TOP 100

Top 100 England 2015
88
Chart Hills (▼ 3)
Biddenden, Kent. Par 72, 7,132 yards. Designer: Sir Nick Faldo.
BS: Underrated. I’d argue it is a better design and a
more enjoyable experience than nearby inland courses.
VH: First-class design with very good greens. The best
inland course in Kent. Could easily be a lot higher.
ND: Characterised by large dramatic bunkering,
including the anaconda which covers much of the
length of the par-5 5th. only the strangely modest
par 3s let down this otherwise impressive design.
PB: long and punishing course – tough for all levels
of golfer.
SV: Serious test; I used every club in my bag here.
GW VERDICT: a lot more than just a lot of sand. our
panel may love links, but they generally rated Sir nick’s
design very highly. exacting but satisfying, this inland
course among oak trees and around water proves Kent
is more than just a trio of ‘open’ links in Sandwich.
EXClUSIVE
My design ethos
By Sir nick Faldo.
While my favourite courses all
possess the visual ‘wow’ factor,
they also feature the great holes
which visually tell you how to
play the golf shot.
The fun for me is that if you
can do what the hole visually
indicates, you are rewarded and
if you don’t the experience gets
more challenging.
Chart Hills was a challenge,
given the abundance of classic
courses in the UK – but I feel we
produced a very strong layout.
The gently undulating landscape
is populated by ancient oaks –
very english countryside setting.
Within this beautiful site are
18 very distinctive holes which,
collectively, demand a great
variety of shot-making skills. It
is a very strategic test; a real
thinking man’s course.
I wanted to design a course
that would ofer diferent
challenges to diferent players
and I believe we succeeded.
• Sir Nick is a six-time major
champion who is now one of the
most respected architects.
10 golf World Top 100 england 2015