. The par 3 12th is the furthest from the clubhouse and begins a string of holes that practically boarder the sea. At 177-yards, players are faced with out-of-bounds right and a bunker short left when hitting to a tiered green. The 13th doglegs right, and like the 11th has out-of-bounds guarding the corner. Two fairway bunkers also add to the difficulty of the tee shot. Should you find the fairway then the terrain rises to a large green 150-yards away. The 14th is another hole than is often affected by the sea breeze. At 193-yards downhill, the par 3 can play anything from a short iron to a fairway wood. Bunkers and an undulating green mean that even if you navigate the tee shot a par is not guaranteed. The 15th is the second of three easy par 5s on the back nine. At 509-yards, it is often reachable in two when playing downwind. If you are not so lucky and feel the full force of the elements in your face, then the pond at 200-yards and the fairway bunkers 70-yards short of the green both come into play. The par 3 16th turns away from the sea, and alongside the 14th is the only real downhill hole of a fairly flat round. At 164-yards a well-struck long iron is needed by most to find the green-in-regulation. The penultimate hole is a difficult par 4. At 431-yards, it is the second longest par 4 at Cooden Beach. Players must navigate a slight dogleg and bunker to find a fairway that slopes from left to right. From here a long second to a narrow green is needed. The final hole offers the perfect finish to the day’s golf. The risk-reward par 5 is often reachable in two, especially when playing downwind, and so offers the chance to close out victory or complete a spectacular comeback. Off the course, Cooden Beach has smart male and female changing rooms, a spike bar and formal restaurant and a host of practice facilities, including a range, warm-up nets and putting and chipping greens.