Aldeburgh (Championship)

Overview: Aldeburgh's Championship Course is a maritime heathland layout on sandy ground overlooking the Alde estuary and the North Sea. The current course measures 6,916 yards from the Blue tees and is par 70 for men, with a par 74 women's card. Firm fairways, gorse, heather and the coastal breeze create a links-like test even though the course sits inland from the beach. The new layout adds two par fives and places a premium on accurate driving, controlled approaches and the ability to read firm running ground. Bunkers remain a major part of the character, including sleeper-faced hazards and a new 70-yard bunker on the eighth. The course is easy to walk but difficult to score on, rewarding a player who can keep the ball in the right position rather than simply chasing distance.

History: Aldeburgh Golf Club was founded in 1884, with John Thomson and Willie Fernie laying out the original course. After the club lost holes south of the road in 1907, Willie Park Jr. made the principal changes and J.H. Taylor added new bunkering. Harry Colt and Hugh Alison made the final major structural changes in 1922. In the 21st century, Ken Moodie tightened the bunkering, and Mackenzie & Ebert led a substantial redevelopment that added four new holes. The new Championship Course officially opened in September 2025, while the 17th par three was retained from Colt's design.

Did You Know? The 2025 redevelopment left Harry Colt's par-three 17th unchanged while adding four new holes and 29 bunkers. It therefore preserves one of the course's best-known historical features inside a much newer Championship Course routing.