A Classic Seaside Links

Rye Golf Club is a classic seaside links course. The routing is natural, the clubhouse is unpretentious and the course is fiendishly difficult! Nominally, the course is a par of 68 but has a standard scratch of 73. The original Colt design (with a few modifications over the years – see below) has stood the test of time and remains great fun. Sitting on the balcony having a drink afterwards, it was noticeable how many people were relaxed and smiling. This speaks volumes about the club, its members and the experiences that it provides.

The club has always been very private and still has an air of mystery about it. It is similar to Swinley Forest and New Zealand in this regard. I have been fortunate enough to have a member host on my visits, but I would expect unhosted visitors to be treated equally warmly. Either way, it is an experience that all those who enjoy a good round of golf should seek out.

Another first design hits the jackpot

I am only a few courses into this journey, but even at this stage it is clear I have a lot to learn. I have a great memory for golf holes, but there is so much more to a club and its history than the holes themselves. Carrying out some research into Walton Heath made me realise that clubs have great stories to tell. It is still amazing to me that the Old Course at Walton Heath was Herbert Fowler’s first attempt at laying out a course. It was therefore a further revelation when I discovered that Harry Colt’s first design was the Old Course at Rye Golf Club.

How is it that these two great course designers hit the jackpot first time round? Put this into the context of the time that they were working and it becomes even more impressive. So it was that in the late 19th century the land at Camber Sands was identified as an ideal location to play golf. Colt was elected as the first club captain and laid out the permanent 18 hole course in 1895. At this time he was a practising solicitor, but the experience of designing the course started him on a new career as a course architect.

Early membership and travel

The early membership was largely from London and included men and women. The club appealed to parliamentarians, surgeons and lawyers from the outset and continues to do so to this day. On my first visit to the club, my host pointed out that our fellow diners included a number of retired High Court judges and former permanent secretaries. The lunch, incidentally, has legendary status and is an integral part of any trip.

Before the motor car was widely available, travel to and from the club was by train. A new tramway was opened to bring members from Rye to the Links Station. The copper brown roofed shed that acted as the station still takes pride of place above the 13th fairway. It is also used as the ideal starting line for the tee shot on the 8th.

The clubhouse was expanded to its current shape by 1911. It was supposed to be a temporary structure, but with the exception of the repairs necessitated by damage caused during WWII it has remained largely the same.

Changes to the Course

The club commissioned work to the course in 1907 which included expansion onto the land to the south of the sand dunes. This allowed Colt’s original design to be lengthened and included holes on both sides of the road. This later became too dangerous and further work was carried out during the 1930s. The head greenkeeper, Frank Arnold, implemented Tom Simpson’s revised design. Simpson, however, courted controversy basically wherever he went and these changes were soon revised further. It is telling that Simpson’s redesign work carried out at Sunningdale (New), Rye and Royal Porthcawl during the 1930s have almost totally been replaced. I suspect that his designs would have been welcomed and revered now. He was perhaps ahead of his time.

Anyway, the changes that were carried out in 1938 left us with the course that we have today. It is one of the finest all-season courses in the country. In addition, there are 12 holes which make up the Jubilee Course that was opened in 1977. These can be played in two loops of 9 making up a further 18 holes on the property. On my first visit to the club, the ground staff were working on the front 9 which were consequently closed. A re-routed 18 holes was created incorporating the back 9 on the Old Course and 9 from the Jubilee Course.

Matchplay on the Old Course

Today’s match is full handicap matchplay. I am off 14 and Bill is off 12 – so two shots for me. The course is two-ball only and so it is usually under 3 hours for a round. Their preferred mode of play is foursomes, but playing your own ball is also allowed. The website and various signs state that 3 or 4 ball play is permitted only with the prior written consent of the secretary. As part of the discussion before we start, Bill confirms he has never seen more than 2 balls in play in his many years of membership. It lead me to wonder in what circumstances it might be permitted … a visit by royalty perhaps?!

Anyway, after my recent performance at Walton Heath I was rather hopeful that I might get the better of Bill this time. Readers of previous posts will remember that I came close to winning at Woking earlier in the summer.

Hole 1

The first is a gentle opener. It is the only par 5 on the course and at 480 yards is only marginally longer than some of the par 4s. There are no bunkers and the hole is pretty much dead straight. There is a slight kink from left to right off the tee, so my arrow-straight drive up the left edge just ran out of fairway. The only danger is the road on the left.

Both away with good drives off the tee, I then crunched a 3-wood to just about 30 yards short of the green. Using the contours of the green, I ran my approach right of the hole and watched it gently roll down to within 4 feet. I holed the putt for birdie and walked off the first 1-up and feeling quite confident.

Hole 2

The unassuming par 3 2nd hole is, as with many on this course, more difficult than it looks. It doesn’t help if you chunk the ball off the tee (perhaps a little over confidence had crept in!). We played this par 3 from the higher tee box, which apparently is very rarely used. The green is raised and will punish anything which does not come down softly in the middle of the putting surface. There are 5 pot bunkers waiting to catch a slightly errant approach.

Playing about 170 yards today and with the wind helping, my 6-iron barely made it off the tee box. I did manage a decent recovery and was just above the hole with 15 feet for par. Bill was just off the putting surface with his tee shot and comfortably 2-putted for par. I missed and we were back to all-square.

Hole 3

The first of a number of strong par 4s, the 3rd is just shy of 440 yards and continues parallel to the road. The fairway bunker at 310 yards seems out of play, but when the ground is running hard and fast it is reachable. You do, however, have to hit the fairway to have any chance of getting to this hole in two. Two further bunkers protect the green which is undulating and rolls from right to left. There is also a false front that will reject anything that is left short.

Bill had the metronome ticking nicely by now and sent the ball bounding down the fairway. I drove the ball well but sent it up the left side of the hole. The rough is, sadly, very thick and it took two hacks to get the ball back onto the short grass. Bill laid up, pitched to the middle of the green and two-putted to take the hole and the lead.

Hole 4

This is the only hole at Rye Golf Club to feature in the 1001 Golf Holes You Must Play Before You Die. It is curious that none of the fantastic short holes make it in, but I can see exactly why this one was selected. The fairway is set along the ridge of a sand dune. It falls away steeply on both sides and requires absolute precision. In retrospect it is actually better to be miles off than just slightly off. If you end up on the slope on either side you will be trying to play the ball from 2 or 3 feet above your stance. This is not easy at the best of times. It is particularly difficult when you still have 250 yards to get to the hole.

Just to make things more difficult, the fairway pinches in at about 250 yards off the tee and is no more than about 15 yards wide. The sand dune rises higher on the left side and then falls away in to a brief flat section. The hole then rises to the green which is set on the edge of another peak in the dune. The green slopes from left to right and falls away steeply to the right side.

A tough hole

Bill misses right and I miss left. A miss to the right is better as you don’t have to deal with the additional peak in the dunes on the left. We both pitched back onto the fairway, but Bill was then more successful with his approach (and the rest of the hole). I was just off the green on the left, but misjudged the pitch. The ball skipped across the green, picked up pace at the hole and disappeared over the edge. 2-up to Bill.

Hole 5

Another terrific short hole (there are no weak ones!). This par 3 plays across a deep valley, with anything left dropping down into a collection area that is a full 30 feet below the putting surface. There was still only a gentle wind, so the 170 yards was a perfect 5-iron for me.

Bill missed left and had a tricky pitch up the hill. I found the middle of the club and the ball sailed into the middle of the green. Two putts and I had secured a par which was good enough to win the hole. Back to 1-down.

Hole 6

As you come off the 5th tee box, take a moment to look down the length of the 6th hole. The tee shot is blind and so if you are playing the hole for the first time this is a good chance to work out what you are doing. Once over the sand dunes, the fairway runs diagonally from bottom right to top left. This is a properly undulating fairway that slopes away from you. The hole is another long par 4 at roughly 450 yards. The collection of bunkers in front of the green mean that it is difficult to run the approach up. You will need to be very accurate with a low draw if that is your plan.

The green itself has a ridge running along the left side which will feed the ball left or right depending on which side you finish. I found this to be quite deceptive and my approach caught the wrong side and fed off the green.

We both hit good tee shots and our respective approaches left us just short. I was lucky not to run into one of the two bunkers on the left side. My 40 yard pitch shot came off perfectly, but as noted above caught the wrong side of the ridge. I thought the ball would turn to the right, but it did not do as instructed and left me off the green. Fortunately, my putting touch helped me out and I got up and down for a bogey-5. All square.

Hole 7

This is perhaps the most picturesque of the par 3s. Comparisons to holes at Royal St. George’s and Royal Birkdale immediately sprang to mind. It is relatively short at 155 yards, but punishing if you are far off the green. There is a terrific deep bunker at the front which comes into play when you are into the wind.

We both missed the green, but I was closer and just off to the right. Bill had drifted on the breeze into the hollow on the left and had an horrific lie. I chipped on and two-putted for a bogey which was good enough to win the hole. One up!

Hole 8

“Aim for the brown roof in the distance”, says Bill. As noted above this is the corrugated iron roof attached to the former Links Station. We are now in the flat between the dunes and this finally looks like a good driving hole. The fairway is, however, very undulating and the small rises and dells can force your ball off into the wispy grass. Either way, you are lucky if you end up with a flat stance! The hole turns gently from left to right, the green is slightly raised and enclosed by bushes and shrubs. A false front and single pot bunker on the left protect the green.

Two good tee shots, mine slightly further right, leave us both with an opportunity to hit the green. We both come up short and it is Bill’s superior short game that claims the hole. All square again.

Hole 9

This is described as a drive and a flick. Finally a par 4 that is easily reachable in two! This is easier said than done, however. The drive is to a narrow fairway which slopes steeply from right to left. There are three bunkers that are all in play off the tee. If you do find the fairway, your approach is uphill and you are lucky if you have a flat stance. The green is narrow and long, sloping from back to front and with protection in the form of two pot bunkers on the right side.

We halved this hole in par 4s that were made in very different ways. Bill went straight, pitched onto the green and two-putted. I went left, just below the first fairway pot bunker, and then flew the approach to the back of the green. I had a 65 foot down hill putt, which tracked all the way and hit the flagstick square on. Sadly it jumped out of the hole, but for a moment I thought I had holed an absolute bomb.

Hole 10

When I was here last time, the 10th was our first hole. Unlike the actual first hole, the 10th is not a gentle opener! The road runs along the right edge (with the practice ground on the right) and the wind is often off the left. Not ideal for someone with a periodically out of control push-power-fade … After lunch last time, I left the club face open and nearly cleared the practice ground. I blame the Côtes du Rhône we consumed over lunch.

Anyway, this is another long 400 yard par 4. The hole has a sharp dogleg from left to right. The tee shot should be played to the left side of the fairway to give the best angle of approach, but this makes the hole slightly longer. The green here is flatter than most and consequently anything coming in at speed will run straight through.

I hit a good tee shot, but up the right side (at least it was in play this time). Bill returned to the middle of the fairway. His approach was masterful – it never got more than about 20 yards above the turf, but followed the contours perfectly and came to rest in the middle of the green. I hit a good 8-iron in from about 145 yards, but with the wind following it was too much. A big first bounce saw the ball continue at speed into the wispy grass at the back. I chipped on and two-putted for a bogey, but Bill’s easy two-putt par won the hole. 1-down.

Hole 11

This is an oddity in links golf – a hole requiring a carry over a lake. There are two different tee boxes which make the hole quite different. The back tees make the hole quite long, but mean the tee shot is played along the left of the lake. The shorter tees require a tee shot straight over the lake with the fairway running diagonally from bottom left to top right ahead of you. We are off the shorter tees today and straight into the wind.

The fairway then curves gently from left to right and straightens left at the end to the green. Gorse bushes protect the far side of the fairway and run the length of the left side of the hole. There are two pot bunkers protecting the right side of the green.

Bill holds up a gentle fade into the wind and his ball lands softly in the middle of the fairway. I try to do the same, but mange to flight the ball down and drive it through the wind. Not sure how I managed this – it would be a useful shot to be able to play more regularly on command! As a result, the ball bounds through the fairway and into the middle of a gorse bush. Slightly frustrated, I take the penalty and go back on line with the flag. Turns out I dropped it a little bit too close to the bush and promptly smash it straight back whence it came. Hole gone – 2 down.

Hole 12

The remaining par 4s are all over 400 yards. They are strong holes and seemingly all into the wind (I still don’t understand how that is possible!). Anyway, the 12th is a cracker with fairway bunkers placed carefully to collect your drive depending on the wind conditions. The green is protected by 4 more bunkers three in front and one at the back. Ideal line off the tee is up the right side the fairway, which gives you the best angle of approach as the fairway turns back to the left.

We played this hole very differently. Bill sent a baby draw down the correct fairway. It was straight back into the now quite stiff wind and I tried to hit it too hard. Strong grip = closed club-face. The ball sped up the 16th fairway (well left!). I continued up the 16th, much to the surprise of the group coming up towards me! Bill was on in 3 and 2-putted for bogey. I was still short in three, chipped on and couldn’t make the putt for a half. 3-down.

Hole 13

This is the best hole on the back 9. At 425 yards it is an absolute monster when played into the wind (as today). The fairway has a ridge that runs across it at about 205 yards. This provides a perfect upslope from which to fire your approach. You have to decide at this point whether to go for the second part of the split fairway and the green or lay up in front of the dunes. The former requires both a good hit (it is another 160 yards just to clear the dune) and accuracy as the shot is blind. The split fairway runs diagonally from bottom right to top left. Therefore, the further towards the green you play, the longer the carry over the dune.

We both hit good tee shots (I’m delighted to be back in play), but take different approaches with our second shot. I take out my 3-wood and lash one up towards the green. I have absolutely nailed this, but have literally no idea where it will end up. Bill lays up to give himself 100 yards into the green. His approach is typically accurate and leaves himself on the green with a chance to making par. I find mine – pin high but off the green to the left. I play the perfect chip across the green and hole the return putt for par. With a shot, there is nothing Bill can do, so I take the hole and reduce the margin to 2.

Hole 14

Another great short hole. The dunes frame the hole on the left and everything naturally falls from left to right. There are four carefully placed bunkers in a half moon shape from front right to back left. Below the green the right are a selection of sleepers which will cause you huge problems if the pin is on the right.

I hit a solid tee shot and am just off the green on the left. Bill pushes his tee shot slightly and ends up the wrong side of the sleepers. The pin today is in the middle but only a few yards on from the right. Short-sided, Bill attempts to use the slope behind the hole to bring the ball back. Almost perfectly executed, but the ball doesn’t come back as far as he would have hoped. Two putts and he is informative a bogey. I have chipped on and left myself 4 feet for par. A solid putt and I reduce the deficit to just 1 hole.

Hole 15

The finishing stretch at Rye Golf Club is one of the toughest I have ever encountered. It starts with a 450 yard par 4, with a narrow fairway that gently turns from left to right. The green is narrow and protected by two bunkers. To the right of the fairway is a gulley which is a popular spot, but your ability to reach the green is totally dependent on the lie.

I lashed one up the right side and got good distance but was in the gulley. Fortunately, the wind was actually helping and so I was hopeful that I might have a chance to get at the green. Fingers crossed. Bill stroked another one straight down the middle. He played first and came up just short of the green. I had got good distance with my drive and had just under 190 yards for the approach. I hit a high cut which landed softly and rolled onto the front of the green about 20 feet from the hole. A chance to get to all-square, I thought. Bill hits a perfect putt from just off the green and the ball comes to rest within gimme distance. I couldn’t convert, but left the ball just by the hole. Halved in well played pars.

Hole 16

Another blind tee shot. This time you are trying to clear the ridge to the right of the bunker (or perhaps ideally straight over the bunker). The hole is a dogleg from right to left and plays downhill to a green in a little hollow. There is a pot bunker protecting the green on the front left. At 405 yards, this is the shortest of the final 4 holes but is never easy to score on!

I went left off the tee, back towards where I had been hacking around earlier on the 12th. Bill hit another fairway and was perfectly placed on the ridge to the right of the bunker. We both missed the green with out approaches and came away with the hole halved in 5s. Still 1 down …

Hole 17

If you have had the wind at your back for 15 and 16, you will be playing straight back into it for the final two holes. This is not ideal, as the 17th is a 244 yard par 3 and the 18th a 430 yard par 4. The protection on the 17th lies in its length and two bunkers short and left of the green. These will come into play for those trying to play a low draw to cut through the wind.

I crack a 3-wood straight at the green and manage to keep the flight relatively low. Pretty sure this one is going to be good. Bill hits another low draw and runs the ball up towards the green. He is on the front edge and I have just run through on the left. Again, my short game keeps me in it as I manage to chip on and hole a nervy 5 footer. Bill rolls another solid putt to the hole and we have halved in par 3s.

Hole 18

Whilst I might not be in a position to win, I have managed to hold the honour since the 14th and have played some pretty good golf. An outside chance of securing a half perhaps? The 18th is a remarkably tough closing hole and requires both length and accuracy. You tee off to a raised fairway that is both narrow and undulating. The fairway winds first left and then back to the right and then curves back to the green which is just below the clubhouse.

I went left. In fact, I went so far left, Bill commented that he wasn’t sure he had ever seen anyone down there. I was nearly on the 10th tee. Not ideal. Bill hit another one straight down the middle. I found my ball, but had no idea what to do from here. An 8-iron to get myself back in play was a smart move, but still left me 200+ yards to the green with my third. Bill knocked his approach up towards the green and his ball continued along the middle of the fairway. I turned over a 3-wood and we were both temporarily concerned that I might have taken out the members sitting on the terrace. Fortunately, I didn’t cause any damage, but I was well out of play by now and a duffed chip later the game was gone.

Whilst I was all over the place, Bill had serenely progressed down the middle of the hole. He chipped on to the green and nestled his par putt up to the hole side. I had given him a rather better game than last time, but his bogey 5 was sufficient to wrap up a 2 hole victory.