Hunstanton Golf Club

A glorious June afternoon, days after the County Championship, what a time to play this James Braid gem. 

The first immerses you directly into links golf.  It is not long but the fairway is angled across you with marram grasses and bunkers asking you to hit it ‘far and sure’.  And it is a design theme repeated and developed like a melodic refrain in a piece of music. A fairway aslant a stream as Shakespeare nearly said.  More than Ophelia will have pondered their demise at various junctures along these tough 18 holes.

Mr Braid makes you pound away across the lower reaches of the course on the way out with only the short fourth as much respite.  The second shot at 6 holds no fear for those unaware of the plunging cliffs on either side.  Perhaps only the second shot to the ninth at Brancaster can compete for adrenalin in North Norfolk.

The second nine starts with four trenchant and strident par fours.  The last of which is across a ridge to a puddle of fairway before a mogul field of treachery and the respite of the green.  Similarities to Sandwich abound here which is great company to keep.

Fourteen and fifteen give you a chance to catch your breath if you don’t mind a blind approach to a par 3 and a short par 5 with a neck to the fairway that looks not much more than one mower width across.  Next time I am definitely going to play short, but then I said that last time.  

If you are not level or ahead at this point you can ask for favours of the last three but you will have to prise them out of James Braid.  Only Robert Taylor who had three successive holes in one on 16 on consecutive days of the Eastern Counties Foursomes in 1974 has the answer.  The tee looks down on a sea of dunes and as much space as a Norfolk sky.  First, pick out the tiered green.  Secondly, put it on the green and you are still not halfway there. Great hole.

17 plays to a green aslant a fairway.  They may have been overgenerous on the fairway but they saved the money on the green which is as successful as Braveheart at repelling invaders. 

18 is a marvellous closing hole but seemingly the closer you get to the bar the further away the green seems to get with a steep face and proper bunkering.  If it all goes wrong you can retreat to the beach and never show you face in the commodious bar and terrace.  Great course.  And a great club for letting me pay my green fee to Alzheimer’s Society for which many thanks