Hunstanton Golf Club Course Review, Green Fees, Tee Times and Key Info

Hunstanton Golf Club is a classic out and back links where wind is always a factor and the scenery is stunning.

Hunstanton Golf Club pictured from above
Hunstanton Golf Club aerial shot
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Top 100 Courses UK & Ireland 2023/24

(Image credit: Future)

Hunstanton Golf Club Key Information

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Row 0 - Cell 0 Row 0 - Cell 1
AddressHunstanton Golf Club, Golf Course Road, Old Hunstanton, Norfolk PE36 6JQ
Phone NumberRow 2 - Cell 1
Websitehttps://www.hunstantongolfclub.com
Emailsecretary@hunstantongolfclub.com
Green Fees£135 - £150
Visitor TimesVisitors: Predominantly a two-ball course but fourballs are permitted on Tuesdays from 9am and after 1pm on Sundays in summer. Visitors restricted until after 2pm on Saturdays
Par72
Slope Rating127 (Blue), 128 (White), 123 (Yellow), 114 (Red), 110 (Green), 133 (Women's Red), 122 (Women's Green)
Opened1891
Designed byJames Braid, Martin Hawtree
Golf Monthly Verdict

Hunstanton Golf Club Course Review

(Image credit: Geoff Ellis)

Out and back links with some great and memorable holes, particularly the par 3s.

Hunstanton is a joy to play. You get a great feel for what lies in store from the clubhouse and it doesn’t disappoint. The sand dunes and bunkering are prominent and frame a lot of the holes, the views are delightful from most of the course, but the best view is the one from the clubhouse balcony which is the perfect setting for a post round beer.

REASONS TO PLAY HUNSTANTON GOLF CLUB

– Great out and back links

– Beautiful coastal setting

– Very welcoming with an excellent clubhouse

RANKINGS

UK & Ireland Top 100 Golf Courses 2023/24 - 72

The origins of the grand old links at Hunstanton on the north Norfolk coast date back to 1891 although the course has been altered many times since then, firstly when James Braid oversaw the addition of 40 new bunkers in 1907. More recently, Martin Hawtree has overseen some significant course improvements.

Hunstanton is a wonderful and challenging links course. At 6,741 yards, it’s a stern test, particularly when the wind is up, and it is very high in the list of the best golf courses in Norfolk.

It’s a classic out and back links, with the holes largely played on either side of a sand dune ridge running down the middle of the layout. The 10th green is the furthest point on the course before you turn for home.

The conditioning of the course is amazing and sand dunes are a real feature on most holes, as are the traditional pot bunkers, which are well placed to gobble up drives. If you find them you’ll be forced to take your medicine and get it back in play.

There are some quite big elevation changes, particularly the 6th which plays uphill and the long blind par 3 14th which plays over a ridge and then straight downhill.

At the far end of the course, the end of the front nine delivers some of the best holes. The stunning par-3 7th is played to a green nestling in the dunes.

The 8th and 9th are great risk and reward par-5s. The former features a ditch cleverly placed at the distance the longest drives might run out to, while the 9th is played into the prevailing wind.

Depending on the direction of the breeze – one of these two holes should be reachable in two.

There are strong holes on the run for home, but surely the most famous is the well-bunkered par-3 16th. It was here in the Eastern Counties Foursomes of 1974 that Leicestershire County player Bob Taylor scored three holes-in-one on the same hole on three consecutive days.

The fact he used a 1-iron for one, and a 6-iron for the other two says something about the impact the wind can have on a round at Hunstanton.

A view down the 18th at Hunstanton (Getty Images)

What The Top 100 Panel Said

James Holland UK&I Top 100 panel
James Holland

A wonderful out and back links course, with just a couple of par 3s heading in different directions. The fairways run fast and firm, the greens are excellent all year round.  They never get really quick, so will suit most golfers. Hunstanton has so much charm, and is just so different to any modern golf clubs. I’ve always had a really warm welcome and excellent service.

Nicholas Hercules UK&I Top 100 panel
Nicholas Hercules

A terrific challenge but also very playable for this 15-handicapper. Shades of Muirfield about Hunstanton: not one hole or view is that outstanding, but the sum of the parts is impressive. The short par 4 6th and par 3 7th over a cavernous greenside bunker were my favourite holes. The Secretary, Chris White, playing off plus 3, who accompanied me around the course, must be one of the nicest chaps in golf.

Hunstanton Golf Club Location

Hunstanton Golf Club Green Fees

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Apr - Oct 2023 (18 holes singles Mon - Fri)£135
Apr - Oct 2023 (18 holes singles Weekend)£150
Apr - Oct 2023 (18 holes foursomes)£70
Additional round singles£45
Additional round foursomes£20

Hunstanton Golf Club scorecard

Hunstanton Golf Club scorecard

(Image credit: Hunstanton Golf Club)

Best Courses Near to Hunstanton

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<a href="https://www.golfmonthly.com/courses/top-100-courses/royal-west-norfolk-golf-club-course-review-60576" data-link-merchant="golfmonthly.com"">ROYAL WEST NORFOLK

Courses like this fabulous old links give the North Norfolk coast huge appeal. Brancaster, which dates back to 1892, enjoys an unusual, unique setting on a spit of land between dunes and marsh, meaning that the height of the tide can have a bearing on how certain holes play. Splendidly different.

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<a href="https://www.golfmonthly.com/courses/uk-and-ireland/sheringham-golf-club-course-review" data-link-merchant="golfmonthly.com"">SHERINGHAM

A fine example of clifftop golf. Sandwiched between the North Sea and the North Norfolk Railway, it was at Sheringham in 1920 that Joyce Wethered won her first English Ladies title aged just 18. Renowned writer Bernard Darwin remarked that Sheringham calls for, “Some of the very stoutest hitting with the brassey that there has ever been required of us.”

For more information on the best courses near Hunstanton, check out our guide to the best golf courses in Norfolk.

Best Places to Stay Near Hunstanton Golf Club

The Lodge, Hunstanton - Book now at Booking.com
The Lodge is a traditional pub with a popular bar and modern restaurant. Very comfortable, very stylish and just 500 yards from the golf course.

Old Hunstanton Le Strange Arms Hotel - Book now at Booking.com
Old Hunstanton Le Strange Arms Hotel is half a mile from Hunstanton Golf Club and is an ideal base for golfers. With grounds that stretch down to the seashore and of the finest beaches in Norfolk, the Old Hunstanton Le Strange Arms Hotel offers old world charm and personal service.

Hunstanton Golf Club Course Gallery

Hunstanton Golf Club Historical Top 100 Ranking UK&I

  • 2023/24 - 72
  • 2021/22 - 67
  • 2019/20 - 62
  • 2017/18 - 59
  • 2015/16 - 64
  • 2013/14 - 69
  • 2011/12 - 72
  • 2009/10 - 76

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Hunstanton a twoball course?

Hunstanton is predominantly a two-ball course but fourballs are permitted on Tuesdays from 9am and after 1pm on Sundays in summer. Visitors are restricted until after 2pm on Saturdays

Is there a dress code at Hunstanton?

Information on the club website reads - For the course: 

"Please wear smart golfing attire at all times. Shorts with patch pockets or cargo style trousers/shorts are not considered to be smart golfing attire.

Gentlemen are asked to wear shirts that are tucked in."

For the clubhouse:

"You are asked to wear smart casual wear throughout the Clubhouse with the exception of when jacket and tie for men and equivalent smartness for ladies is expressly required.

Jeans may be worn as long as these are smart with no rips.

Golf shoes and wet weather clothing are not permitted in the lounge areas.

Footwear must be worn throughout the Clubhouse."

Fergus Bisset
Contributing Editor

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly. 

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?