Gorleston Golf Club golf course aerial
Gorleston Golf Club’s course occupies a dramatic strip of clifftop land above the North Sea at Gorleston-on-Sea and is often described as the most easterly golf course in mainland Britain. Much of the course runs close to the cliff edge, giving long views along the coast and exposing play to the prevailing winds, which are a defining feature of the layout.
The club was founded in 1906, with its first formal meeting held in May of that year. An initial 9-hole course was brought into use by 1907, laid out on leased land close to Cliff Park. Membership fees at the time reflected Edwardian social norms, with gentlemen paying one guinea to join and one guinea annually, while ladies paid half those amounts.
As development pressure grew on the original land, the club began looking for a more permanent home. This led to a move further south along the coast, and a new 18-hole course opened in 1913. The course then measured roughly 5,700 yards, stretching in a long, narrow form parallel to the shoreline. The relocation required significant investment for the time, funded by members and local support, though precise construction costs were not formally recorded.
Over the decades the course has evolved in response to coastal erosion, changing equipment, and modern expectations, with holes adjusted and tees moved inland where necessary. Despite this, it has retained its essential character as a true seaside course, where wind direction and strength play a major role in scoring.
Today Gorleston Golf Club remains a well-established part of the local sporting landscape, combining more than a century of golfing history with one of the most exposed and distinctive coastal settings in East Anglia.
Gorleston Golf Club golf course aerial
Gorleston Golf Club’s course occupies a dramatic strip of clifftop land above the North Sea at Gorleston-on-Sea and is often described as the most easterly golf course in mainland Britain. Much of the course runs close to the cliff edge, giving long views along the coast and exposing play to the prevailing winds, which are a defining feature of the layout.
The club was founded in 1906, with its first formal meeting held in May of that year. An initial 9-hole course was brought into use by 1907, laid out on leased land close to Cliff Park. Membership fees at the time reflected Edwardian social norms, with gentlemen paying one guinea to join and one guinea annually, while ladies paid half those amounts.
As development pressure grew on the original land, the club began looking for a more permanent home. This led to a move further south along the coast, and a new 18-hole course opened in 1913. The course then measured roughly 5,700 yards, stretching in a long, narrow form parallel to the shoreline. The relocation required significant investment for the time, funded by members and local support, though precise construction costs were not formally recorded.
Over the decades the course has evolved in response to coastal erosion, changing equipment, and modern expectations, with holes adjusted and tees moved inland where necessary. Despite this, it has retained its essential character as a true seaside course, where wind direction and strength play a major role in scoring.
Today Gorleston Golf Club remains a well-established part of the local sporting landscape, combining more than a century of golfing history with one of the most exposed and distinctive coastal settings in East Anglia.