The course that almost beat me..... and failed!

[Oddsocks]

On the 19th of march i played holtye in sussex, a tradition tight tree lined 9 hole course that if played wrong as a i found out can be very very punishing. You get to play it twice from different tee's effectively giving you a chance to save your front 9 blow out, but i hacked! I played it trying to use my head, and by the 9th the score card was gone, 11 over for 9, and although the back 9 was a better attempt i struggled in with a hacked +18 even with a few lucky putts. Determined to get revenge a month later saw us back there this saturday for another go at this course. Now given the fact we have had dry weather, the ball was running further which helps, but bounces were coming into play and the greens were like lightening.

At the end of the front 9 i was bang on h/c at +6 so feeling great.

Started the back 9 with birdie, par, bogey so all was looking good at +1/-1 nett. a bad bounce down 14 which eneded in me having to take a drop (still not impressed) and 2 couple of missed lipped putts later and i finished the course bang on HC @ +13.

most people will comment that this course is a very hard test so to finish on hc im well chuffed, still thinking about my 3 off the tee up 6th tho.....

holtye 1 - Oddoscks 1,

One happy chap!

 

[ADB]

Nice one OS, don't dwell on the 6th

I drove past there the other day on the way to Tunbridge Wells with the family - nearly crashed the car a couple of times rubber necking!! Looks a nice little course although the road seemed definitely 'in bounds' for my power draw

BTW - there was another course a little further down the road - did you see it, any good?

 

[User20205]

holtye is a course I've always fancied playing.I've drivern past it on the way to a couple of society days at Sweetwoods next door. The road does run perilously close to a couple of the holes.I'd be scared about knifing a wedge through a 5 series windscreen!

 

[ADB]

Ah that's it Sweetwoods - any good?

 

[Oddsocks]

the 6th wasnt overly bad to be honest, its a longish par 4 dogleg left over a gully uphill, everything slopes right to left and i got greedy trying to turn the corner, a little to much draw and a nasty bounce off into the cabbage. because there was still alot of winter leaves down the ball tucked under and couldnt find it. a par with my 2nd ball was a safe double though.

Its a challenging course, the only hole i dont like is the 3rd/12th par 4, the green is at a fork in the road with a main road to the left of the green about 15ft, and a side access road to the right of the green about 10 ft. Like you playing into this green with a natural draw from 200 yards is a bit daunting, i still havent gone for this in two for fear of killing someone, i tend to lay up to about 50 yards then chip in. the road on the first is close but it needs to be a mega hook to get there.

Regarding the other course, thats sweetwoods and by all accounts another nice course. the lads played there a few weeks back but i couldnt get a pass. one i want to go back to.

 

[User20205]

sweetwoods is pretty good. nice variation of holes and use of the terrain.

There a couple of par 5's on the back 9, back to back that ask a few questions regarding decision making. I'm not sure it has the chartecter/quirkiness of Holyte though.