East Sussex
Holtye Golf Club is a nine-hole heathland course established in 1893 and situated on Holtye Common near Cowden in East Sussex, on the A264 between East Grinstead and Tunbridge Wells. The club was originally known as the Liliput Golf Club, a name derived not from Jonathan Swift's fictional land but from its association with the landlord of the nearby White Horse Inn, a man named Gulliver who served as a convivial host to early members. No notable course designer is recorded in the club's history. Played as an 18-hole round through the use of alternative tee positions on the back nine, the course measures 5,256 yards over the full layout and plays to a par of 66, with a course rating of 66.2 and a slope of 121.
The terrain is rolling and wooded, characteristic of the Sussex Weald, with heather patches, tree-lined fairways, and bunkers providing the primary hazards throughout. A distinctive feature of the course is a series of ditch-like features that date from the time when trees were cleared from the forest for shipbuilding. The opening hole runs alongside a public road before the course retreats entirely into the woodland, where the landscape becomes more sheltered and the holes more varied in character. The third hole is noted for its elevation changes and is frequently cited by visitors as one of the more memorable on the course. The sandy subsoil provides effective natural drainage, keeping the course playable in most conditions.
The differing tee positions on the back nine alter the character of several holes considerably, changing both yardage and angle of approach and ensuring the second circuit of the nine greens presents a meaningfully different challenge. Golf Monthly included Holtye in its list of the top twelve nine-hole courses in the United Kingdom in 2009. The club is also associated with a minor piece of cultural history, as the author A. A. Milne, creator of Winnie-the-Pooh, was a regular visitor to the course, often accompanied by his son Christopher.
