Aldeburgh Golf Club

Played on 23/9/11 using an Open Fairways card which reduced the green fee to £41. The course is a real challenge with fairways bordered by gorse and fairway bunkers in all the right places to catch good and bad drives alike. If you like to use the big stick and can hit it long and straight most of the time then this is the course for you. I found it a bit of a slog and in my opinion is better suited to matchplay format. Greens had recently been worked on and were smothered in top dressing but were playable. Excellent modern clubhouse.

Played here midweek October 08 (£37.50 after midday using Daily Telegraph Open Fairways card). Based purely on the fact that this course has been recently ranked no. 65 in the U.K i was a bit disappointed It's has an open feel & all fairways are heavily gorse lined with few trees. When i think back , although the holes were consistent there were no real standout holes.Also, the course has fourteen par 4's & no par 5's & there is a stretch of ten holes which have nine par 4's (from no.5 to no.14 ). On seven of the holes after decent drives i was hitting a wood in for 2nd shots ( on a fairly calm day) & for my liking this is too many & consequently it felt like a long walk round.A couple of shorter more strategic holes would have broken it up a bit. Also the finish is hard work . A 200 yard par 3 ,a ridiculous par 4 measuring 472 yards & the last ,which is difficult to get on in two. Despite my assessment there were quite a few positives .Course condition was excellent .Most clubs would be delighted if they had these outstanding greens in July ,the club was very welcoming ,all staff & members we encountered were helpful & friendly & it's a 2 ball only course so you are guaranteed no hold ups . Normal green fees are £50 ,which i thought was too high considering you can get nearby Thorpeness for £20 on 2 Fore 1. Overall,this is a quality course that's definitely worth playing ,but for me it was more about hard work(there are 9 holes over 400 yards) than fun. Kevin B.

I played this course in late September this year, based on it's reputation as being one of the best courses in East Anglia. I can now confirm that, from my experience, it is! Although a very old (1884) and traditional golf club, it is not at all 'stuffy' and we (as visitors) got the warmest welcome imaginable from the moment that we arrived - thank you Aldeburgh. The course itself is very 'tight' with some of the densest and ferocious gorse that I have ever seen, although some of it is being reduced. Also, it is strange in that there are no par 5's. Another oddity, is that only 2-Balls and Foresomes are allowed - not a bad thing in my humble opinion as, personally, I'm not overkeen on 3-balls or 4-balls. We were lucky with the weather and had a tremendous days golf, although the gorse captured a few balls, never to be surrendered. For the quality of course that it is, the green fees are reasonable - even better if you use an 'Inter County Card' as we did. We followed the golf with a delicious lunch and a pleasant chat with several members. I would recommend this course to anybody, although high handicappers might find it too demanding.

Having looked at the map and seen its proximity to the coast, I expected a links course akin to those used to host the Open. In fact, Aldeburgh is more of a heathland course, think Sunningdale Old or Ganton and you'll know what I mean. First impressions are of a slightly old fashioned club, I suppose Aldebugh would fall into the 'traditional' bracket, yet there is no stuffiness here, members and staff alike are very friendly. They are delighted when visitors travel a long way to play their course (and let's face it, EVERYWHERE seems to be a long way from Aldeburgh!) For men, the Par is 68. There are no Par 5's here. It looks a little strange but to be honest, I just wanted to get out there and to take as few shots as possible - who cares what the Par is! That said, a Medal round would be a nightmare - a 12 handicapper like me would have to score 80 to play to handicap - on this course, that's easier said than done! The wind plays it's part here, seeming to suck every shot towards the thick gorse that likes every fairway. Finding a ball in this stuff is impossible - far simpler to reload and take three off the tee. The key here is keeping it straight and putting well, oh, and avoid the bunkers. There are some nasty pot bunkers everywhere. The worst being the sleeper faced one all around the front of the Par 3 fourth hole. Aldeburgh is a 2-ball course, and with the way it is designed, walking down the 10th, 11th and 12th, it felt like we were the only people on the course. This is a fantastic course, miles away from anywhere it seems, but well worth a trip to play!

Aldeburgh is without doubt the premier golf club in Suffolk. I played it yesterday with my friend and got 25% off the green fee using my open fairways card. The pro could not have been more welcoming and helpful. The clubhouse is very traditional and the staff are friendly. (only crititism is no food/crisps available except sunday carvery). Sitting in the lounge over looking the 1st, 2nd and 9th whilst the sun was setting was so memorable. As for the course, the greens are without doubt the fastest I have ever encountered (even quicker than Hunstanton). One member commented that they had recently been shaved and were very bare. Fantastic for your putting stroke! They were almost unplayable to non-links conditioned players. It's hard to choose a better nine but for me I thought the front 9 were brilliant. Every hole was secluded from another one, and we didn't see another player until well into the back 9. Too many classic holes to choose a 'best of' but 8 and 9 are terrific. It's very hard to praise this club too much!!

Without a doubt the best course in Suffolk. Aldeburgh is a challenging link course with no par 5's but lots of long par 4's. The greens are excellent all year round and drains well due to it being on light land. I'd recommend this course to the mid-lower handicappers.