The Missing Links: Littlehampton Golf Club, Kent, England

Friday 25 February 2022

Littlehampton Golf Club, Kent, England

www.littlehamptongolf.co.uk

White tees par 70, slope 123, 6207 yards
Red tees par 73, slope 126, 5615 yards

We played Littlehampton on a sunny but breezy day in late February having driven down from Royal Cinque Ports past the white cliffs of Dover. Littlehampton lies on the south coast of England overlooking the English Channel. Incorporated in 1889 it was originally a nine hole course in the sand dunes but in 1893 more land was purchased to add a further nine holes. As with many courses in this area it was ravaged during World War 2 but after the removal of over 400 concrete blocks and a military road the course was restored.

The first hole

This is an unassuming but very friendly club. We met some very helpful members at the start who insisted that we join them in the clubhouse after the round for a Littlehampton 'special' - brandy and lovage.

The second hole is a typical links hole

Improvements to the course are underway to build more sand dunes on both sides of the first hole to tie in with the original sand dunes running along the coast. The prettiest section is along the dunes with occasional glimpses of the magnificent sandy beach. Standout holes include the second, sixth and seventh, which are typical links holes and easy on the eye. The sixth is a long par 3 with bunkers awaiting the unwary and a sloping green. The seventh is a gentle dog leg to the right with views of the sea from the tee. The second nine is less interesting with a few rather wet holes but a nice finishing hole by the clubhouse

The long par 3 6th

Glimpses of the sea on the first nine

Worth playing? Yes for the relaxing course and friendly welcome.

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The Links Project

There are 246 true links golf courses in the world and this blog is a record of our attempt to play all of them. My husband Ron and I are keen golfers and I came up with the idea of this project after he gave me the book by George Peper and Malcolm Campbell 'True Links' which lists them all.

The commonest question we are asked about our project is 'How do you define a true links course?' This will be debated by aficionados for long after we have (hopefully) completed our quest and there will never be a correct answer. The strict definition is from the British Golf Museum:

1. The course must be beside a river estuary

2. It must offer partial or occasional views of the sea

3. It must have few trees

4. It must have numerous bunkers

5. It must have nines that run out and back, the front heading to a far point and the back returning to the clubhouse

Peper and Campbell defined their list as follows:

Terrain - how close is the course to the sea? Do the fairways run fast and hard? Do the greens favour a run-on approach? How open is the site? How natural? Is there a freedom from trees? Is the invasion of gorse and brush controlled? How light is the environmental footprint on the land?

Turf - is there a sand base? What grasses are dominant on the fairways and greens? Is the rough managed ( creating biodiversity for flora and fauna)? How well does the course drain?

Weather - how exposed is the site to the elements? What are the typical wind conditions? Does the course play hard and fast all year round? Must temporary greens and tees be used in winter? Is the course susceptible to winter closure?

Peper and Campbell included courses which supplied the correct answers to most of these questions. But however defined, to me the poem by Sir John Betjeman encapsulates the feeling of links golf.