Cowdray Park Golf Club

Our society had gone for coffee & bacon butties, 18-holes and a 2 course meal.
Course was in great condition, and there were fabulous views. Spacious changing room and good showers.
Food was good too. And all the staff (waiters and starter) were friendly and efficient. Definitely worth another visit.

Cowdray park is a challenging, picturesque course, with multi tiered greens. Very easy to 3 and even 4 putt.
They also have a small par 3 course to warm up on before playing, is a lot more for fun than hitting balls into a net.
Well worth a trip there.

Cowdray Park is a 6,000 yards par 70 course from the yellow tees. SSS is 69 from the yellows and 70 from the white tees.

While the yellow tees yardages are about 150 less than the equivalent, albeit the par 69 is 3 less than the 72 at Cherry Lodge, the undulating layout of the Cowdray Park course appears to give the impression as if it is a much longer course.

The course is located in the South Downs on the outskirts of Midhurst Sussex; about a 75 minute drive from South West London area, mainly down via the A3. There are panoramic view of the South Downs as well as the famous Cowdray Park Polo Grounds.

Most of the par 4s are less than 400 yards, so in theory are reachable GIRs; but the 2nd and 10th are the exception because of the significant uphill approaches hence they are indexes 1 & 2 respectively. It is an exposed course so the difficulty can be greatly affected by medium to high winds.

This is a very undulating and scenic golf course. The fairways and greens are in great condition. Such fairway bunkers that exist are deep so avoid! The club have an obsession with the tiering of their greens. Most have at least two tiers and many have three. They are also very big, undulating and fast. The most difficult I have played on for ages. It is essential to get your approach shots onto the same level as the pins. Not easy with the numerous uphill approaches involved. The course architect could have had more consideration for the 'amateur' golfers abilities!

The course staff were generally welcoming, ie the bar and the pro-shop.

Played on a Sunday afternoon, normal afternoon weekend visitor green fees are £40, however, our erstwhile TSGer Brigitte Lockwood organised the game at a £30 golf only green fee. This represents good VFM for the quality of this course.

This is a course that I would not like to play regularly as my home club because there is too much undulation for my knee and therefore my liking. However, I can readily recommend it to fellow TSGers as a course to play if a good VFM opportunity to arises. Also it is not far from the Goodwood courses, Old Thorns or Liphook, and others, which one could consider for a golfing itenary.

Cowdray Park is a beautiful course set in wonderful countryside. There are a lot of blind shots, so familiarity with the course (or playing with someone familiar with it) would be an advantage. The course was in excellent condition on the day with greens running true if a little inconsistent. All in all a fantastic day out. The clubhouse has a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. The half-way hut made the game even more enjoyable. Super day's golf made better due to the fantastic deal we had -- thanks Brigitte!

Cowdray Park is part of the vast Cowdray Estate in West Sussex, with views of the ruins of the castle & the Polo field, Sussex Downs.

The scenery is quite spectacular, quite a hard walk up and down (buggy might be a good idea), sloping fairways, huge deeps/depressions un-seeable from the Tee box, guiding posts, raised & tiered greens with wonderful undulations but true, fast, just perfect. Everything gives the impression that a lot of work goes into making and keeping this course in tip top condition from the Tee boxes to the paths, signage etc.

As said in the title, there are NO water hazards, the challenges are in the design of the course with its natural sloping fairways which you can use to your advantage but you must get it right: you will have all the difficult lies (above/below, side, uphill/ downhill, some sand bunkers with lovely soft sand protecting the greens but sometimes NO bunkers at all (4th, 12th & 13th hole).

The fairways are fairly wide with bordering trees to take into consideration. The 1st cut is a very good height but do not venture into the rough or you might waste a lot of time. There is a large shared green for hole 8 & 16, a sign will tell you which flag to play. A very lovely half way with seating area by the 7th and 14th holes. Portaloo by the 9th...

There is an excellent practice area with a Par 5 short game Academy, practice bunker and a tiered green with 3 different coloured flags. A driving range which I did not visit as I prefer to practice the short game.Reception in well stocked Proshop is warm/friendly, I was given a free Course Planner (£4.50 worth) as Phil Stevens (the owner/manager) recognised me from when I played at the "sister" course of Chiddingfold(I accidently dropped a betting slip with a very famous dog name on it and he put a bet on my recommendation & won, so did I).

A pleasant Clubhouse with very friendly staff, lots of natural light, prices are very reasonable, the food is excellent. A large terrace by the putting green, looking onto the 18th approach with yet another sloping fairway. Large plant displays making the overall impression a very good one. It looks classy even the buggies have a very smart appearance....there seem a be a balance with the natural/wild areas and the manicured ones.

Wildlife is thriving, trees are ancient and very attractive with the Sussex farming fields as a beautiful backdrop. There are also new trees being planted, so there seem to be a plan for the future. drainage is excellent as sandy soil, there is a good irrigation system in place too.

A story, happy & sad, to be told: the lovely Par 3 - 17th, has a memorial bench roped off in a triangular shape with some young trees, there rests a man, Steve Le Butt, who scored a hole in one on the 3rd of June 2013 and died the next momth. He was only 50 years old...

Lots of different parking areas. A very attractive & challenging course that offers variety and scenic surroundings. There is accommodation available in an adjacent Lodge. A large membership, the members seem very friendly, happy and welcoming. Seems a busy club with a happy feel. A course I would love to play again as knowing what to expect should help you along the way and it has all he challenges I like on a golf course.

I think it is must on everybody's list, you wont be disappointed. Maybe see you there sometimes soon.

Photos to follow... THE END