Sussex courses are still reeling under the blows of over two months of extreme weather conditions. Only now are some starting to count the cost of prolonged rain storms and snow.

With only a few exceptions, all the 60-odd courses have been forced to close for varying periods because of the Big Wet.

Some are still more seriously affected than others while those, desperate for business, didn't shut until the water came over the till.

Not since 1995 has the county been so hard hit and Graeme Crompton, the Hollingbury Park pro summed up the situation: "It's a terrible time to be a pro."

Normally the chalk-based Brighton municipal course is open all hours. But, during the last two months the no play signs have been displayed on seven or eight days with temporary greens in use. The bugbear has been water saturation round tees and greens. Crompton said: "The problem is too many courses, plus the weather."

But, compared with many others, Hollingbury has been lucky.

Only ten holes are open at Littlehampton which has a reputation as an all-weather course. For two months all 18 holes have been out of commission due to the Rife breaking its banks. A pumping machine and artificial ponds failed to cope with the torrent of water spilling from the stream.

At Mannings Heath the Waterfall course was affected by a stream overspilling. The Waterfall is open now but the Kingfisher is being allowed more time to dry out. Head greenkeeper Billy McMillan said: "In view of the unprecedented weather, we have coped remarkably well. We closed the Waterfall for one week when the volume of water, due to the banks breaking, was more than I have known in the last ten years."

At West Chiltington there had been no play for six weeks at either the 18-hole and nine hole courses. Only this week were normal services resumed.

Copthorne lost business when having to turn away two societies due to snow. Altogether the course was shut for a fortnight. Joe Burrell, the pro, said: "I have never seen so much water running through the woods and across the fairways."

This week Copthorne re-opened thanks to drainage work having been carried out each autumn for the last three or four years.

Cooden Beach, in the heart of the Pevensey marshes, is a prime target for heavy rain. Stefan Antolik, the head greenkeeper, was powerless to prevent the dyke system being overwhelmed by November's inundation.

He works with a four-man staff and they managed to keep the course open even when nearby Highwoods was closed. But Cooden had to give way when the saturated gravity feed systems going out to sea couldn't cope.

East Sussex National, another low-lying site, has 16 holes on the West Course open this week but not for visitors. The deluge put paid to any golf there for two months and, bearing in mind the overheads at ESN, it is reckoned the loss has been in the region of £1,000 a week.

Piltdown has been closed for long periods but is now open on temporary greens and teeing-up on fairways. On and off there has been no golf there for five weeks.

The Eastbourne courses have escaped lightly in comparison to others. Jackie Packham, the Willingdon secretary, said: "We benefit from being on chalk and draining well. We are very lucky."

Seaford East Blatchington, despite its Downland setting, was shut for four days on the trot over Christmas. With buggies and trolleys banned that has been sufficient to deter members since the middle of October. There are six temporary greens in use now and the course is reported to be in good condition.

Singing Hills has been badly hit with closures starting at the end of October and right through until after Christmas. Several society bookings were lost to snow blanketing all 27 holes. Losing that kind of trade is a heavy blow to a commercially orientated pay-and-play outfit.

Worthing was closed for four days in the last three and a half months as a safety precaution to prevent golfers coming to grief in slippery conditions.

Mid Sussex, where the water used to lie, has stayed open except for a few days, thanks to the purchase of a trenching machine. This had made a great difference to the drainage system and the policy of the Ditchling club in spending money on vital equipment has proved wise.

Downland courses will always be far less drastically affected than the parkland variety. Probably the worst hit is Bognor, which succumbed to flooding in the middle of October.

When the Rife bursts it is possible to row a boat over the middle holes. The full layout has not been open for three months. Of the 14 holes now open there are only three main greens in operation.

Six years ago Peacehaven carried out extensive drainage work. All went well until this year when the vulnerable third and fourth holes resembled paddy fields. Until this year the course hadn't been closed but now it is picking up again.

Ifield, which had a reputation as a wet course, has spared no cost in drainage improvements and it has paid off. Some closures were unavoidable but, as Jon Earl the pro explained: "It has not been anything like as bad as it used to be, just the odd bad day."

Cottesmore's two courses benefitted from drainage work put in two years ago. But Calum Callan, the pro, said the shortfall in business was bad weather taking the incentive from people to play.

Wellshurst is another course to thank their lucky stars that the new drainage system works. Only three days of snow and not water for a change, meant the course being shut.

- John Vinicombe