Royal Ashdown Old 2026

Royal Ashdown Old 2026

A world-class heathland venue, a record-breaking heatwave, and one of the most heartwarming Best Dressed stories we've ever had — Royal Ashdown Forest delivered a truly memorable day of golf.

Course Highlights

Set within the stunning Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, the Old Course at Royal Ashdown Forest Golf Club is widely regarded as one of England's finest inland golfing experiences. Established in 1888, the course was designed by renowned architect Herbert Fowler, whose work is celebrated for allowing the natural landscape to dictate the course's character.

Unlike many modern layouts, the Old Course remains largely untouched by extensive earthmoving, winding naturally through heather-covered heathland, pine forests, and rolling terrain. The course is known for its narrow fairways, strategically placed bunkers, and exceptionally challenging greens — rewarding thoughtful course management over sheer power every time. Its unique setting within the protected Ashdown Forest creates a truly memorable golfing experience and has earned the course a reputation as one of the premier heathland venues in the United Kingdom.

Weather Conditions

Hot, hot, and even hotter. The first day of June's record-breaking heatwave arrived just in time for our event, creating a serious test for all competitors. The combination of soaring temperatures, narrow fairways, and unforgiving heather demanded concentration from the opening tee shot to the final putt.

Thankfully players were able to stay hydrated thanks to the water stations positioned around the course, which proved invaluable throughout the day. Despite the dry conditions, the course was presented beautifully — immaculate fairways and greens from start to finish. The putting surfaces in particular proved difficult to read, leaving many players scratching their heads and adding another layer of challenge to an already demanding layout.

Memorable Moments

One of the standout stories of the day came from our 8:10 pairing, Alexandra Colasurdo and Anthony Duffield, who arrived wearing matching Open Championship t-shirts.

The story behind the shirts made them an easy choice for the Best Dressed award. Approximately four years ago, on their very first date, they unknowingly arrived at a café both wearing the exact same Open Championship t-shirt. Fast forward to today, and they recreated the moment on the fairways of Royal Ashdown Forest — providing one of the most memorable and heartwarming moments of the event. A truly brilliant story, and a richly deserved Best Dressed win.

Tournament Highlights

A really tightly contested day across both leaderboards. The top of the WHS leaderboard saw two pairs locked together on 43 points, with the title decided on countback — and three more pairs just behind on 42 and 40. The Gross competition also produced some superb golf on a course that gave nothing away easily.

WHS Leaderboard Winners

Huge congratulations to Paul Millbank and Dave Wilson, who took the top spot with 43 points, edging it on countback.

A massive well played to Mark Emberson and Michael Milnes in the runners-up spot, finishing on the same 43 points — desperately unlucky on countback, but a brilliant round all the same. They also picked up 2nd Gross on the day, making it a really strong all-round performance.

The full top six:

  • 1st — Paul Millbank & Dave Wilson — 43 points (countback)
  • 2nd — Mark Emberson & Michael Milnes — 43 points
  • 3rd — Aashir Zaib & Hassan Aslam — 42 points
  • 4th — Tom Davey & Caleb Kock — 42 points
  • 5th — Thomas Lachlan & Dave Windless — 40 points
  • 6th — Xin Huang & Jeff Xiao — 40 points

Gross Leaderboard Winners

Congratulations to Tom Phillpotts and Harry Youngblood, who took the Gross title with a brilliant 41 points — a fantastic round in tough scoring conditions.

Runners-up on Gross were Mark Emberson and Michael Milnes with 38 points — a stellar day for the pair, with both a Gross podium and a WHS runners-up finish.

On the Course

Plenty of action away from the main leaderboards too:

  • Men's Longest Drive — Tom Poole
  • Ladies' Longest Drive — Felicity Holloway
  • Nearest the Pin — Phil Trueman

4 Hole Competition

  • 1st — Nick Howitt & Hugh Riddlesdell — 12 points (countback)
  • 2nd — Scott Pearson & Edwin Johnson — 12 points

Golfshake Competition

  • Winners — James Kenner & John O'Toole

2's Pot Winners

Congratulations to all the players who shared in the 2's Pot:

  • Anthony Duffield
  • Philip Trueman
  • Ben Foulkes
  • Chris Taylor
  • Pat Dixon
  • Trevor Perry
  • Giles Cooke
  • Dale Housden

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for another fantastic day of golf at Royal Ashdown Forest. The combination of a world-class heathland course, glorious sunshine, competitive golf, and great company made for a truly memorable event. Congratulations to all our winners, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back for the next Golf Pairs event.

Leaderboard can be found here.

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