Cowdray

The Cowdray Estate has been in the Cowdray family for centuries, a dynamic estate that offers a range of country pursuits including golf, clay-pigeon shooting, fly fishing, riding, and polo, along with a farm shop and cafe, wedding venues and the stunning Cowdray House which is available for private events. It is certainly is a glorious estate, rich in history.  

The fabulous 18 hole downland golf course offers a true test of golf with a par of 70, measuring 6331 yards. The Cowdray has enviable natural drainage which means worthwhile golf can be played throughout the year, with the course rarely closing. and the greens are immaculate. The course has breathtaking views: the panoramic view of the South Downs from the fifth tee is hard to beat, as is the vista from the 18th hole looking down on the Cowdray ruins and lawn. All in all, it is very picturesque.

The course has recently been brought up-to-date by golf course architect William Swan from Swan Golf Designs. William is a third generation golf course architect and was appointed to oversee the renovations and improvements at Cowdray. With most of the work in creating the par three course being done in house, the cost of the project was kept to a strict budget. 

The bunkers have been completely reshaped and rebuilt the specialist contractors Profusion Environmental who were engaged to carry out all of the work on the bunkers.

William Swan expands:  “We were delighted to have been chosen for the project at Cowdray. The renovations and the work on the paths and the par three course took three years and had substantial input from Lord Cowdray, Jonathan Russell, CEO of the Cowdray Estate, Tim Allen, the Director of Golf and Course Manager Jonathan Smith. All of them were committed to an improvement in the quality of the golf offering so that it best matched the rest of the Cowdray Estate. We overhauled and rebuilt the path network around the course using sympathetically coloured wet pour rubber which gives a smooth highly professional and aesthetically pleasing finish to the course surrounds. In addition, it allows golf buggies to be used throughout the year giving greater access and better economic returns for the golf operation.

In the 1920s, the course had a slightly different numbering and there was just one double green. The new 7th and 14th greens now play as a double green in addition to the 8th and 16th. This new double green, combined with two other holes combined create a superb site for the halfway hut. This is no basic shed serving instant coffee and melting chocolate bars, but another opportunity for Cowdray to shine: high-quality food and drinks are served and much of it sourced from the Cowdray Farm Shop and other farms which lie within the Cowdray Estate. Not surprisingly, the halfway hut is extremely popular and gives golfers the chance to enjoy their round even more. It has been great fun, and to work with such a dedicated team all pushing in the same direction. We were also able to make some changes to the cutting regime which has resulted in far less rough needing to be cut and enhancing the environmental credentials of the site.”

The newly opened five hole par three golf course is perfectly placed in front of the clubhouse, between the main road access and the 17th and 18th holes. It costs just £15 for an adult play and £10 for juniors, attracting new golfers and is an ideal environment in which to learn and improve their games before they take on the main course. It provides excellent practice for anybody interested in improving their wedge play and the greens have been built to USGA specification - this ensures that they drain beautifully and are able to provide excellent putting surfaces throughout the year. The holes have been cut into gently sloping terrain and provide imaginative shots for golfers of all standards.

Matt Watson and Harry Smith provide the teaching at Cowdray and have a state-of-the-art studio on the golf range. The range, which is not floodlit, provides a fantastic place to practice and warm up prior to your game. There is also an additional short game area which has been reimagined as part of the work that William Swan has done in creating the par three course.

Membership at Cowdray is £1965 for a full adult, with a £1500 entrance fee. There are discounts for juniors and those under 25 and the discounted structure continues for younger golfers up to the age of 30, and there is even a discount for those still in their 30’s. The management have recognised that people in these age categories have an awful lot of time pressure as well as financial constraints and therefore they offer the lower rate to give the club a broad base of different ages, all keen to play on this superb downland course. There is also the Cowdray Lifestyle Card, which is aimed at golfers with limited time to play: an annual fee includes 300 credits, which can be topped up during the year, again another great way to allow players to continue to play in spite of time constraints.

It certainly seems to be working as the course is thriving and full of happy golfers - both members and visitors. In fact, the changes have proved so popular that there is a waiting list to join the club, which has not been the case for many years.

The Griffin Bar and Grill is a wonderful place to relax before or after a round of golf. It serves delicious food and drinks and the restaurant is finished to a very high standard. In the summer months visitors can take advantage of the glorious patio with far reaching views over the Sussex Downs. It is a lovely spot. It is not surprising that golf societies find the packages at Cowdray Park most compelling and the excellent course combines well with the great packages on offer as well as the friendly welcome given to all visitors to the course.

With such an aristocratic background, Cowdray is refreshingly free of stuffiness and pomposity. It is unashamedly up-market, but easily accessible for all. Dress regulations are smart casual, but there is no need to wear ties or any of the ridiculous regalia that some historic clubs insist on.

Serious consideration is being given to using robots to cut much of the playing areas and Golf Features will be back to write about this in greater depth in the coming months. 

For more details, please visit: cowdray.co.uk