A HISTORY OF SUSSEX 



1896, mainly through the efforts of General 

 Maxwell Campbell, Major Bigg, and Messrs. 

 L. Messel, S. A. Hermon, V. L. Tapling, and 

 H. Gibbs, and now numbers about sixty players. 

 The holes are laid out on the southern slope of 

 Handcross Hill. The round is about aj miles, 

 and to complete a full round of eighteen holes 

 the first six holes are very conveniently played 

 over again. The hazards are both natural and 

 artificial. The soil is sandy loam over sand rock, 

 and though it is quite possible to play all the 

 year round, the course plays best in spring and 

 autumn. In laying out the course the com- 

 mittee were advised by J. Rowe, the professional 

 attached to the Royal Ashdown and Forest Row 

 Club. The amateur record for the round of 

 eighteen holes is held by Mr. Norman Loder, 

 with a score of 73. 



There is a nine-hole course situated on Sharpen- 

 hurst Hill belonging to the staff of the Christ's 

 Hospital Club. This was instituted in 1902, 

 and the playing members number 32. The 

 course is within the Christ's Hospital grounds, 

 2 miles from Horsham. The holes are laid 

 out over hill land on a clay soil, and the hazards 

 are both natural and artificial ; play is feasible all 

 the year. 



The Cuckfield Club owed its foundation, in 

 October, 1906, to Captain Sergison, Mr. J. Cow, 

 and the Rev. Lewis Evans. The membership 

 consists of 100 gentlemen and 75 ladies. The 

 eighteen-hole course, one mile from the station 

 of that name, and one mile from Hayward's 

 Heath, was laid out by Willie Park in 1905, is 

 situated on high ground sloping south, affording 

 grand views of the South Downs and the Weald 

 of Sussex. The holes are laid out over rough 

 and pasture land, whose subsoil consists of a 

 mixture of sand, sandstone, clay, and loam. 

 The hazards include pits, ravines, hedges, and 

 artificial bunkers, and though the best periods 

 for play are the spring, summer, and autumn 

 months the course is generally in excellent play- 

 ing condition, except during very wet winters. 

 Bernard Sayers, junior, from North Berwick, is 

 the club professional. 



The Horsham Club, which was founded in 

 April, 1906, has 160 members. Mr. E. J. 

 Bostock, Mr. P. Chasemore, Mr. C. J. Lucas, 

 and Mr. F. A. Juckes, were principally instru- 



mental in establishing the club. At present the 

 round is nine holes, and James Braid, who laid 

 out the course, took full advantage of the natural 

 features of the ground. A large proportion of 

 the hazards consist of trees, and natural features 

 have been supplemented by the cutting of bun- 

 kers to guard the holes. The course is on 

 pasture land, which belongs to Mr. C. J. Lucas, 

 of Warnham, president of the club. The soil 

 is light clay, which dries quickly even after 

 continued wet weather. 



In September, 1 902, J. H. Taylor laid out the 

 eighteen-hole course of the Southdown Club, 

 whose institution was largely due to the initia- 

 tive of Mr. R. B. Dell, junior. The club had 

 been started in the previous June, and now there 

 is a playing membership of 220 gentlemen and 

 75 ladies. The holes have been laid out over 

 chalky down land, and the hazards consist of rough 

 grass, chalk pits, and artificial bunkers. The 

 course, which is situated i mile from Shore- 

 ham, and 5 miles from Brighton, is playable 

 at any time of the year, and is almost equally 

 good in summer and winter. 



At Chichester there are two clubs, the first 

 founded in 1892, and the Summersdale Club, 

 with a membership of 130, founded in 1905. 

 The Chichester Club has its course of eighteen 

 holes on the property of the Duke of Richmond 

 at Goodwood, and only members are allowed to 

 play, except by special permission. The Sum- 

 mersdale Club has a nine-hole course about a 

 mile from the Market Cross on the road to 

 Lavant. It was laid out by James Braid. 



The Copthorne Club was founded in 1903, 

 and a course of fourteen holes, which will eventu- 

 ally be extended to eighteen, has been laid out 

 on the Common, with the consent of the Com- 

 missioners and Lord Abergavenny, the lord 

 of the manor. The course is a mixture of 

 heather and grass, and the natural hazards con- 

 sist of old pits, a brook, and ditches, while some 

 artificial hazards have been cut to guard the 

 holes and the line of play. The holes vary in 

 length from 140 to 444 yards. In 1904 a 

 working men's club was formed. 



The Selsey-on-Sea Club, founded in 1904, 

 plays over a nine-hole course lying close to the 

 sea. The length of the holes varies between 

 200 and 530 yards. 



ATHLETICS 



Although Sussex does not rank so high in the 

 Athletic world as some other counties in Eng- 

 land, yet there are several athletic clubs in the 

 county which hold athletic meetings annually 

 and cater generally for the wants of the athlete. 



Among the chief of those holding open meet- 

 ings may be mentioned the Horsham Athletic 



480 



Club, dating from 1871, which has a meeting 

 every year on the August bank-holiday. The 

 Chichester Athletic Club, dates from 1879 and 

 holds a meeting every Whit Monday. The 

 Eastbourne Rovers have held an annual meeting 

 since 1895, but the running section of this club 

 have, since 1905, left the Rovers and, under the 



