Sheringham, Norfolk, England

www.sheringhamgolfclub.co.uk

Men's white tees par 70, SSS 71, 6251 yards
Ladies' yellow tees par 73, SSS 74, 5838 yards

The view from the 5th tee

Sheringham golf club is situated on the North Norfolk coast, Norfolk’s ‘Golf Coast’ which boasts three other true links courses, Royal West Norfolk ( which we visited yesterday), Hunstanton and Great Yarmouth and Caister and lies between the North Norfolk Railway and the North Sea. It was opened as a nine hole course in 1891 and extended to eighteen in 1898.  The original course was designed by Tom Dunn, a prolific golf course architect of the time.  Sheringham has been the venue for a number of major amateur championships including the English Women’s championship on three occasions.  In 1920 it was won by the then 18 year old Joyce Wethered whose obituary recalls that having been six down in the final to Cecil Leitch (see Silloth on Solway 11^th April 2014) she responded with a succession of threes before winning on the 17^th.  As she stood over her final putt a train rattled past on the North Norfolk railway.  Asked afterwards whether it disturbed her concentration she replied ‘What train?’.

The 17th green. 

 Sheringham is more of a clifftop and heathland course than a true links although some of the holes have a links feel.  Although the soil did not appear to be sandy some of the holes had the typical undulations and fast running fairways of a links course.  Having said that it is a very enjoyable and high quality although fairly hilly course.

The railway runs in close proximity to the 18th green

The first is a testing par four, uphill and with a tilted green set into the hillside.  A true golf brain is required for the second hole as each shot requires careful placement to avoid the fairway bunkers. The fifth is a spectacular hole with a high tee and a green which demands a perfect shot otherwise the ball falls off on the left and at the back or ends in the rough on the mound to the right.  This is followed by a long par 3 with equally good views from the tee.  The 11^th is a lovely par 3 which requires a carry all the way to the green to avoid the five greenside bunkers.  The 17^th has a particularly attractive green complex close to the railway and backed by a small wood.

Worth playing?  Yes but I wouldn’t class it as a true links course.

Royal West Norfolk, Brancaster, England

www.rwngc.org

White tees par 71, SSS 71, 6457 yards
Red tees par 75, SSS 75, 5882 yards

The entrance to the course

Royal West Norfolk, often referred to as ‘Brancaster’, was founded with royal patronage in 1892 and I doubt that it has changed much since then.  Situated on the North Norfolk coast it is squeezed between salt marshes and the magnificent Brancaster beach.  There may not be another golf course where you are warned to consult the tide times before playing as the access road is under water at high tide.  The first tee is across the sandy approach to the beach through a wrought iron gate and feels like stepping back in time.

The 4th is guarded by a wall of sleepers and pot bunkers

 We played the course with our son William and our cairn terrier Maisie on a sunny day in June.  It is memorable for its long carries, intimidating sleeper walled bunkers and fast greens.  We were fortunate to have a dispensation from the secretary to play a three ball as like Muirfield this is usually a two ball course.  It is a traditional ‘nine out, nine back’ course with the prevailing wind assisting in the first nine and hindering in the second. 

 

The challenging 9th green

The first hole shares a fairway with the 18^th with an ideal drive having a slight draw but beware overdoing it as there is long grass and out of bounds on the beach to the left.  The first par 3, the 4^th hole, has a raised green protected by a wall of wooden sleepers and three pot bunkers – be short at your peril!  The course’s most memorable holes are the 8^th and the 9^th, on both of which you have to negotiate large areas of tidal marsh land which at high tide make islands of parts of the holes.  The par 5 8^th requires creative thinking and has been likened to ‘a man crossing a stream by somewhat imperfect stepping stones, so that he has to make a perilous leap from one to the other’.  The ninth hole is a par 5 for ladies and a par 4 for men.  There is a long carry from the tee to the narrowest part of the fairway and then either a lay-up or a perilous shot over tidal marshes to a green set at a right angle to the fairway. 

Beach huts by the 16th tee

The golfer then turns for home but into the prevailing wind.  Many of the holes on the inward nine follow the dunes on the right and there are some excellent par 4s.  The par 3 1th is guarded by a huge bunker at the front but there is at least a landing area over it.  The 16^th tee has a line of quintessentially British beach huts to the right of the tee.  The 18^th is a straightforward hole until you encounter the large semicircular bunker at the front of the green which must have ruined a number of medal cards!

The clubhouse is almost on Brancaster beach

A seat and lunch (must be pre-ordered) in the wood panelled Smoke Room is a welcome respite in a clubhouse from the Edwardian era.  Royal West Norfolk is a hugely enjoyable experience in a magical place.

Worth playing?  Without doubt