Rushmere Golf Club

Rushmere Golf Club has provided golf on Rushmere Common, on the eastern edge of Ipswich in Suffolk, for well over a century, with the present club established in 1927. The course is built on Rushmere Heath, giving it a heathland character rather than the parkland style more common around Ipswich, with gorse lining a number of fairways and a sandy subsoil that keeps the ground playable in wetter weather. This heathland base, combined with the gorse, gives the layout a distinctive look and a different set of challenges compared with the tree-lined parkland courses found elsewhere in the county, rewarding accuracy over raw distance on a number of holes. The club has built a reputation as one of the more welcoming in Suffolk, with a course that suits golfers of a wide range of ages and abilities rather than favouring a particular style of play. Visitors and societies are welcomed throughout the year, and the club notes that many return on a regular basis, a reflection of both the course itself and the hospitality on offer. For golfers exploring Suffolk's heathland courses specifically, Rushmere's century-long history on Rushmere Common, combined with its gorse and sandy ground, makes it a notable stop close to Ipswich.