Dunstanburgh Castle

If you’re looking for true links golf, Dunstanburgh Castle is the place for you!

Located on the northeast coastline of England, Dunstanburgh Castle was designed by James Braid, with his 18-hole layout winding its way around Embleton Bay.

The course is in the shadows of the castle, and the early loop at the top of the hill provides panoramic views of the entire region.

Visit the Dunstanburgh Castle website here.

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The first golf course in the area was designed and built at the turn of the 20th Century, but it was the second course, designed in 1922, that was the one that everyone knows now.

James Braid, a five-time Open Champion and one of the greatest golf course designers ever, was the man brought in to lay out a true links course around Embleton Bay.

To this day, more than a century on, the course remains pretty much unchanged from Braid’s original design, the links guarded by gorse, sand, and gusts that move as golfers make their way around Embleton Bay.

Dunstanburgh Castle offers up everyone’s fantasy when it comes to proper links golf. It is a course that winds around a piece of coastline voted the best stretch in Britain, and which sits in the shadow of a 14th century castle. For views, there’s surely little to top it. But Dunstanburgh Castle doesn’t just look the part. It plays it too. Although not the longest course in the world, at less than 6,300 yards from the tips, there is the wind to deal with, along with elevation changes and plenty of other trouble along the way.

The layout begins with a tricky, but flat par 4, one of more than 415 yards. Three fairway bunkers see the short stuff pinched in at the landing zone, with some perhaps opting to smash their drives out to the right, and to the 6th fairway. After you have climbed up the large hill, you come to the 2nd tee, and the loop of four holes at the north of the course. 2 and 3 are both dog-leg par 4s, the latter 15 yards longer than the first, but still easily manageable at just 380 yards in length.

The memorable short 4th, demanding an uphill shot to a raised green, is exciting but challenging at the same time. Anything short runs back, a nasty pot bunker sits to the left, and the green moves from back to front and demands good distance judgement. The 5th is a classic risk-reward hole, at 285 yards from the tips. Some will opt to drive for the green, while some will just look to avoid the two fairway bunkers before playing their way on to the raised putting surface with a wedge.

Arguably the best view of the day comes at the 6th tee. Players can see the entirety of the hole and, much more of the course, from the 392-yard par 4 6th – known as Salt Hole for the hazard that awaits those who try and cut too much off the corner of the dogleg. The fairway is some 70 feet below the tee box, and with the North Sea to your left, it is a tricky spot to work out where your best line is. A hollow, found to the right of the putting surface, then makes par a difficult task for those who don't find the green with their approach.

The 7th and 8th are two par 4s that are blocked from the sea by large dunes, but both features large hollows in the fairways. The 7th, at just 310 yards, is a good birdie opportunity. The front nine closes out with Dunstanburgh Castle’s most difficult hole, 420 yards of accuracy and grit. A fairway bunker on the left prevents anyone who lands it in reaching in two, while the green itself is guarded on both sides by tricky traps. The sea also comes back into view after the dunescapes of 7 and 8, with anything pulled too far left finding Embleton Beach.

The back nine begins with a long, straight par 4, one which has the North Sea and the bay as a backdrop to the green. Don’t let that distract you, it is a tricky hole, especially if you don’t get your tee shot off well. 11 brings you back inland, and at 310 yards, it another glorious birdie opportunity. The 12th is another tricky par 4, with a dog-leg right, around a small water hazard – with the added water hazard of the North Sea on its left for the second half of the hole. The 127-yard par 3 13th, is the signature hole, playing over a ravine to a green that sits almost right under the castle. If that ravine wasn’t enough to grab the attention on its own, then out of bounds both to the right and behind the green should focus matters.

The 14th is the only par 5 on the course, and although you have now moved inland from the coast, there is still the boundary line to deal with. The hole hugs that boundary, meaning that the entirety of the left side is OOB. 15 is another short par 3, at just 135 yards, played to a small green guarded by two bunkers at the front, along with a stream that runs in front of the putting surface.

The run back to the clubhouse features a trio of par 4s, beginning with the 16th. Like 14, there is OOB all the way down the left due to the boundary fencing, but there is just a solitary bunker, at the front left corner of the green. 17 is slightly longer, at 410 yards, and features four fairway bunkers, plenty of hollows, and a raised green which slopes off on its right side. The closing hole at Dunstanburgh Castle is also the longest of the par 4s on the property. It measures 440 yards, and requires two solid thumps to find the green – especially considering the green is next to the OOB fencing on its left, and a stream runs in front of the green as well.

Dan Murphy: One of the most improved courses in this list. It now feels more links than clifftop in character and the attention to detail has transformed the way it looks and plays.

David Walker: The start is somewhat lacking the wow factor but standing on the 6th tee with an incredible vista gives a glimpse of what comes next, with rolling fairways challenging greens and a host of risk-reward holes that keep the interest right the way to the 18th

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Where is Dunstanburgh Castle located?

Dunstanburgh Castle is one of the northernmost venues on the NCG Top 100s: England list, located in the northeast of the country. The course looks out over the North Sea, running alongside the coastline of Embleton Bay. The village of Embleton is less than half a mile from the golf course, while Dunstanburgh Castle itself overlooks the golf club. The England-Scotland border is 35 miles to the north, while Newcastle – the biggest city in the area – is 40 miles south.

The closest train station to Dunstanburgh Castle is at Chathill, with trains running infrequently between Carlisle, Berwick-upon-Tweed and Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Newcastle Airport, located to the west of the city, is around an hour’s drive from Dunstanburgh, while going north of the border might be easier for some, with Edinburgh Airport only two hours from Dunstanburgh Castle.

Are there any other NCG Top 100s: England venues nearby?

Though there are many wonderful golf courses in the northeast of the country, there are only two that secure a spot on the NCG Top 100s: England list. Dunstanburgh Castle is one, with Goswick – around 25 miles up the coastline – being the other. After that, Seaton Carew is the nearest venue on the NCG Top 100s: England list to Dunstanburgh, but that is around two hours south.

What golf facilities does Dunstanburgh Castle offer?

Due to the tightness of the land by the coastline, Dunstanburgh Castle does not have its own driving range. There is a short game area and a putting green, both of which are by the 1st tee, to allow members and guests alike to hone their skills before taking to the course.

What are the green fees at Dunstanburgh Castle?

The price of a green fee at Dunstanburgh Castle changes throughout the year, depending on the season. It is also different depending on whether it is a weekday or weekend.

For more information on current green fees at Dunstanburgh Castle visit their website here.