Chart Hills Golf Club

Overview: Chart Hills is a championship course in the Kent countryside near Biddenden, set among oak woodland, lakes, rolling ground and large changes in elevation. It was designed to make every hole ask a different question. The fairways turn through the land, the greens are shaped for precise approaches and the bunkering includes the long serpentine hazard known as the Anaconda. Faldo Design lists the course at par 72 and 7,119 yards from its published back-tee measurement. The stored profile covers the main 18-hole course, not the club’s additional practice or short-game facilities.

History: Chart Hills opened in 1993 as Sir Nick Faldo’s first completed European design project, developed with the American architect Steve Smyers. The course quickly became known for bold earth shaping and a demanding variety of bunkers. After later ownership and improvement work, the current club continues to present the original Faldo identity while maintaining the course as a visitor and tournament venue. The Open’s regional-qualifying record gives the course a current competitive context without requiring claims about rankings or awards.

Did You Know? The Anaconda bunker is one of Chart Hills’ most recognisable architectural features. It runs for a remarkable distance across the fifth-hole landscape, turning a hazard into a strategic object that players must plan around before they can even think about the green. The course also includes an island-style 17th, so the round finishes with a different kind of precision test after the long, rolling holes earlier in the loop.