Piltdown: The Sussex heathland with a colourful history

Once considered a ‘hidden gem’, Piltdown is no longer considered as such now it’s featured in the NCG Top 100 Golf Courses in England.

Skilfully carved out of ancient Sussex heathland in 1904, Piltdown Golf Club enjoys a colourful history, a stunning location, and a devoted following among golfers young and old.

Well-groomed fairways and greens and a bunkerless layout keep Piltdown challenging yet friendly, and the staff can offer tips and tricks for playing your best round. Piltdown is a terrific choice for your regular rounds of golf or a new destination for you and friends when visiting Haywards Heath.

With an investment of over £500,000 over the past few years redesigning and improving the greens Piltdown can now safely say it has some of the best greens in the area adding adding an extra dimension to an already challenging heather-lined 18 hole course.

History

Piltdown was established in 1904. The club’s origins started with a German aristocrat, Count Alexander Munster, who wanted a course to rival Royal Ashdown Forest so he could tempt his visiting golfing friends and relatives to stay and play locally rather than heading to the seaside links.

Piltdown has featured in numerous books over the years, most notably in Frank Pennink’s ‘Choice of Golf Courses’ and the author commented that the course was “re-designed by GM Dodd in 1927… one of the most charming clubs in the writer’s experience, with a natural, bunkerless course”.

What makes it special

Piltdown became world famous when in 1912 amateur archaeologist Charles Dawson claimed to have found a 500,000-year-old skull, which proved the missing link between ape and man. Forty years later, it was established that the skull was an ingenious combination of a human cranium and an ape’s jaw.