Well, despite being a billy-no-mates I enjoyed 36 holes at Royal West Norfolk last tuesday. I really thought it was an excellent course and I would highly recommend it.
The club itself is not at all snooty, but there is an underlying air of poshness with the former King of England as a past Captain. The barman told me membership takes at least 8 years, and even the Duke of Bedford was only 4 years in so had another 4 to go.
The course itself is not how I expected. I thought it would be short and quirky; but despite the modest yardage at only 6500 yds, it's no push-over. The front 9 in particular is very tough, with five 400+ yds par 4s, all into the wind when I played. Unusually all three par 5s are less than 500 yds, but for me only 1 was reachable in two. My camera batteries failed to last the course but here are some of the pictures I took both on the tuesday and on a visit back to the beach the following day.
Two of the clubhouse; the first shows the entrance, the second looking back from the beach. Is there a clubhouse anywhere in the UK closer to the sea?
Judging by the list of Captains, the course has close associations with the military. To get to the 1st tee, you walk across the beach through these imposing gates dedicated to our fallen. The chalk board gives the tide times since at high water the road to the course floods and the course is cut off:
The first tee. 415 yds. The whole course is built shore-side of this single large dune line which separates it from the beach. Being on a narrow stretch of land many hole cross eachother. Here the 1st and 18th fairways are shared:
The approach at the first to a green tucked into the dune on the left. It's a very tough start, playing driver then 2 iron for me into the brisk easterly wind:
The second tee - 449 yds (not getting any easier). Notice the railway sleepers which are used here more widely then anywhere else I've played:
Looking from the 2nd tee back to the clubhouse you get a real sense of the proximity of the sea:
The 3rd is also tough, 403 yds into a semi blind green. I'm guessing the sleepers help prevent erosion whilst giving the feeling the green is closer than it is. Left hand side defended by sod walled and sleeper walled pots:
The 4th is the first short hole. You cannot be short as the bunkers at the bottom are 20 feet or more below the green. Alas I hit one of the few shots I've ever hit which backed up ... and all the way to the bottom:
The 5th is the only completely blind drive. Sadly this is where the camera died....
Happily it did come back to life on the 9th which, together with the 8th, play over the tidal salt marshes. I haven't worked out how to play the 9th. It's again over 400 yards and as the photo shows you have to carry all the way into the green. I didn't reach either round but luckily the tide was out so I had a 3rd shot each time!
I managed to get a shot of the short 10th too. Interesting pots again here ... the right hand one is lined with sleepers, the other is sod wall. How would you like your pain sir?
Batteries came back for a final shot of the approach to 18:
And to close, a shot of the big Norfolk skies and picture perfect beach:
