Seaford Golf Course

Seaford Head Golf Course is one of the most spectacular public courses on the Sussex coast. Set on cliffs and downland above Seaford Bay, it offers 360-degree views across the English Channel, South Downs and Seven Sisters. The famous 18th is played from a tee around 300 feet above sea level with roughly 150 feet of drop to the fairway below, making it one of southern England’s great panoramic finishing holes.

Organised golf in Seaford began on 6 August 1887, making the club one of the earliest established in England outside Scotland. An initial twelve-hole course was created on about 150 acres leased from Launcelot Harison and laid out by a Mr Thompson of Felixstowe. When eighteen holes were required, some early holes were replayed before the course was formally extended to eighteen in 1889. In 1928 the course and clubhouse were taken over by the local authority.

The course is now an eighteen-hole par 71 layout. Difficulty comes less from extreme length than from slopes, wind, uneven lies and exposed putting surfaces. The historic course has evolved considerably since 1887, particularly after wartime disruption. In 1940 the land was requisitioned by the military and ploughed for food production; traces of that period remain visible around the fourth, fifteenth and eighteenth holes. The course was reconstructed in 1946.

Seaford Head’s public character is central to its identity. From 1928 the municipal course opened a dramatic historic site to a much wider golfing community. It is now owned and operated by Seaford Town Council. This continuity of public golf is unusual for such an old course and creates a culture quite different from Sussex’s private historic clubs. Members, visitors, societies and golfers of varied experience all use the same cliff-top landscape.

The property occupies Seaford Head above the bay and directly beside the South Downs. Views of the Seven Sisters are especially prominent from the 13th, 14th and 15th holes. The ground is undulating, exposed to Channel winds and best described as a downland/links-style hybrid. Its clifftop elevation produces substantial changes of level, dramatic ball flights and playing conditions that can alter quickly as coastal wind strengthens or changes direction.

A modern £1. 7 million clubhouse now adds a panoramic restaurant, changing rooms and professional shop to the experience. The course rarely closes because of wet conditions, supported by exposed terrain and natural drainage. Its views, rather than pure championship severity, remain the defining memory. Green fees, opening hours, buggy restrictions and daily course status are seasonal operational details and should always be checked directly before visiting.