Downland golf with a sea view
Brighton and Hove packs a distinctive style of golf into a small stretch of coast. With five clubs between the two towns, the course-type mix here is dominated by downland golf — chalk-based courses that climb the hills behind the city and look back out over the English Channel. This isn't links golf in the traditional dune-and-marram sense, but it shares some of the same virtues: firm turf, natural drainage, and fairways that play differently in a stiff sea breeze than they do on a calm morning.
Dyke Golf Club is the clearest example. Sitting 650 feet above sea level, it was laid out by James Braid in 1906 and still relies on his routing to make the most of the site's exposure, with views across Brighton and Hove, the South Downs National Park and the Channel beyond. The chalk subsoil drains fast, which means Dyke — like its downland neighbours — stays playable through the winter months when heavier parkland courses elsewhere are closed or restricted to temporary greens.
Braid's imprint on the city's golf
James Braid's influence on golf around Brighton runs deeper than one course. East Brighton Golf Club, founded in 1893 and sitting above Brighton Marina, was also shaped by him, and again the chalk base is central to how it plays: drainage good enough to allow trolleys and buggies out on the course year-round, with the sea visible from much of the layout. It's a members' club that also takes visitors, so it's worth a call if you fancy a round with a view of the Marina below.
Hollingbury Park Golf Club, up on the Sussex Downs and founded in 1908, adds a competitive pedigree to the picture — it's hosted major professional tournaments over the years and is generally regarded as a championship-standard test. Between Dyke, East Brighton and Hollingbury, you get three separate takes on the same downland theme: high ground, chalk turf, and Braid's fingerprints on at least two of the three.
History, wildlife and where to start
For something a little different, Brighton & Hove Golf Club is the oldest golf club in Sussex, founded in 1887, and it plays out over just 9 holes rather than 18. What makes it interesting is the routing: 18 tees are used across the round, so the same nine holes are played twice but from different tee positions, effectively giving two distinct experiences from one piece of land. It sits within the South Downs National Park on chalk soil, with views over the Downs, the sea and the city, and the course carries Sussex Local Wildlife Site status, reconfirmed as recently as August 2023. The 6th, known locally as the Drop Hole, is the one people talk about afterwards.
Over in Hove, West Hove Golf Club rounds out the county's offering, giving golfers based on that side of the city a course closer to home without the climb up into the Downs proper.
Green fees in the area start from around £28, which is reasonable for downland golf with sea views and a genuine Braid pedigree. Given how compact Brighton and Hove is, it's realistic to base yourself in the city for a short break and play two or three of these courses across a few days — Dyke and East Brighton for the classic Braid downland test, Hollingbury if you want a proper championship examination, and Brighton & Hove's 9-hole double-loop if you're short on time or fancy something more relaxed. The common thread throughout is height, chalk and a view of the Channel that rarely leaves your eyeline for long.