Crowborough Beacon

[3puttwizard]

Review

1st -Sweeping downhill Par 4 just over 400 yards which cambers from right to left. Out of bounds on the left hand side and around a 200 yard carry over the heather from the white tees which backs onto the road. Second shot into a green very close to a road and a pushed approach will put you in some deep heather/trees.





2nd - 449 Yard Par SI 1. From a high tee the fairway snakes down and sharply to the right. Long hitters can take it over the line of the trees but the fairway narrows down at the corner and a large crater awaits on the right for any errant drives. Second shot is off a sloping lie to a fairly large green with no bunkers. Going long is dead on this hole.








3rd - Uphill short Par 3 147 yards. One of the weaker holes on the course for me as there are no bunkers and a poor shot to the right can bounce off the side of a hill and kick on the green.



4th - Downhill Par 4 369 yards. From a high tee this looks a straightforward Par 4.
However a sea of heather meanders all the way down the left hand side and gorse/bracken and a ditch run down the right hand side. Second shot is to a small green well guarded by bunkers.








5th - After two not so special holes comes the 5th. High tee hitting up a steep climbing slope over a carvernous ravine which is crossed by a wooden bridge (as seen at the Addington). 356 yards from the back but even a smashed drive will leave you on an uphill slope with only the top of the flag in view.







6th - The best Par 3 on the course. 191 from the back over yet another cavernous ravine and this is all carry. There is an option to hit towards the right hand side of the green for the faint hearted. Green slopes from back to front and from right to left. Golfers going straight at the green will need clear the end of the ravine 10 yards short of the front of the green.





7th - 507 yard Par 5.Heather now becomes even more apparent with the right hand side rolling into the distance, bracken and trees guard the left. A good 200 yard uphill tee shot will leave you just short of heather/mounds in the fairway but you wont be able to see the green.  A mid iron down the left hand side will then leave you a short 3rd shot. Very cambered green and run offs on this hole.





8th - Straightforward uphill Par 4 329 yards. Quite a tight alley to hit through but the second shot is key as there is a slope on the side of the green you have to clear or your ball will run off down the slope.







9th -  Downhill dogleg right to left 395 yards. Second shot from the right hand side will open up the green which is guarded by a bunker left and a mound of heather on the right.





10th - 495 yard Par 5 uphill left to right. A good straight drive will put you in the trees on the left so a fade is required, overcook it and the heather finds you. Second or third shot will leave an uphill sot to a small green well guarded by bunkers.



11th - Downhill Dogleg right to left 325 yards. The green is not in view from the tee as it sits behind some trees on the left hand side of the fairway. Two mid irons will get you on the green easily enough or a driver straight over the end of the tree line is for the attacking golfer.



12th - Great hole. 414 yards. The fairway is narrow with woods on the left and heather to the right. Lying in wait at 240 yards there is a mass of heather. A good 200 yard tee shot will leave you with another one required to clear the heather and get on the green.





13th - 141 yard Par 3 through a wooded tunnel. Small green and surrounded by bunkers.



14th - 498 Par 5. Gentle downhill Par 5. A good drive down the right hand side over the brow of the hill will leave a long second shot. A road goes down the left of this hole so OOB is in play. On reaching your drive a sea of heather appears so you will need to clear that to get on the green in two.







15th - 366 yard Par 4. Hitting along the side of a hill a good draw tee shot is
required leave a mid iron into a raised green which has run offs and slopes.



16th - Uphill dogleg right to left Par 4 343. Heather up the right and woods either side. Another draw is required to leave a simple wedge into a small green.




17th - Uphill Par 3 145 yards. difficult to judge the distance on this hole. anything left will kick off the slope into the trees and go right, gorse awaits.



18th - 443 yard Par 4. A sea of heather awaits any driver not getting 150 yards. Woods all the way up the left and a poor drive right will find the heather in between the 18th and 1st fairway. Two fairway bunkers left and right need to be avoided to leave a second shot to a slightly raised but quite undulating green guarded by a bunker on the right.



Conclusion: A course that in the winter will play a bit easier. Difficult to judge the greens due to the wet conditions. Once the sun comes out and heather blooms and the fairways dry up it will be quite a tricky course.
Good variety and good use of most clubs in the bag.

8/10

[Ant]

My brief review.

The first is a great golf hole only disturbed by modern traffic on the road beyond the green. A generous fairway but a heavy carry over the heather with woods to the left. A fair sized green for a mid iron shot most normal people would have.

Crossing the road to the second you are presented with a severe slope to the right which is the way the hole doglegs. Aiming at the trees in the distance and letting the ground take the ball toward the hole seems to be the play here. With it being downhill I'm sure a few people have taken too much club and ended in the left hand trees, the big boy I'm sure cut the corner leaving a flick in althougha  large ravine presents the risk for the reward. The normal second shot is over said ravine although there is a bailout area to the left that most mortals should seek if they have more than a 6 iron in hand.

I have no recollection of the third.

Fourth is a short hole and is all about position off the tee. Leaving yourself a short iron into he small green has to be the play hitting the fairway is crucial.

When you walk to the fourth green you see the fifth to your right. A ridiculous ravine and subsequent climb back up the other side. If you put the valley out of your mind it's a straighforward shot where you have to err to the right. Putting it out of your mind is difficult though as it's awesome. Second shot is severly uphill and is at least 2 clubs longer than the distance suggests.

Risk and reward on the sixth. 190 yard par three over a ravine full of heather, if youare in it I think that's where you will stay. The sensible man will play to the right of the green and rely on his short game for par.

More later

[Ant]

The seventh is a funny one. There is an island of heather in the middle of the fairway about 220 out. Laying up gives you a blind second which if you find a flat spot on the fairway should leave you a short shot into a green where you need to be accurate. It's sloping and is designed to make it easy to have your ball run off.

seventeen and Eighteen are awesome, both play up hill and it's easy to be short.

clever design on the last makes it look like there is a bunker right in front of the green and with the clubhouse in the background is a great take me home hole.

[Ant]

I'll give it 10 out of 10 it's in the top handful of courses I've played. I enjoyed it as much as Swinley forest and I think it's a very cleverly designed golf course with lots of beauty.

Looking forward to getting an invite in the Summer.