Where should you be play in Suffolk? We take a look
The Best Golf Courses In Suffolk
Golf in Suffolk provides a relatively unheralded, yet wonderful experience, with several excellent courses around the coast. Bearing the brunt of the North Sea, some of the courses below will test every part of your game so check out the best the county has to offer on our list.
Related: Golf Monthly’s UK&I Top 100 Courses
Aldeburgh
Sleepered bunkers abound at Aldeburgh, this one by the 15th green
The first thing you notice on the scorecard is the total absence of the figure ‘5’ in the par column; to balance things out a little, SSS can be up to five greater than the par of 68!
Either way, this is a very good test of golf played through gorse-lined fairways that aren’t quite as gorse-lined as they used to be prior to some recent thinning out.
But you’ll still need a well-tuned radar to score well in any sort of wind, which for my round was against up 1, 3 and 5, with even the shortest of those at 405 yards demanding the removal of a hybrid headcover for the approach.
All of which proved ideal preparation for the 16th – a 478-yard brute of a par 4 whose only saving grace is that it isn’t among the narrowest of the fairways.
Of the par 3s, where sleepered bunkers are often in evidence, the short 4th stands out on account of its incredibly long, sloping green. Aldeburgh is unquestionably one of the premier courses in Suffolk.
Ipswich
The main course at Ipswich, or Purdis Heath, is a wonderful James Braid heathland creation set on undulating terrain, with some excellent bunkering right from the 1st, a suitably gentle par 4 to ease you in.
That beautiful bunkering is again in evidence on the 3rd, the first of the one-shotters, before the intriguing dogleg left 4th where the approach is played blind down to a green set 50ft below the fairway in a hollow.
The real standout stretch is book-ended by the 8th and 12th, which play either way across a valley. The former boasts ‘right’ and ‘left’ tee options according to the time of year.
The risk-reward 9th is then dead straight, but with danger either side and a slender green entrance to make you think twice. The 12th is probably best of all – a glorious-looking hole with an uphill approach to a green protected by an attractive cluster of bunkers short right.
Thorpeness
The famous ‘House in the Clouds’ behind Thorpeness’s 18th hole
Thorpeness is another wonderful James Braid heathland layout, which like Aldeburgh a couple of miles south, is somewhat lacking in the par-5 department; unlike Aldeburgh it does at least boast one to bring birdie thoughts to the minds of big hitters.
But the 14th is far from easy, doglegging left late on, so only the very best of drives down the right will offer any hope of getting home in two. Eight par 4s over 400 yards merely add to the Thorpeness challenge.
Woodbridge
Well-protected greens add to the test at Woodbridge, here on the par-4 13th
Founded in 1893, the Heath Course at Woodbridge Golf Club was designed by Davie Grant of North Berwick.
The course was modified in 1920 by James Braid to create the existing heathland layout. Gorse and heather pose a constant threat, so there is a premium on accuracy from the tee.
It might not be the longest course but many will come a cropper playing into its well-guarded greens. The back nine poses a bigger challenge than the front, with the 14th and 15th standing out.
Felixstowe Ferry
Looking towards the Martello Tower from which the course gets its name at Felixstowe Ferry
Felixstowe Ferry is the fifth oldest club in the England having been founded in 1880. The layout of the 18-hole Martello course today is part links and part parkland, offering views across the East Anglian coast and the Deben Estuary.
There are a number of challenging par three holes, with the short 5th hole being the pick of the bunch.
It measures just 136 yards but a crosswind can make the green nigh on impossible to hit. If the wind is up when you visit here, expect a serious test of your game.
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Royal Worlington & Newmarket
Often called one of the finest 9-hole courses in the world, Royal Worlington was founded in 1893 and can be played throughout the year due to the sand-based land.
You start with a solid par-5 but the difficulty picks up almost immediately with a 220-yard par-3 to follow. There are a couple of short par-4’s that can yield good scores however the 6th and 8th holes are monstrous par-4s measuring at over 460 yards.
At least when you go and play the nine again you have an opportunity to make amends for any poor scores!
Stowmarket
Founded in 1902, the club has been on its current location, Finborough Park, from 1962. A lovely parkland course, the peace and quiet of the Suffolk countryside is the first thing that hits you.
The two most memorable holes are the fourth, which is a 250 yard downhill par-3, one of the longest in the country. Additionally the par-5 13th and its downhill drive to a sweeping fairway is inviting to the eye.
Bungay and Waveney Valley
At the beginning of 1889, six men got together to discuss how to bring golf to the area of Bungay. When one of the group obtained permission to use the Bungay Common to play golf, the Waveney Valley Golf Club was born.
The person responsible for creating the course was five-time Open champion James Braid who enlarged the course to 18 holes in 1901. The club was then discontinued die to the First World War.
Measuring at a smudge over 6,000 yards, it is not the longest but make no mistake the gorse and birch trees will penalise any wild shot.
Despite a slightly anti-climactic 18th, there are some lovely holes to experience such as 11th with its sunken green and the only par-5 on the course, the 17th which once again has a sunken green.
Haverhill
With the outward nine holes designed by Phil Pilgrim and the inward by Charles Lawrie, the parkland course has the River Stour flowing throughout. With a reputation of having some of the finest greens in the county, Haverhill offers excellent value considering its cheap green fees too.
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