Fairway Car Chase

The pursuit ended on the third green, when a suspected stolen car came to a halt and its driver fled into nearby woodland before officers in the patrol car behind could catch him.

Minutes before the cars sped across the fourth tee, at around 5pm on Saturday, several golfers had been waiting there to play shots.

Club members Tom Helmer and Andy Rush were on the third green when they saw the cars appear over the brow of a hill.

"It all happened so quickly," said Tom. "I was looking around at how to get out of the way into a ditch, it was quite hairy.

"We thought he was going to roll the car, but he parked, got out and ran for it, followed by a policewoman and a policeman in the patrol car."

Andy, whose house at The Thatchway, Ang-mering, overlooks the third green, said there were skid marks and burns from the car exhausts on the side of the green.

His wife and two daughters also saw the incident from the family's garden, their attention drawn by the police car's sirens.

A woman member had just finished her round and was preparing to leave the car park when she saw the two cars first drive onto the course.

"I saw a blue car first, going at a great pace, pursued by the police car. They went straight across the practice putting green, then down the first fairway.

"They were going very, very fast. If anyone had been in the way it would have been bye, bye. You could hear the police car going all over the golf course."

Police in the force helicopter joined officers on the ground and tracker dogs in the search for the car driver, but were unable to find him. Inquiries were continuing this week in the Metropolitan Police area.

Tom and Bill could at least see the funny side to the incident. Said Tom: "That driver didn't even shout 'Fore!' as he came towards us. It was very poor etiquette."