18th Hole  -  The Beacon

Bernard Darwin wrote in 1926: “Finally, the home hole, a really difficult finishing hole with its carry over heather from the tee, and its narrow opening between bunkers, through which the perfectly struck second shot must be steered. And so we are at home again with the restful terrace – or is it a balcony (!!) – close by, waiting to receive us and enjoy the view, as beautiful as ever.”

The 18th hole at Crowborough is a truly memorable finishing hole, as demanding today as it was in Darwin’s day and arguably the hardest hole on the course. The right-to-left dog leg is hard to negotiate because of the heather on the left-hand corner which extends onwards, further than one expects. This can result instead in a tendency to leave the ball too far to the right of centre and run out of fairway into the right-hand semi-rough which can be very punishing.

Should you find the fairway, a long second is needed to find the sloping green, where two good putts will be needed in order to make one of the hardest earned par 4's you will find anywhere in the world...