Thorpeness Hotel & Golf Club

Played here midweek October 2008 ( £20 using 2 Fore 1 ).
Very enjoyable ,interesting ,supertough par 69.There's a good feel when you arrive & on the 1st tee.
Midway through the front 9 & back 9 there are two 3 hole sections ,each hole over 400 yards, which give you a bit of a pummeling.( The dogleg 15th is so difficult to hit in regulation that it's almost comical. )
Despite these tough par 4's ,it doesn't detract from the overall pleasant ambience here.
Nice clubhouse & surrounds + pleasant staff .( Food & drink is quite expensive .£5 for a bowl of soup & £3 for a pint of Adnams bitter.)
Favourite holes were the 1st & 6th.
Only shortcoming was on atttempting to book a 2 ball tee time a couple of weeks before, the person i spoke to in the pro shop was abrupt & arrogant.On merely trying to find out if there were any large groups going out ,so as to try & slot in before them ,he wasn't keen on divulging this imformation (as if it was top secret).
A great course to play as part of a golfing trip or if just in the area.
Kevin B.

Just back from two of the best days weather we have had in 2008....and the course and club matched it.
This is a great course.
It reminds me a little of a Surrey heathland track but is a lot more laidback in the clubhouse which forms part of the on site hotel.The views from the terrace over the river(not the course)are amazing on a nice day....this area is what England must have been like in the 50's.
The hotel had another function on and we were asked to eat about 2 miles away in their sister hotel,The Brudenell....no problem and the food was as good as anywhere,served by the most helpful waitress ever,the adjacent town Aldbrough is just as nice and a little more going on,but few pubs,so sleep best describes the whole area.
The complex has rooms overlooking the course and putting green and they are comfortable and clean but not luxurious,the tvs only have the basic 5 channels,in this day and age maybe a Freeview box would be better..
Going back to the course itself,I could not find fault with one hole,the opener is easy enough and then it cranks itself up to harder longer par 4's,the par 3 's all are quite long also,there is only one Par 5.Some of us thought the greens were slow,personally I thought they were great,and supposedly this area has low rainfall and they never have temps.
This is a must play,must stay,nothing flash just right club,course and venue....thanks

Have just returned from my second 3 day, 2night visit. I would highly recommend Thorpness. Having played many of the UK's "greatest' courses, Thorpness is right there with the best of them. I'm a single figure handicap and this represented one of the harder challenges, playing 4 or 5 shots over your handicap is about par, particlarly when the wind blows. The condition of both fairways and greens was remarkable for early January.
Accommodation is more than adequate, the restaurant is also of excellent quality. We were made to feel most welcome and look forward to returning soon.

Honestly, I am not a paid publicist for Thorpeness.....played last week for about the 10th time and I absolutely love the place.
Most of my golf is played on those characterless courses that line the M25 which is why the mature and natural surroundings of Thorpeness appeal so greatly. As a bonus the course is in beautiful condition and a real test.
1st and 2nd are pleasant openers, the 3rd can be a different ball-game - intimidating tee-shot (in front of numerous diners) followed by an equally tough second. 4th and 5th are longish par 4s, 6th has a tough green to hit, 7th is a slightly disappointing par 3 over water (why is the hole never on the back of the green?). And, so it goes on as the course winds its way through gorse and heather. Savour the pigs on the 11th!! Watch out for the 17th - for me anyway, not as easy as it looks. 18th has great views of the windmill and the amazing house in the sky.
Nice clubhouse with classy Adnams, look out for the pro's gorgeous dog. Thoroughly recommend staying - by no means the Hilton but great food in very pleasant surroundings.
Overall, my favourite golf destination in the UK. Yes, for far more money you can play a more renowned course but for me its Thorpeness every time.

What a great time we had. Three and a half rounds over three days. Can't fault it. The accomodation was great. Good size rooms for two sharing. The food, breakfast, lunch, and evening meal were superb. The bar and the snooker room great for the evening time.
The staff couldn't have done anymore to make us welcome.
The course was terrific. Could never be considered as an easy course, but don't be put off. If you play to the course then 42 points is possible. Plenty of buggies for the older boys.
On our list to revisit next year.

We played this course on Sunday 17th October and even though the preceding week had seen plenty of rain, the course was in great condition for the time of year.
There was no standing water anywhere and the greens were firm and true.
We have played here once before and therefore knew that this is an excellent and testing track with several outstanding holes. The SSS is quite unusually higher the par (even off the yellows) which proves that although just over 6,000 yards, it is definately no pushover.
I would thoroughly recommend paying this course a visit if you are in the area. It is great value with 2-Fore-1 vouchers (£20 each instead of £40 at weekends).

Played the course at the begining of october in good weather for this tome of year. Very welcoming at the reception, and the hotel was very nice.The course was in great condition and found it was very tough and a good test of all clubs. To card a good score you have to be quite long off the tee and stay out of the rough which is very unforgiving,also the wind is a major factor. would recommend this course,and hope to return again,Pierre,Norfolk.

We played this 4 times over a baking hot weekend - on foot...
72 holes is a lot, but well worth it. How hard is it ? Well, I rate it harder than the Burma Road, the only thing I've played which is tougher is down here, Langley Park, Par 68, SSS 71.
What a great course though, the 8 long par 4's aren't boring, they're terrifying. I don't think I like James Braid, but if you can walk of here with your card still in your pocket and not torn up in a tee-side bin, you've played out of your skin.
Please try it, you'll talk about it for months afterwards.
Chris. Kent, H'Cap 12.

Played this golf course in late january. A nice golf course, played very long in the winter but was ruined by the poor greens. The week prior to our turning up torrential rain had ruined the greens! Accomodation was excellent, but the area is a bit quite for any golfers under 35yrs! Still good value though.

This course plays very long. It wasn't necessarily the carry that was the problem, more that at best I was always hitting long irons for second shots, and at worst having to lay up. Par threes are tough, rough is difficult, wind is an issue to deal with. Will test your club handicap to the limit. Beautiful course in great condition (May 2001) with nice clubhouse. Well worth a visit, I will return. According to the lady in the shop it is very good in winter. The downside is that it seemed to take forever to get there.

Tough course for those that play short from the tee. Plenty of carry on most tees over Heather and Gorse. Plenty of spare balls required for the wayward. Nice course with excellent greens. A couple of very testing par threes with water or gorse to carry and short run offs behind. Accomodation on site also good. Well worth a visit.