There are golf courses with spectacular views, there are historic golf courses, and then there is Alnmouth Village Golf Club, where the two come together on one of England’s most unusual seaside links.
Established in 1869, Alnmouth Village Golf Club is recognized as England’s oldest nine-hole links course, making it a fascinating destination for golfers and anyone interested in Northumberland’s sporting heritage. The course sits in the northeast part of the country, about an hour north of Newcastle upon Tyne.
The club’s setting is every bit as memorable as its history.
The course sits beside the North Sea, with the beach running alongside five of its holes, while Alnmouth Bay provides a spectacular backdrop.
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Club Manager Martyn Jobling, who has been in the role for just over a year, describes the setting as “an unbelievably idyllic spot.”
“The beach runs adjacent to five holes,” he said, while highlighting the seventh tee as the club’s “iconic spot,” overlooking the whole of Alnmouth Bay.
For Jobling, that view is one of the things that makes the course so special.
“It’s an unbelievable place,” he said, adding that the course really begins to come alive from October onward as the landscape becomes greener.
Jobling is also a professional golfer and has been helping bring fresh energy to the club, including introducing more events and a new food menu for visitors and members at the dog-friendly clubhouse.
The course itself has a remarkable golf history.
Its first professional and greenkeeper was Mungo Park, who won the Open Championship at Musselburgh in 1874.
The club was later expanded to 18 holes in 1905, with Park’s nephew, Willie Park, involved in the work.
The expanded course also hosted an exhibition match featuring legendary golfers Harry Vardon and J.H. Taylor, with Taylor winning by two holes.
The course eventually returned to nine holes, but its links character remained.
Today, one of the most memorable points of the round is the seventh tee, perched high above the course and offering sweeping views across the bay.
There is even a public road crossing part of the course, creating the wonderfully unusual situation in which golfers and passing vehicles share the same stretch of ground.
It is the sort of detail that makes Alnmouth Village feel very different from a modern golf resort.
And despite its age, the club continues to attract golfers from far beyond Northumberland.
Jobling says the club has welcomed celebrity golfers over the years, as well as visitors from the United States, Central Europe and other parts of the world.
That international appeal is perhaps fitting for a course with such a long history.
More than 150 years after it was founded, Alnmouth Village Golf Club remains a rare combination of historic links golf, coastal scenery, local character and genuinely unusual golf quirks.
Whether it is the view from the seventh tee, the beach beside the fairways or the unusual sight of traffic crossing the course, this is one Northumberland golf course that is difficult to forget.
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This article originally appeared on Golfweek: England’s oldest 9-hole links course has stunning seaside views and a road running through
