2nd Hole - The Ghyll

449 yards  -  Par 4  -  S.I. 1​

The 2nd at Crowborough is a challenging and demanding hole, classified as Stroke Index 1 and arguably the hardest hole, maybe equal to the difficult 18th.

Bernard Darwin described it in 1926 in typically elegant prose;- â€œthe 2nd hole - a recent creation - is, I think, the finest on the course. To begin with it is 450 yards long, so it is a good four merely on the score of length.

Then we must drive boldly, cutting off as big a chunk of heather as we dare or we shall not be within range. Even if we are within range we have a most formidable brassie shot to play across a deep gulley with all the ground breaking perceptibly from left to right, and some very serious trouble on the right. Altogether a tremendous hole.” 

That more than adequately sums it up! With trees replacing heather on the corner of the dog-leg it seems nothing else has changed in over 80 years. Well, maybe just the brassie?