One of the oldest golf clubs in Suffolk, founded in 1884, Aldeburgh is also perhaps the most easterly situated golf course in the NCG Top 100s in Great Britain and Ireland,

The likes of Willie Fernie, Harry Colt, Willie Park Jr and JH Taylor all had a say in the design of the Championship Course, and it remains one of the great tests in southern England.

With views of the River Alde and the North Sea, Aldeburgh certainly has the scenery. The course itself is a tough test of golfers of all abilities, measuring at more than 6,600 yards without a single par-5 on the card for the men.

The course is also one to play year-round, depending on the British weather. The course plays well throughout the winter, with no preferred lies or temporary elements to the course.

Book to play on the NCG Top 100s Tour at Aldeburgh.
Visit Aldeburgh's website here.
Go back to the NCG Top 100s Homepage.

Aldeburgh Golf Club is one of the oldest on our list of the top 100 courses in Great Britain & Ireland, having been founded back in 1884.

Scotsman Skelton Anderson was the man who first saw the promise that the land Aldeburgh was constructed on had. He then enlisted countrymen John Thomson and Willie Fernie, who had won the 1883 Open Championship, to design the course.

The original clubhouse was built in 1890 and early in the 20th Century, the club lost the use of some holes south of the road into the property.

Willie Park Jr, JH Taylor, Harry Colt, Hugh Alison have all made changes to the course over the years. The latest changes came via Ken Moodie just after the turn of the 21st Century. He added new tees and more bunkering to ensure the course remained a tricky test.

The River Course, which is the second track at Aldeburgh - a 9-hole lay-out, was designed and constructed in the early 1970s. The course opened in 1975.

From the back tees, the Championship Course at Aldeburgh measures 6,603 yards. That doesn’t sound too long, but when you consider that it is a par 68 and there are no par-5s, then it makes it all that bit tougher. Only two of the par-4s on the 18-hole Championship layout measure at less than 400 yards.

The course opens up with three consecutive par-4s, each over 400 yards. The 2nd features eight bunkers, five of those surrounding the green. The shortest hole on the golf course follows to provide a small period of respite. At just 119 yards, distance is not the problem with the par-3 4th. The sleeper front bunker runs all the way around the front edge of the green, and the green itself is 50 yards long. 

The 5th provides incredible views of the Alde as it plays downhill from an elevated tee box. The 6th is then the hardest hole on the property. A dog-leg left par-4 requires a tee shot down the right hand side so you are able to see the green from the fairway. Another long par-4 follows before the second par-3 on the front side. At 186 yards to a shallow green, keeping it on the surface is difficult. The front nine ends with a 402 yard par-4, which features three fairway bunkers in the landing zone. 

A wide fairway kicks off the back side, with an incredible hazard in the middle of the fairway at 300 yards. 10 bunkers are in play on the 11th, a 467 yard par-4, one of the longest on the course. Sleeper faced cross bunkers sit in front of the 12th green, the first sub-400 yard par-4 on the lay-out. A pair of dog-leg lefts, at 13 and 14, is followed by a 203 yard par-3. Bunkers surround this narrow green. 

The finishing stretch continues with the 478 yard par-4 16th, the longest hole on the course. Usually played into the prevailing wind, it plays more like 500, which only the big hitters reaching in two. The penultimate hole is a par-3, and the easiest hole at Aldeburgh. The Championship Course comes to a close with a 435 yard par-4, running gently uphill back towards the clubhouse.

Aldeburgh Golf Club is located on the eastern tip of England, on the Suffolk coast. It is just under three hours by car from the centre of London, with the nearest big cities being Ipswich and Norwich.

London Stansted Airport is the nearest for international visitors who are coming to play in the eastern part of England. Stansted is situated approximately two hours from Aldeburgh by car.

The most expensive green fee for the Championship course at Aldeburgh comes on a Saturday during the summer. That will set you back £165. If you want to play Sunday-Friday, it will cost £140. Those prices get incrementally cheaper from summer through to winter months. 

There is also a second course at the Aldeburgh Golf Club. The 9-hole River Course features a selection of par-4s and par-3s and costs just £20 to play during the summer months, with a day ticket only £30. 

The Aldeburgh pro shop prides itself on enhancing your golfing experience, offering first class coaching, quality merchandise, club fitting, repairs and advice on the game to all levels of golfer.

Book to play on the NCG Top 100s Tour at Aldeburgh.
Visit Aldeburgh's website here.
Go back to the NCG Top 100s Homepage.