Set on a small 45 acre site, just near the village of the same name, Flempton is the second oldest club in west Suffolk, being formed not long after the Sacred 9. Originally known as Flempton & Bury St Edmunds GC, it wasn't until 12 acres of land was procured on the right side of the club entrance (holes 7-9) in 1906 that we see Flempton evolve into what exists today. The club called in JH Taylor to redesign the course and an admirable job he did. In keeping with the compact nature of this 9 hole course, Taylor ingeniously designed three loops of three holes which are easily accessible from the house. Orginally the course would have had very few trees, but self seeding and a club program to plant 5000 trees in 1954 has robbed the site of its heathland aesthetic. I believe the club has recently approved a MacKenzie & Ebert plan which will to some degree, address the tree issue. In many ways, the course is defined by its number and shape of bunkers. There must be 75 bunkers and with some care, they can be restored to the more rugged, original aesthetic.
The club has a very attractive sleepy ambience which is enhanced by signs such as this.
The charming house sits beside the 1st tee.
1926 Plan of Flempton.
The 1st shakes hands with the golfer in a very amenable manner. Being reachable for some, the bunkers influence the drive and approach shots.
Back in the day this would have been a large cross bunker.
#s 2, 4 & 8 have bothersome walk backs to tees. On the second it happens the hole plays over a pond which I suspect was built to use for irrigation. Somewhat similar to the first, the approach is obscured.
While not crazy, the greens are of interest. The hole is located in a difficult to access bowl.
More demanding, the lone par five plays back toward the house. The course is essentially flat with pop up bunkers and Taylor mounding scattered about to add excitement.
More to follow.
Ciao