"The adjoining River Course is a relaxed, inexpensive warm-up if you arrive early for your Championship Course tee time."

Founded in 1884, Aldeburgh is England's second-oldest heathland club — Skelton Anderson spotted the sandy heath near the rail station and brought in Scottish professionals John Thomson and Willie Fernie to lay out the original holes. Willie Park Jr. reshaped the course in 1907 after the club lost land south of the road, and Harry Colt and Charles Alison added further refinements in the 1920s. The par-68 layout is unusual for having no par-5s at all, and it holds a notable social distinction: with members Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (Britain's first female doctor) and suffragist Millicent Fawcett, it's likely the first club in the world to give women equal membership from the start.

The member who wants a genuine slice of English golf history and a walk that's easy on the legs but hard on the scorecard — the no-par-5 layout rewards accurate iron play over power.

The short 3rd is the standout — the shortest hole on the course but ringed by a sleepered horseshoe bunker around a jellybean-shaped green — and the 12th plays along the River Alde estuary with gorse and bunkers guarding the drive.

Firm, fast heathland with gentle undulation that's easy underfoot but tactically demanding — fourteen par-4s and zero par-5s mean there's no easy scoring hole to lean on.

One of the first clubs in the world with equal membership rights for women from its founding, thanks to members Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and Millicent Fawcett.

Gently undulating heathland with minimal elevation change but tight, gorse-lined corridors — expect accuracy off the tee to matter more than distance, with the four par-3s deciding most rounds.

Private members' club, visitors welcome by prior arrangement; green fees sit mid-tier for an English heathland course of this pedigree. Book ahead — it's ranked among England's top 100 and popular with visiting groups.