Woodbridge Golf Club Heath Course Review

Woodbridge Golf Club Heath Course Review

GF From £75 to £90
Par 70, 6,299 yards
Slope 139
GM Verdict – Excellent heathland layout delivering a stern test and a selection of fine holes
Favourite Hole – 14th. A strong par four requiring two good blows to reach a brilliant two-tiered green.

Woodbridge Golf Club dates from 1893 when Scottish professional Davie Grant laid out a course over an attractive parcel of sandy heathland to the east of the town of Woodbridge. James Braid made some changes in the late 1920s, since when the layout has remained largely unaltered. Woodbridge is one of the best golf courses in Suffolk.

In 2020, Martin Hawtree oversaw a bunker refurbishment project and 12 were rebuilt. There has also been work done to clear trees and scrub. Woodbridge is a fine heathland course with well-placed bunkers, heather and gorse waiting to catch an errant stroke. The soil is well-draining so play is possible throughout the year. The greens are firm and true and can be fast-running through the summer months.

t’s an excellent test of golf with a great variety of holes to negotiate. In his famous book, “The Golf Courses of Great Britain,” renowned golf writer Bernard Darwin declared Woodbridge the best course in Suffolk. You need to start strongly at Woodbridge as the front nine is probably the more scoreable of the two halves. There are two par 5s that are reachable in two for the longer hitters. The run for home features a series of strong par 4s. In fact, there are four measuring over 400 yards, so some powerful hitting is required. The 14th, “St Andrews Hill” is a cracking hole – 425 yards to a two-tiered green – a par here is one against the head.

In 1987 the great hurricane that ripped through southern Britain brought down a huge number of trees in the area. But it wasn’t all bad news. The winds cleared a section of forestry land near the golf course that Woodbridge GC duly purchased. It was used to construct a new nine-hole course. The Forest is now an excellent alternative to its elder brother and a fine test in its own right, stretching to almost 3,200 yards.