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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