All About Cottesmore Golf Club in Sussex Just Off The M23

Cottesmore Golf Club is situated in the village of Pease Pottage in Sussex, near to Crawley and just off the M23 on the way down to Brighton. The club began life in 1973 when recently retired prep school headmaster Michael Rogerson and his son Matthew who was running the family farm decided to take a gamble and turn the farm into a golf course. The farm buildings had been built by French prisoners of war in 1815 and were destined to become the clubhouse.

Michael had been a keen golfer for many years, and when prodding his cattle around the farm after school with his niblick had often thought about turning it into a golf course. Matthew was also a keen golfer at the age of 23, but his doctor had just told him to give up farming for health reasons. So Cottesmore Golf Club was born. Father and son designed the course and it was built with the help of the farm staff, opening for business in April 1975. Three months later it had 600 members and has never looked back, however, in summer of 2018 a fire destroyed the clubhouse and is currently under repair.

A second course was built in 1980 and three years later 15 hotel rooms were added. Michael finally retired in 1988 and Matthew undertook a major redevelopment of the clubhouse adding an indoor pool, spa, and function rooms.

This opened in 1992 and ten years later nine more hotel rooms were added, as were seven two-bed holiday lodges in 2007. In 2013, Matthew, too, retired and the club was taken over by his daughter and son-in-law, Johnny and Louisa Porter. Today the club is known as The Cottesmore Hotel Golf and Country Club.

Despite the recent fire, there is now a temporary club house building with golf changing rooms, a fitness class studio and restaurant area. The golf course, holiday lodges, and beauty salon are open and running as usual, the beauty salon being run from Troon Lodge which is one of the holiday lodges. The plans for the new clubhouse are awaiting planning permission and the club is looking forward to a bright future.

The 18-hole course is the Griffin Course and is a par 72 of 6,484 yards. It is a typical parkland course with water on many of the holes providing some severe challenges. Beginners can start with the Phoenix Course which is a 9 hole course wandering through trees and lakes over 2,240 yards and is a par 33.

The club offers a variety of membership levels, one of which is the chance of joining online. This is known as the Golflite membership and provides unlimited use of the Phoenix course and 250 credits for use on the main Griffin course. Credits on the Griffin course can be topped up through the year. Golflite is just a £325 one-off payment for 12 months, and this includes Golf Union fees.

You can also join the onsite ‘Health Club’ and this provides access to the gym, swimming pool, tennis courts, health suite, and a members guest rate for the golf courses.

The Health Club has a rolling monthly membership which is a one-off joining fee for adults of £30 and £51 per month, while for students the joining fee is £20 and the monthly fee £36. Both memberships require a one month notice of termination.

The holiday lodges are of 60 square metres and have underfloor heating. Each has two bedrooms with en-suite bath/shower rooms. The open plan living room has a kitchen area with hob, microwave, oven, and dishwasher, and has two comfortable sofas and a coffee table. There is a flat screen TV with Freeview and DVD. The dining area has a light oak dining table which seats up to six.

There is also a pine deck which is ideal for outdoor dining in the summer, and barbecues are permitted if you wish. Guests can prepare their own meals or have them prepared in the clubhouse.

Wireless internet access is also available in the clubhouse and the lodge area. Guests also receive complimentary access to the tennis courts and are welcome to play on the golf courses for an extra charge.

Prices for lodge accommodation range from around £580 a week for the first three months of the year, rising to around £860 in the peak summer months. Short breaks from Friday to Monday or Monday to Friday are also available.

The Social Golfer is an online golf club which offers members a variety of benefits and is free to join. You can arrange games with over 5,000 UK golfers and 10,000 worldwide at different golf clubs including Cottesmore Golf Club.