Royal Cromer — parkland holes with bunkers in spring

Experience · The Sacred Nine

The finest nine holes
in the world.
In west Suffolk.

Royal Worlington & Newmarket Golf Club has been called the Sacred Nine since 1928, when Bernard Darwin — the greatest golf writer in the English language — named it after the nine muses of Greek mythology. Consistently ranked among the top 100 courses in Britain and Ireland. Home to Cambridge University Golf Club for over a century. Forty acres of west Suffolk heathland that contain more history per hole than almost anywhere else in the game. For the golfer who knows, this is a pilgrimage. For the golfer who doesn't yet — it will become one.

The facts

9 holes

Played twice for a full round of 18

Par 35

Two par 5s · three par 3s · four par 4s

Est. 1893

Royal patronage from Queen Victoria 1895

Top 100 GB&I

Consistently ranked · Golf Monthly

Foursomes preferred

Twoballs only · no three or fourballs

Year-round

Sandy soil · drains exceptionally well

"Which is the best inland course? I am going to write down Worlington without the least hesitation."

Bernard Darwin · Country Life · 1928 · The article that gave the course its name

How the name was born

Following a match between the club and the Oxford and Cambridge Golfing Society in 1928, Darwin titled his weekly Country Life column "The Sacred Nine of Worlington" — an allusion to the nine muses of Greek mythology. The name stuck immediately and has never left. Nearly a century later, golfers who have played here still use it without explanation.

The course

Forty acres. No weaknesses. No poor holes.

Royal Worlington sits on what was once a rabbit warren — sandy, chalky soil of the kind that produces firm, fast turf regardless of the season. Tom Dunn originally laid out the course in 1893; Harry Colt later made modest refinements. What remains is essentially Dunn's original vision, almost entirely unchanged for over a hundred years.

The course plays hard and fast, with centreline bunkers on four of the nine holes, and four holes requiring you to tee off over the previous green. The routing is ingenious for the space — shared fairways between certain holes create a layout of remarkable variety within just forty acres.

The 5th hole is perhaps the most discussed short hole in English golf. Tom Doak gave it nine out of ten. The green is multi-tiered, narrows at the rear, and falls away sharply on both sides. A perfectly struck shot is required. The ninety percent good shot that suffices almost everywhere else is simply not good enough here.

The history

More history per hole than almost anywhere in England.

Royal Worlington has been the home course of Cambridge University Golf Club since 1893. The first captain listed on the Cambridge Captains' Board — which still hangs in the clubhouse — is Harry Colt himself, who went on to become one of the three greatest course architects in the history of the game.

Queen Victoria granted the club its Royal prefix in 1895 — just two years after founding. Three of the greatest golf writers in the English language — Bernard Darwin, Henry Longhurst, and Herbert Warren Wind — were all closely associated with the club.

Darwin first visited in 1895 and retained a close affinity with Worlington throughout his life. It is difficult to think of another nine-hole course anywhere in the world that can claim a comparable literary and historical heritage.

What the greatest observers of the game have said

"If in the remainder of my golfing lifetime I was restricted to play just one inland course, my ideal inland retreat would, without a doubt, be Royal Worlington and Newmarket."

Donald Steel · Golf architect & writer

"An outstanding course — certainly one of the best in the world — with no weaknesses in regard to condition, length or poor holes. You should see this course sometime in your life."

Tom Doak · Golf architect · rated 9 out of 10

"There seems more history per hole than at any other club in England."

Evalu18 · widely cited course review

What to know before you go

Nine holes, played twice

Visitors play the nine holes twice for a full round of 18. There is no nine-hole rate for visitors. The course plays comfortably in around 90 minutes per nine in foursomes format.

Foursomes and twoballs only

Royal Worlington does not permit three or fourballs. Groups must play in pairs — foursomes is the preferred format. We arrange group logistics accordingly.

Handicap certificate required

A valid WHS handicap index is required to play the course. We confirm this for all guests when booking.

The clubhouse

Understated and entirely genuine. The welcome is famously warm. Dogs are welcome. Shorts are permitted with long socks. The club's famous pink jug cocktail — created in 1934 — is highly recommended.

Location — west Suffolk

Near Bury St Edmunds in west Suffolk — further inland than our coastal courses. Works beautifully as a standalone day or as part of the Grand Tour, where it appears on Day 9.

Year-round conditions

The sandy chalk soil drains exceptionally well. The same quality that makes the turf play firm and fast in summer also makes it reliable throughout the winter months.

How to visit

Standalone day or part of the Grand Tour.

Royal Worlington works in two ways within a Golf East Anglia itinerary. On our 10-night Grand Tour, it features as Day 9 — its own dedicated stage, given the space and emphasis it deserves. It can also be booked as a standalone experience for golfers already visiting Suffolk or passing through west Suffolk. Either way, we handle the booking, confirm the format requirements for your group, and ensure everything is in order before you arrive.

Grand Tour — 10 nightsDay 9 · West Suffolk stage

Standalone day visitFor golfers already in Suffolk

Add to any itineraryAsk us when you enquire

The finest nine holesin the world.In west Suffolk.