Seaford Head Golf Club, one of Sussex’s most scenic clifftop layouts, may have to relocate two of its closing holes as decades of coastal erosion continue to eat away at the land beneath them.
Seaford Town Council, which has managed the course since 1928, has confirmed that its 17th green and 18th tee – both perched close to the cliff edge overlooking Seaford Bay – are now dangerously exposed, and has drawn up proposals to move them further inland.
The plans have been years in the making. The council first flagged concerns over the 17th green in 2021, when committee minutes recorded initial discussions on “future options” for the hole amid worries over the pace of cliff erosion and the cost and logistics of relocating it while keeping the course playable. By December 2024, the council had earmarked underspend from its professional fees budget specifically for the works, and by mid-2025 the project had progressed to seeking pre-application advice from Natural England, given the site’s status within a nationally recognised landscape close to the Seven Sisters.
A council spokesperson said: “The proposals seek to secure the long-term future of two of the course’s most iconic holes by relocating them further inland, while carefully considering the area’s environmental, heritage and landscape significance.
“Coastal erosion at Seaford Head is an ongoing challenge and, as custodians of both the golf course and this nationally recognised landscape, we have a responsibility to plan ahead. Following a number of years of investigation, design development and specialist assessment, this project has now reached its final design and public consultation stage.”
The council has worked with golf course architect Gareth Williams to develop the proposals. “The aim is to secure the long-term future of the course while retaining the character, challenge and playing experience of these iconic holes,” the council said.
The scheme sits close to the Vanguard Way and the King Charles III Coastal Path, and local groups monitoring the adjoining nature reserve have previously raised questions over how the relocated green and any new course routing would interact with the footpath network and surrounding wildlife habitat.
The council is now inviting views from club members, residents, visitors and other stakeholders before finalising the design and moving into pre-application planning discussions.
Seaford Head Golf Club was founded in 1887, making it the oldest golf club in Sussex and one of the first 40 clubs established outside Scotland. It joins a growing list of UK courses – including Royal North Devon, Montrose Links, Gorleston and Royal Dornoch – that have had to adapt holes or defences in recent years in response to coastal erosion.
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