Golf Courses in Norfolk: Coastal Links, Cliffs and Breckland Heath

Norfolk is not the first county most golfers think of. Yet it has real variety. There are links on the north coast, a cliff-top course at Cromer and heathland in the Breckland forest. This guide picks out ten courses, using facts taken from each club’s own website.

Golf courses in Norfolk at a glance

Our directory currently lists 23 open courses in Norfolk, counted on 15 October 2026. You can browse them all on the Norfolk golf courses page. If you live in the city, our page of golf courses near Norwich is a good place to start.

That figure is the number of clubs on this site, not an official county total. However, our guide to golf courses in England gives the wider context. Our posts on golf courses in Essex and golf courses in Hampshire cover those counties in the same way.

The north Norfolk coast

Royal West Norfolk Golf Club at Brancaster is a good place to begin. The club says it began in 1892 and that Holcombe Ingleby laid out the course. It adds that there has been little alteration to his design. The club lists 6,457 yards and a par of 71. It also warns that the clubhouse is not reachable by car at high tide, and that the tides affect the 8th and 9th holes. Therefore, check the tide times before you go.

Hunstanton Golf Club overlooks The Wash. The club says it is the only west facing golf course on the east coast of England. As a result, the sun sets over the sea. It also says Martin Hawtree has redeveloped the course. That work included new bunkering on all four par 5s and a reshaping of the 8th and 10th holes.

Heacham Manor Golf Club is a little further round the coast. It describes an 18-hole course with a links-style front nine and a parkland back nine. It has four sets of tees, from 5,614 yards to 6,786 yards. Visitors can book 9 or 18 holes online.

Royal Cromer Golf Club sits on the cliffs. Its 18 holes stretch alongside the Cromer and Overstrand cliffs, and the sea is visible from virtually every hole. The club says it began in 1888, while it also says visitors are welcome any day of the week.

Sheringham Golf Club is a short drive along the same coast. It says it welcomes visitors all year round. The club also has a long record with women’s golf, because it says it first hosted the English Women’s Championship in 1920. A steam train passing the 17th hole features in the club’s own story of that event, so the railway is part of the setting.

A coastal weekend can link several of these clubs. Royal West Norfolk, Hunstanton and Heacham Manor lie along the north and north-west coast, while Cromer and Sheringham sit further east. Book each club separately, because every one runs its own visitor rules and tee sheet.

The east coast

Great Yarmouth & Caister Golf Club says it began in 1882. It describes a classic links-style course, while the club points out that its integration with the horse racing course makes the course more interesting.

Gorleston Golf Club says it began in 1906. It lists 6,341 yards and a par of 71, with near constant views of the sea. The club also says it has the UK’s most easterly hole, a par 3 with a cliff edge close to the green.

Parkland and heathland

Eaton Golf Club is the closest to Norwich. The club says it began in 1910 and sits about a mile from the city centre. It says JH Taylor, four times Open Champion, designed the course. Since it is an extensively tree-lined parkland course, accurate tee shots matter.

Thetford Golf Club is a very different test. The club calls it a classic James Braid designed heathland course, and says Philip Mackenzie Ross helped shape it too. It lists a par 72 course of 6,849 yards, with a slope rating of 134 from the back tees. The club also says it works with Natural England to look after the heath because the course lies within a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Short rounds and par 3s

Not every round needs 18 holes. Mundesley Golf Club says it began in 1901. Specifically, it describes a nine-hole course with eighteen tees, designed with the help of Harry Vardon.

Caldecott Hall Golf Club near Great Yarmouth lists a par 73 main course. It also has a 9-hole par 3 course, which is handy because you may only have an hour or two. Browse every 9-hole course and par 3 course in the directory. Our guide to nine-hole golf courses explains why short rounds are so popular.

Comparing the lengths

Because each club publishes its own yardage and tees differ, treat these as a guide. These are the figures we found, shortest first.

• Heacham Manor Golf Club: 5,614 to 6,786 yards, depending on the tees.
• Gorleston Golf Club: 6,341 yards, par 71.
• Royal West Norfolk Golf Club: 6,457 yards, par 71.
• Thetford Golf Club: 6,849 yards, par 72.

A shorter course is not always an easier one, because on the coast wind and tides can matter more than length.

Golf for different players

Beginners often prefer a shorter or nine-hole course, because the round is quicker and the pressure is lower. Mundesley and the par 3 course at Caldecott Hall are examples. Our beginners’ guide to golf courses explains what to look for, and parents can read our junior golf guide. Experienced players may prefer a longer test, such as Thetford’s heathland or the links at Royal West Norfolk, where wind and tide shape the day.

How to choose a Norfolk golf course

Start with the kind of golf you want. Our guides to links golf, coastal golf and heathland golf explain how each plays. A links round suits a windy day with a sense of adventure. Heathland is firm and dry for most of the year, and therefore a good winter option.

Next, check access. Because rules for visitors differ from club to club and fees change often, we do not quote prices here. Each club’s website is the place to confirm green fees and tee times. If you want to play without joining a club, read our pay and play golf guide. Planning a group day? Our golf society day guide covers the practical side.

You can compare Norfolk with other counties on our golf statistics page. Each listing in the Norfolk directory links to the club’s own website, because that is where the latest details live.

A note on our sources

Every figure above comes from the club’s own website, checked on 15 October 2026. Where a club does not publish a fact, we have left it out. However, clubs change their details, so the club’s site is always the most current source.