Golf is a good walk spoilt, Mark Twain once said. But the US author might have changed his mind had he played a few holes at two Sussex courses.

A new book hails them among the most "extraordinary" in Britain.

The 169yd tenth hole at Mannings Heath golf course near Horsham and the 155yd sixth at Brighton and Hove feature in Britain's 100 Extraordinary Golf Holes.

The book, by Geoff Harvey and Vanessa Strowger, nominates some of the most challenging, extreme and unusual holes to face British players.

Both Sussex nominees are par threes and give players stunning views over the countryside as they tee off.

The Brighton and Hove course benefits from its closeness to Devil's Dyke, with the South Downs stretching to one side and the expanses of the sea visible to the other.

The book states: "The sixth is a drop-hole of awesome proportions, a 100ft plunge into the valley.

"Players at the seventh tee are uncomfortably close to the back of the sixth green. They may like to glance up and to the right to prepare for evasive action."

Two years ago, retired accountant Ray Hoyle managed a hole-in-one at the sixth in a friendly game of doubles.

Just six days later, his son Tim achieved the same feat at the same hole while playing in a competition match.

The tenth hole at Mannings Heath is also notable for its abrupt drop - as well as a nearby cottage which is in danger should any golfers be wayward with their aim.

Mr Harvey, originally from Haywards Heath, said: "The sheer English country garden prettiness of Mannings Heath really marks it out as special."

The tenth is not the only noteworthy hole at Mannings Heath.

The 38yd par four 11th, which threads its way through a wooded valley with a stream, is included in legendary South African golfer Gary Player's list of his favourite 18 holes.

During the Second World War a bomber crashed on the par three 14th and poppies have flowered on the site ever since.

The Brighton and Hove hole comes 61st in the "extraordinary" ranks, with Mannings Heath 63rd.

Britain's 100 Extraordinary Golf Holes is published by Aesculus Press and is on sale now.