Played by NCG: Aldeburgh
Where is Aldeburgh?
Just outside the seaside town of Aldeburgh on the Suffolk coast. It’s half an hour from Ipswich.
Reason for going
We have an annual match against some friends from Hertfordshire, so we try to pick a venue that is mutually (in)convenient for both parties.
What to expect
No fourballs. No par 5s. Fast-running fairways. Traditional golf. Aldeburgh is a delightfully friendly club and they do things their own way here. You can only play in twoballs so our suggestion is to adopt the ‘when in Rome’ maxim. Foursomes is brilliant fun, especially round a testing heathland course like this one.
My best bit
I love the testing long 4s. I don’t find them relentless, I just love the challenge of having to hit consecutive good shots. And there is real variety as well. My favourite is the 11th, where the uneven, rippled fairway means you are never quite sure where your shot has finished.
Watch out for
Dropping shots. It will happen, and once they are gone they really do take some earning back. There are no par 5s, no driveable par 4s and only one of the short holes is an obvious chance of a two. I’m not saying it’s impossible, just very exacting to its measly par of 68.
When I go back…
I’ll hit a drive worthy of the magnificent last hole which would not be out of place in front of the clubhouse at an Open Championship venue.
Dan Murphy
Dan loves links golf, which doesn't mean he is very good at it. He is a four-handicapper at Alwoodley. A qualified journalist and senior editor with 25 years’ experience, he was the long-time editor of NCG. His passion is golf courses and he is the founding editor of NCG Top 100s course rankings. He loves nothing more than discovering and highlighting courses that are worthy of greater recognition.
