Great Yarmouth & Caister

Great Yarmouth & Caister Golf Club, perhaps the easternmost golfing venue in England, dates back to the early 1880s.

Following the relocation of the Great Yarmouth Racecourse, the course had to be revised, with the horse racing loop now coming into play on several holes.

The layout begins and ends inside the racecourse, and will offer up a true test of golf for players of all abilities.

Visit the Great Yarmouth & Caister website here.

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Great Yarmouth & Caister Golf Club was founded in 1882, with an original 13-hole layout. It was extended to 18 holes a year later by Tom Dunn – the North Berwick professional.

The venue is the home of Bogey, and merged with nearby Caister-on-Sea Golf Club in 1913. Six years later, shortly after the First World War, the famous racecourse was relocated, and the course had to be slightly revised to fit inside the oval-shaped track.

Over the years, the Great Yarmouth Challenge and the Blackheath Medal have been fought for at GY&C, with the Women’s British Amateur having also visited the Norfolk venue.

Great Yarmouth & Caister is one of several golf courses around the United Kingdom that located within or next to a racecourse. Eight of the opening ten holes play inside the racecourse, with the last eight holes situated to the north of the oval. The 6,330-yard, par 70 layout – which was included in Donald Steel's book 'Classic Golf Links of Great Britain and Ireland' – is well renowned for its sandy turf, the quality of its greens and for boasting some of the finest links golf holes you can find.

The opening hole starts outside the racecourse, with the tee shot being played across the oval and into the inner section of the horse racing venue. The fairway is generous, but anything too far to the right might well bring the racecourse fencing into play. The approach is then played back over the other side of the oval loop to a small, circular green. The 2nd and 3rd sit on the western side of the racecourse, and are both scoring opportunities. The former is less than 300 yards, while the 3rd is only 30 yards longer. However, the 3rd fairway is dissected by two ditches, so make sure to avoid them on your way to the putting surface.

Back inside the racecourse, the run of par 4s to open the layout continues. This is by far the longest of the opening six, pushing towards 450 yards. It requires a long drive, but anything to the right of the fairway will find the racecourse and be out of bounds. Four cross bunkers might obstruct the view of the green slightly, one that sits diagonally angled from the fairway. 5 plays as a dog-leg left, towards the southernmost point of the course. Again, at less than 340 yards, this is a good opportunity. The 6th is also a chance to put a circle on your card. Only 300 yards in length, if you can find the fairway then you have a clear shot to the green.

The 7th is the first par 3 at Great Yarmouth & Caister. It is just shy of 200 yards and played entirely over gorse. The green is oddly shaped, with the right half extending five yards further than the left, so make sure to check your distance before hitting your tee shot. The 8th is a brute of a par 4, coming in at more than 460 yards. The fairway is split in two by a run of rough and gorse that runs diagonally across the fairway. Three bunkers sit next to the putting surface. 9 is almost 100 yards shorter, but not necessarily any less difficult. That is due to the fairway bunkers on either side of the short stuff, while there are two more by the green as well. The back nine begins with another par 4, one with a fairway that pinches in around the landing zone. The green is right next to the fencing for the racecourse, as your time inside the loop comes to an end.

The 11th is the Stroke Index 1, and has previously been voted as one of the top 100 holes in the country. While you might be encouraged by the lack of bunkers as you look out from the tee, there is plenty of gorse and broken ground to the left, as well as an out of bounds stretch to the right which more than justify the stroke index. The 12th is another glorious hole. Featuring a raised tee box and a plateau green, the putting surface is also protected by bunkers and gorse. Make sure to take a bit of extra time before hitting your tee shot.

13 and 15 are the only two par 5s on the Great Yarmouth & Caister layout. The former moves slightly from right to left, and has a narrow fairway in the landing zone. Although there are no bunkers on the 13th, the gorse down each side of the fairway could still cause a headache. The 15th begins alongside the starting run of the racecourse, so make sure your tee shot isn’t pulled too far left. There is just the one fairway bunker, situated on the right side of the hole, while the approach to the green is played over a mound and gorse. In between the two par 5s sits the par 3 14th. Three bunkers guard the green, along with plenty of gorse to the right side of the putting surface.

Like 15, the 16th also has the starting run of the racecourse on its left side, so the miss with your tee shot is out to the right. However, if that is where you’re aiming, make sure to avoid the two fairway bunkers in the landing zone. Two more traps are down by the green on this par 4 of more than 400 yards. The penultimate hole at Great Yarmouth & Caister is the last of the par 3s, and the third in a run of five holes on the back nine. The green is surrounded by gorse and trees, while two bunkers sit in front of the square-shaped putting surface. The last begins outside the racecourse, before crossing over it on the approach shot and finishing inside the horse racing loop. The tee shot is played through a funnel of trees to a generous fairway, with the green then sitting on the opposite side of the racecourse. Your approach must cover that, and the four bunkers that sit between you and the final green.

Where is Great Yarmouth & Caister located?

Great Yarmouth & Caister is quite possibly the easternmost golf course in England, located on the eastern coastline of Norfolk. The course is just to the south of Caister-on-Sea, with parts of the course overlooking Caister-on-Sea Beach. Other parts of the course are located inside the famous Great Yarmouth Racecourse. The A47, which runs towards Norwich, is close to the course, with Norwich sitting some 25 miles to the west.

Great Yarmouth is the home to the nearest train station to the club, with the station sitting at the end of the train line from Norwich. Trains run back to the biggest city in Norfolk every hour. Norwich Airport is the closest international airport to Great Yarmouth & Caister, 25 miles away. London Stansted and London Luton are also both within 120 miles of the golf club.

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

Great Yarmouth & Caister is somewhat on its own when it comes to other high quality golfing venues, especially those on the NCG Top 100s: England list. The closest venues are Royal Cromer and Sheringham, which are within an hour’s drive to the north. Aldeburgh and Thorpeness are a touch further away – instead to the south along the coastline.

What golf facilities does Great Yarmouth & Caister offer?

Due to the tightness of the property, Great Yarmouth & Caister Golf Club does not have its own driving range. Onstead, there are a couple of practice hitting nets, along with a chipping green and a putting green to allow members and guests alike to warm up prior to taking the course.

What are the green fees at Great Yarmouth & Caister?

The price of a green fee at Great Yarmouth & Caister 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 Great Yarmouth & Caister, visit their website here.