Thorpeness Golf Club & Hotel

A great place to stay and play, Thorpeness is the home of quality James Braid heathland golf overlooked by a splendid value on-site hotel. The course itself meanders through silver birch, gorse and heather close to the Suffolk coast. It’s sand-based so plays like a links course and you’ll encounter firm, fast-running fairways and fast, true greens. A terrific combination of holes with several that are super short and super testing, including a par 3 over water and another on the back nine to a virtual ‘blind’ green beyond piles of heather and gorse that must be avoided at all costs if you don’t want your scorecard ruined!

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Thorpeness Golf Club features one of the finest golf courses in East Anglia, designed by the legendary James Braid in 1922. It is a coastal heathland golf course, less than half a mile from the sea winding through silver birch trees, gorse and heather. On the last tee the line is the 'House in the clouds' - surely one of the world's tallest holiday homes.

• Course has: Bar
• Course has: Buggy Hire
• Course has: Driving Range
• Course has: Practice Green
• Course has: Pro Shop
• Course has: Restaurant
• Course has: Trolley Hire
• Course has: Dress Code
• Course does not have: Club Hire
• Course has: Handicap

• 4.5 out of 5 Top Notch Day's Golf!!! 20 April 2011

  By woodbridgemonk

  As soon as you go round the corner on entering Thorpeness and you see the old building on the left and the Dolphin Inn in front of you, you know you are in for a treat, the hotel and pro-shop are also old buildings and just add to the atmosphere and anticipation that you are about to play somewhere quite special in the local golfing area. Me and my playing partner started off with a coffee and bacon n egg bap to start the day, the hospitality matching that of the gorgeous interior of the hotel, all the plaques with the various winners names engraved, the trophy on display also!!! Out on the course was no exeption either, with the tee's seeming cared for in the same manner as the impressive greens. The fairway's are pretty forgiving in width but if you do venture too far and into the gorse you can almost guarantee needing a new ball, the fairway's are also in superb condition, so if you hit a bad shot you can be 99% certain that it is down to human error rather than poor greenkeeping. Much attention has been focused on intelligent bunker placement to make sure you have to use a variety of different clubs in your bag, particularly the back 9 where an impressive amount of new bunkers have been created, give it another month or two for the turf to set and the sand to be added, creating a very aesthetically pleasing and testing back 9, in general the whole course is in top notch condition, proving to be a challenge for all golfers alike while enjoying the scenery whilst on you're way round...don't miss a photo opportunity coming down the 18th with the house in the clouds and windmill as part of the backdrop, great value for money at any time, look at the hotel website for deals and you can't go wrong!!!

• 4.5 out of 5 Superb! 21 April 2009

  By TerryAston

  Some great holes - can be a bit tight in places! Take a few extra balls as there is plently of goarse arould and if the ball goes in it won't come out! Course was in excellent condition and very enjoyable. Look for hotel & golf deals - great value.

• 4.5 out of 5 A gem of a course 06 May 2008

  By Alan Carnell

  My mate and I regularly visit the area and this course is always first in the diary. It maybe is not as pure heathland as Aldeburgh but it makes up for it by being better value for money and available to play on the weekend. This is the only course I've ben on where they have a warning about adders on the course. Don't take my word for it, go and play it.

• 4 out of 5 Play this - you'll love it! 02 May 2007

  By barryo

  Amazing 2for1 deal on the BH Monday. The old boy in the pro shop was a bit grumpy but the female pro was brilliant and really friendly. This is a beautiful course, with 3 or 4 signature holes. Without giving too much away, it is worth playing this for the 18th alone. The green is overlooked by the "house in the clouds" (Google it) and the windmill ... one of the best looking holes I have ever played, a classic.