GOLF
Golf IN KENT cont.
Leeds Castle
Eastwell Manor
2,132 yards, par 32, and created primarily for the residents of this gorgeous hotel( although guests are welcome), the golf course at Eastwell Manor is delightful. Not only is it fun to play, but it is ecofriendly too. Using treated waste water from the hotel that runs through a special recycling system, the trees, shrubs and immaculate lawn are kept healthy.
01233 213000 www. eastwellmanor. co. uk
Etchinghill Golf Course
The par 34, 2,843-yard course was originally built on the 500-acre Leeds Castle Estate in 1931 by Sir Guy Campbell of West Sussex GC fame. Overseen by golf course architect Alan Walker, Leeds Castle golf course is two years into a redevelopment programme where the course has benefitted from a new irrigation system, bunker landscaping, the levelling and relaying of all tees, as well as input from top agronomists STRi to make the course look great 365 days a year. Alan Walker, PGA Professional, past captain of The PGA and golf consultant, commented on the redesign and renovation programme:“ Sir Guy Campbell did a terrific job originally,” he said,“ but like many courses, golf equipment and new technology have meant that it’ s become necessary to look at how the course can be updated successfully, retaining all the best things about it while enhancing the challenge for the modern golfer.
Further plans are ongoing to redevelop the Pro Shop in order to offer new leisure facilities and a new short game practice area is available. Pay & Play rounds available from £ 13.50, one-month trial season tickets from £ 39 and annual season tickets from just £ 295.
The courses at Etchinghill in Folkestone include the Leas Course, the Valley Course, and the Academy Course. The 6,101-yard Leas Course is Etchinghill’ s main 18-hole golf course. Stretching across the beautiful Kentish downland countryside, it comprises five par 3s, ten par 4s and three par 5s, posing a fantastic challenge to golfers of all abilities. The magnificent Elham Valley lends its name to the versatile Valley Course. The course is made up of nine holes played from multiple tee positions to give the option of nine or eighteen holes. This 5,592-yard course combines four par 3s, twelve par 4s and two par 5s into a wonderfully impressive test for all golfers. The par three Academy Course is popular with families and beginners alike. Extending over an area of stunning natural parkland, it offers great golf challenges for every golfer.
01303 863863 www. pentlandgolf. co. uk / etchinghill
Chart Hills Golf Club
01622 767828 www. leeds-castle. com / golf
North Foreland
North Foreland is coastal golf at its very best. North Foreland Golf Club, with its superb cliff-top chalk downland course, offers stunning panoramic views from every tee and every green. North Foreland is, year after year, rated as one of the premier courses in Kent due to the fact that there are no temporary greens through the winter – it’ s all natural and all North Foreland.
The distance on the holes throughout the Northcliffe Course varies between 50 and 140 yards, and on the Main Course there are eleven particularly tricky par fours to navigate.
01843 862140 www. northforeland. co. uk
The award-winning course at Chart Hills in the High Weald of Kent has Sir Nick Faldo’ s clever hand all over it. He designed the course, making it a diverse and challenging one that is one of the most popular in the South East of England. It’ s in a great location too – just 20 minutes from Ashford International Station yet sitting in 200 acres of the most gorgeous Kentish countryside you can imagine. When you join Chart Hills you will also gain access to the fantastic intelligent golf online management system, making it easier for you to plan and organise your game, view your handicap and the course status.
01580 292222 www. charthills. co. uk
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