Piltdown

Piltdown Golf Club is one of several beautiful golfing venues in Sussex, all of which are made from the same mould of tree-lined fairways and heather as far as the eye can see. 

Jack Rowe, the club professional at nearby Royal Ashdown, designed the original layout for Piltdown, opening in the early 1900s. J.H. Taylor - the five-time Open Champion – then had his say, redesigning seven holes.  

The course has now been bunkerless for a century, but with the course being clad with heather, and with sloping run-offs on almost every green, Piltdown presents a tough challenge.

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Piltdown Golf Club can trace its history back to the first few years of the 20th Century, with the original ten holes being built and opened in the 1900s. Jack Rowe, the club professional at Royal Ashdown Forest, was the man to design the original layout. 

J.H. Taylor redesigned seven holes on the property and in the 1920s, the course removed all its bunkers in favour of heather banks. A century on, the course remains bunkerless.  

In the 2010s, the club spent five years rebuilding the majority of the greens to improve the drainage, in the biggest change to the course in decades. 

Piltdown Golf Club offers its members and guests an uneven, elevated and heather-clad landscape, with firm fairways and bunkerless pleasure. It is one of the shortest courses that you will find on the NCG Top 100s: England list, coming in at just a nudge over 6,000 yards, but this Par 68 plays tough, with just a single par 5 and a quintet of brilliant short holes. The greens are often tiny – and even more so because their defining characteristic is run-offs, sometimes on all sides. It's as though the designers are so conscious of the lack of bunkers, they made extra efforts to protect Piltdown's dignity.  

The opening hole is a tricky dog-leg right par 4, but if you can find the fairway, then there isn’t too much trouble as you get your round underway at Piltdown. The sole par 5 on the property comes early, at the 2nd. At 522 yards, longer hitters might fancy their chances of getting home in two, but for most it will be a three-shotter.  

The 3rd plays around the only real water hazard on the course, and it is the hardest hole on the course. At 450 yards, this par 4 has wrecked many a card before it has even got going, and it begins the toughest stretch at Piltdown. The 4th is the picture-perfect hole at the Sussex venue, playing downhill across heather to a small green. At 200 yards, it is the longest of the five par 3s on the layout. 5 and 6 are both par 4s of more than 400 yards, as the test continues, with the 5th coming in at more than 430 yards from the tips. 

The 7th provides some respite, as the shortest hole on the course, but the 8th is another tough par 4. Although arrow straight, it has a narrow fairway thanks to the heather and trees surrounding the playing area. At just 330 yards, the 9th is one of the easier holes on the front side, with the back nine then beginning with another short hole. 10 takes you into the southernmost corner of the property, with the 11th then playing as a 400-yard dog-leg right around the boundary. 

The 12th and 13th encapsulate what makes Piltdown so special. The former is, on paper, a juicy short par 4, 310 yards and dead straight. However, as is often the case here, heather brings an abrupt end to the fairway just short of the green which then turns into the most elusive of targets, even with a wedge. Miss it and you are almost guaranteed to be chipping uphill and have next to no green to work with. The 13th is much longer, and angles viciously left. So much so that there comes a point where hitting it further from the tee results in a longer second shot. Unless your angles are perfectly judged, this approach will be longer than you would like and at least partially blind towards a gorgeously sited and slightly sunken green. 

14 is another dog-leg right, and the tee shot is played over the top of the 16th green. It is the hardest hole on the closing side at Piltdown for a number of reasons, including the distance of 410 yards, the trees behind the green, and the fact that the entire area is covered in heather for you to avoid. 16 is a gentle par 4, while the penultimate hole, at 430 yards, gives you one final test with your driver. The closing hole at Piltdown is a par 3 of 180 yards from the tips, played over heather to a long and narrow green. If you miss it, then it will be a tough up and down to put a par on your card... 

Chris Myatt: Thoroughly enjoyable course – very understated

Greg Webber: A par-68 heathland which is not long but requires you to plot your way around the heather. It is a tranquil, pretty and truly delightful place to play

Dan Murphy: Some of the cutest green sites you will see create a fascinating strategic challenge that is all about the angles of approach

Read more about our panellists here.

Where is Piltdown Golf Club located?  

Piltdown Golf Club is located in the south of England, around 40 miles south of the centre of the capital city, London. The course sits to the east of the village of Piltdown, and just a couple of miles from the town of Uckfield. It sits off the A272, with the junction of the A22 and A26 just a couple of miles away from the entrance to the club. 

Uckfield also houses the nearest train station to Piltdown, with trains running hourly to London Bridge Station, right in the heart of England’s capital. For international visitors, London Gatwick is just 20 miles to the north of Piltdown, while London Heathrow – the country’s biggest and busiest airport – is 60 miles away to the northwest, on the western side of the M25. 

Are there any other NCG Top 100s: England venues nearby?  

There are plenty of venues on the NCG Top 100s: England which sit south of the capital. East Sussex National and Royal Ashdown Forest (Old) are both within 10 miles of Piltdown, while West Sussex, Chart Hills and Rye are all within an hour's drive.

What golf facilities does Piltdown Golf Club offer?  

Along with the glorious, bunkerless golf course, Piltdown Golf Club also has its own driving range, located on the other side of Down Road, where the car park is. There is also a short game area with two greens, to the north of the clubhouse, and a putting green by the side of the 1st tee. 

What are the green fees at Piltdown Golf Club?  

The price of a green fee at Piltdown changes throughout the year, depending on the season. It is also different depending on whether it is a weekday or weekend. 

For more information on current green fees at Piltdown Golf Club, visit their website here.