Devonshire Course

The Devonshire Course is the flagship layout at Royal Eastbourne Golf Club, one of England’s oldest clubs with a Royal designation. It occupies transitional parkland-and-downland terrain above Eastbourne, with wide views across the town, the English Channel and the South Downs. The course is not exceptionally long, but it combines open fairways, narrower doglegs, well-placed bunkers and greens where precision matters more than power.

Royal Eastbourne Golf Club was founded in 1887 and almost immediately received permission from Queen Victoria to use the Royal prefix. The 8th Duke of Devonshire accepted the presidency, a connection that has remained central to the club’s history and gives the main course its name. Women’s golf began in Eastbourne in 1888, and in 1893 the Royal Eastbourne Ladies’ Golf Club became the first ladies’ club to receive royal status. The men’s and women’s organisations were eventually combined in 1937.

The Devonshire is an eighteen-hole course currently listed at 6,047 yards from the white tees, with a course rating of 69. 8 and slope of 118. The club identifies the 10th as its signature hole: an elevated medal tee opens a striking view over Eastbourne and the English Channel. The architecture deliberately varies the holes, moving from broad exposed fairways to narrower doglegs defended by bunkers, while putting surfaces demand accurate pace and line.

The course is named after the Devonshire family, whose presidency has accompanied the club since its foundation. Royal Eastbourne also has a strong sporting heritage. H. G. Hutchinson, winner of the Amateur Championship in 1886 and 1887, was an early notable member; Cyril Tolley, Angus Valdemar Hambro and former Prime Minister A. J. Balfour were also associated with the club. This history gives the Devonshire a cultural identity beyond the physical course.

The course sits on the western heights of Eastbourne where the South Downs meet an urban and maritime landscape. Elevation creates several raised tees and long coastal views. Drainage is considered excellent, helping the course remain playable through much of the year. Open sections are exposed to Channel winds, while doglegs and tree-lined passages create more sheltered sequences and repeatedly change the visual character of the round.

Royal Eastbourne welcomes members and visitors within a traditional club environment, with clubhouse, catering, pro shop and practice facilities. The Devonshire is the flagship course and benefits from drainage that supports year-round golf. Visitor booking, club rules, competition days, maintenance arrangements and tee availability are operational details that change through the season and should always be confirmed directly.