“The best things come to those who who wait.”
It’s a popular everyday slogan. Did you know, it started life in a famous advertising campaign in the 1980s for Heinz Tomato Ketchup? Even the busiest of people would wait for Heinz Ketchup to trickle out of those iconic glass bottles. What’s ketchup, red sauce or tomato sauce – depending on where you grew up in Britain – got to do with golf and Thorpeness? Well, after years of quietly being known as one of the top five golf courses in Suffolk, Thorpeness has been ranked in the UK’s Top-100 golf courses by National Club Golfer, the UK’s highest circulated golf magazine (ABC – Audit Bureau of Circulation). In NCG’s January 2018 issue, it launched its new Top-100 Golf Courses in the UK rankings.
Joining the best of British golf courses
Thorpeness was ranked #83 in this year’s Top-100, ahead of prestigious venues like East Sussex National (#84), Seaton Carew (#85) and the Duchess Course at British Masters venue Woburn (#86).
This is outstanding recognition for our James Braid designed coastal heathland course. NCG’s reviewer wrote: “The predominantly bent grass greens are especially noteworthy for their smoothness, speed and consistency.” The Suffolk Coast is a rare and beautiful corner of Eastern England but one that is remote and relatively undiscovered as a destination for high-quality seaside golf. This ranking is an excellent signpost for our course and Suffolk generally and one we hope will encourage more golf breaks in Suffolk, golf society days and even corporate golf days. It’s also a great pat on the back for our award-winning course manager Ian Willett and his hard-working greens staff.
Thorpeness changes to add golf “wow factor”
In recent years, Ian and his team have delivered major course renovation projects, from managing vast swathes of heather and gorse to refurbishing fairway and greenside bunkers. In 2017, the par-three 7th green was extended and remodelled. This year, Ian and team are rebuilding the first tee, cutting a ‘president’s walk’ between the teeing ground and the fairway and planting heather around the tee – to deliver the feeling of an impressive golfing amphitheatre. NCG loved our plans for the 1st tee, saying they will add “wow factor.” A new walkway from the 18th green will also mean that golfers start and finish their rounds at Thorpeness with a special feeling of anticipation and a high level of golfing satisfaction. You can read more about NCG’s Top 100 golf courses by visiting its website here. If you’d like to come and play one of the best golf courses in Suffolk, you can plan your Thorpeness golf experience today by checking out our golf breaks, green fees and or better still become a member.
