East Course

East Sussex National’s East Course is a major modern championship layout in the High Weald near Uckfield. Designed from the beginning as a stadium course capable of hosting international professional golf, it combines broad shaped fairways, water, bunkering, USGA-specification greens and long views across open Sussex countryside. Its reputation rests on both the scale of the design and a significant record of European tournament golf.

The project began in the mid-1980s when Canadian entrepreneur Brian Turner set out to create a superior golf complex on the former Little Horsted Estate. American architect Robert E. Cupp, who was regularly employed by Jack Nicklaus, designed the two eighteen-hole courses together with a three-hole academy course. The courses were built to USGA specification in order to provide strong drainage and championship-quality putting surfaces. East Sussex National quickly became recognised as one of Europe’s leading modern golf venues.

The East Course measures 7,081 yards and is the flagship tournament layout of the resort. Robert Cupp created eighteen holes intended to look and play differently from one another, supported by high-quality greens and repeated changes of direction. Challenge comes from championship length, bunker placement, water and demanding putting surfaces. USGA construction standards and continued investment in course conditioning have helped the layout retain strong year-round playability.

The tournament history is exceptional for a relatively young course. The East hosted the European Open in 1993 and 1994 and has staged multiple European Challenge Tour events. East Sussex National also hosted four PGA European Tour Qualifying Schools between 1994 and 1997, Open Qualifying and a televised European PGA event in 2016. Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie and Ian Woosnam are among the leading players who have competed at the venue.

The estate lies in the rolling High Weald landscape, combining meadow, ancient woodland, water and shallow valleys. The East Course is more open and stadium-like than the West, with spectator-friendly spaces and strong visual framing. Lakes and streams have both scenic and strategic functions, while the moving ground provides changing viewpoints without creating a mountainous course. The openness also allows wind to influence club selection and effective distance.

East Sussex National now operates as a full golf resort with two eighteen-hole courses, academy facilities, practice, hotel, spa, restaurants and event spaces. The East remains the championship showcase while the West offers a more wooded experience. Maintenance windows, tee allocation, buggy status, competitions and hotel packages change through the year and should be treated as dynamic operational information.