Littlestone Golf Club

Played here midweek August 07 (£30 after 2.30).
Decent course but i wouldn't put it into the top bracket of links courses that i've played.It is a quality course but there was something missing here for me & i was expecting it to enjoy it more than i actually did.
I liked the first few holes ( the 1st is a classic example of how a short hole,300yards, isn't necessarily easy as you can face an awkward chip to a well protected green.)& the finish but around the turn i was starting to find it a little bit uninspiring.
It was extremely windy & it kind of battered us into submission allied to the fact that if you go into the very heavy rough you may as well not bother looking (take lots of balls).I thought it was a really tough scoring course & i'd say you can expect to play at least 10 shots over your handicap.A number of holes with the brutal wind were impossible to reach in regulation .
There are no sea views due to a sea wall & some of the fairways were a little patchy in places (condition of everything else was good).Also there are no yardage markers at all unless you buy a course planner which we didn't as we thought it would be fun to guess yardages from sight, which it was.
I found it a welcoming (good secretary) & friendly club with a nice traditional clubhouse with a sense of history .The 1st floor lounge has a nice relaxed feel & there are great views across the course from the massive windows .
Also,good food reasonably priced.
To pay only £30 for a course of this type is good value.
Kevin B.

Whilst my membership of littlestone makes my opinions inevitably biased, I simply cannot fault the course in any way. The course is superb, marked by the variety of its par 3's and the difficulty of the par 4's. The 17th in anyone's opinion (including a certain Bobby Locke) must rate as one of the best par 3's in golf with the elevated tee to a green wonderfully secluded amongst the dunes with a tiny landing area surrounded by pot bunkers. The preceeding hole is also a cracker, 470 yards of pure links golf where only nigh on perfect golf shots are rewarded with any form of relative success. Whilst the aforementioned holes have perhaps gained the greatest notoriety, numerous other holes are similarly superb. The 2nd, 4th, 8th, 10th-13th and 15th are wonderful par 4's whilst all of the par 3's are wonderful. Excepting the challenges of the wind and rough, I feel perhaps the greatest difficulty is the difficulty in getting up and down as well as the expert bunking that is prevalent on all holes. A super course which I feel with an extra 600 yards off the back tees could feasibly hold an open.

A very good course in superb condition,with some of the smoothest,truest greens in the south-east fo England..The only tip I can give for any golfer is..."stay out of the rough"..it is absolutley penal..(more often than not a lost ball)..if you can do that you,ll have a great day..

Wow!!! A truely great golfing experience. Easy to see why they use Littlestone as an Open qualifying course. Superb condition. Not for the fainthearted!

A superb course - still in great condition (late september 2005). Worth every penny of the green fee

Great course. Not the longest, but a real challenge. Always in top condition. Make your score going out and try and hold on as you near home ! If your handicap is from a genteel parkland course, less than five over it is a good round. Final three holes are most peoples favourite; mine are the second and eighth.

Must be one of the best links courses I've ever played on outside the Open venues. Excellent condition, very reasonable greenfee price. You must arrange your visit with the club secretary.
(PS Don't forget your long socks!)