Congham Hall is perfectly positioned for some top golfing action on spectacular links courses. We asked golf writer Michael Whitehead to guide guests around the greens.
King’s Lynn Golf Club
Regarded as the gateway to North Norfolk’s golf coast, the woodland course at King’s Lynn, which opened in 1975, is a relative baby compared with its coastal neighbours but it’s not to be missed. As with so many tree-lined courses, this is a real test of exactly how straight you are from the tee. Any wayward drives will most certainly result in a damaged scorecard. Crafting, rather than blasting, your way around is the shrewd move here.
King’s Lynn Golf Club, Castle Rising, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE31 6BD
Royal West Norfolk Golf Club
At just under 6,500 yards, this wild, rugged links course is not long by modern standards, but that really isn’t its main appeal. Cut off by the tide each day, it transforms into its own island offering a golfing experience that you simply will not get anywhere else. The stand-out holes are the 8th and 9th – both change complexion depending on the tide. With high winds the norm here, be prepared for a unique test of links golf.
Royal West Norfolk Golf Club, Brancaster, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE31 8AX
Tel: 01485 210087 / www.rwngc.org
Hunstanton Golf Club
The clubhouse at Hunstanton sits on top of a sand hill, casting a protective eye over this classic links course with a traditional 9-holes out, 9-holes back routing. Typically, the wind helps on the front-9 but comes straight at you on your way down the home stretch. Avoiding trouble on your right will serve you well here. The par-3 16th is the signature hole, where Bob Taylor recorded a hole-in-one three days in a row during a County Championship match in 1974.
Hunstanton Golf Club, Golf Course Road, Old Hunstanton, Norfolk PE36 6JQ
Royal Cromer Golf Club
Royal Cromer was the course for the first ever international golf match, held in 1905, the precursor to The Curtis Cup. It sits 300ft above the coastline and is as true an example of a cliff-top layout as you’ll find anywhere in the UK. This is a testing golf course providing wonderful sea views from several holes. But the one that will live longest in your memory is the par-4 14th – the lighthouse hole – where the green sits next to a working lighthouse.
Royal Cromer Golf Club, 145 Overstrand Road, Cromer, Norfolk NR27 0JH
Sheringham Golf Club
Set between the cliff edge and the North Norfolk railway that runs alongside the course, at just over 6,500 yards from the back tees Sheringham provides a real challenge – particularly when the wind blows. Several holes offer incredible vistas from high above the sea, especially the 5th, 6th and 7th. The long par-3 6th is regarded as the pick of the bunch. Don’t let those views distract from a tricky tee-shot required to reach the heart of the green.
Sheringham Golf Club, Sweetbriar Lane, Sheringham, Norfolk NR26 8HG
Great Yarmouth and Caister Golf Club
The oldest golf club in Norfolk is also one of only a handful of courses in the UK with most of its holes sitting within the perimeter of a racecourse. Here, however, there is the added attraction of playing certain holes across and over the actual racetrack, most notably the 1st and 18th. This old-fashioned links course is a must-visit for anyone who likes their golf with some added quirkiness.
Great Yarmouth and Caister Golf Club, Yarmouth Road, Caister-on-Sea, Norfolk NR30 5TD
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Michael Whitehead is author of the Golf Lover’s Guides to England and Scotland (White Owl). He is currently writing a Wales edition. Photo with thanks from Sheringham Golf Club
