Southwold (Alternate Tees) at Southwold Golf Club

Southwold Golf Club occupies a distinctive setting on the Suffolk coast, where the course runs along clifftop and common land overlooking the North Sea. The layout bears the marks of two legendary figures from golf's early professional era: Harry Vardon laid out the original nine holes in 1884, and James Braid extended the course to eighteen holes in the 1930s. This dual authorship reflects the club's evolution during a formative period in British golf design, when champion players frequently turned their competitive experience toward course architecture.

The routing makes use of the natural undulations of Southwold Common, with several holes playing along elevated ground that provides views across the town's distinctive Victorian architecture and out to sea. The terrain features heathland characteristics mixed with coastal influence, and the wind off the North Sea remains a significant factor in play throughout the year. The course measures relatively modest by modern standards, but the combination of wind exposure, firm turf conditions, and strategic bunkering requires thoughtful club selection and course management.

The "Alternate Tees" designation indicates a variation in the standard routing or teeing arrangements, likely employed to provide different angles of play or to accommodate course maintenance and seasonal conditions. Southwold maintains its character as a traditional members' club serving the local community and visitors to this historic Suffolk coastal town, where golf has been played for well over a century.