Norfolk golf trip? Discover five of the coast’s best golf courses
Ah September, la rentrée, as the kids pack their pencil cases and business gets back to normal. Yet, as life returns to its regular rhythm, the days are still long and warm and Norfolk’s golf courses are in their prime, quieter and perhaps the perfect moment to enjoy a relaxing golfing break. Book a stay at Heacham Manor and enjoy the hotel’s own 18-hole course, plus our pick of North Norfolk’s best fairways.
Heacham Manor Golf Course
Designed as an American-style links course with four sets of tee positions against a stunning backdrop of four lakes, two rivers, trees and greenery, overlooking the Wash, there’s something to challenge every handicap at this stunning course. Playable year-round, sharpen your shot at the driving range – the practice will set you in good stead for the 7th hole which requires a carry of 144 yards alongside the water’s edge. Open to all, book a tee or enjoy several rounds with our Stay and Play Golf Break.
Searles Golf Club
Just like its sibling fairway, Searles’ nine-hole resort golf course is designed in a links style, meandering alongside the winding Heacham River and reed beds. Read our handy guide to playing the course, and if you want to perfect your game, book a lesson with resident PGA qualified professional Ray Stocker. Open to Heacham Manor and Searles guests, members and day guests, Norfolk’s most accessible course offers a great game for all abilities.
Hunstanton Golf Club
Described by Bernard Gallacher as, “A true championship test of golf”, Hunstanton Golf Club has an enviable reputation. Established in 1891as a nine-hole course with a £30 investment by the village’s leading dignitary Hamon le Strange, it was extended to 18 holes in 1907 and the out and back course, which largely hems the outer edge of a sand dune ridge, has been extensively redeveloped over the past decade. Playable year-round, visitors are welcome at the well-maintained course which offers a few surprises, particularly when the wind is blowing! Book our North West Norfolk Golf Tour and enjoy a game at Hunstanton Golf Club and King’s Lynn Golf Club too!
Royal West Norfolk Golf Club
Ranked #61 in the world, there’s no surprise that Brancaster’s prestigious and picturesque links course, overlooking salt marsh and the sandy beach, is one of the region’s most sought-after courses to play. Granted Royal status by the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, upon its establishment in 1892, four members of the Royal family have captained the club over the years. Visitor numbers are strictly limited with a swift two-ball game played in just three hours, and the challenges of the course should not be underestimated, particularly on a breezy day!
Sheringham Golf Club
To the east of the coast, Sheringham Golf Club is worth the journey to play a links course which has an almost cinematic landscape overlooking the coast on one side and the heritage Poppy Line railway, which chugs regularly between the seaside town and Holt, on the other. Despite these scenic distractions, with attention firmly focused on play, the UK’s #70 ranked, 18-hole elevated clifftop course is deceptively challenging, so choose your club carefully!
With courses to suit every player, from absolute beginners to those with an enviably polished handicap, Norfolk is a golfer’s delight and a fantastic destination to play and stay. While you might come once, the lure of the fairways is great, and we guarantee you’ll be back to see if you can just master that hole in one!