Frinton Golf Club Essex (Kirby)

Overview: The Kirby course is the shorter of the two layouts at Frinton Golf Club on the Essex coast. Mostly par threes with a few short par fours, it shares the seaside ground of the main course, with firm turf and steady breezes off the North Sea. It is used for junior golf, quick rounds and short-game practice, and gives newer golfers a gentler first taste of links conditions. Its mix of short holes makes a useful contrast to the Havers, whose longer links holes demand a different pace and sustained control from the tee.

History: Frinton Golf Club was founded in 1895 and moved to its present coastal site in 1904, when Willie Park Jr. laid out the main course. The Kirby was added later as a supplementary layout, so the club has offered more than one course on the same links ground for much of its history. The name comes from the neighbouring village of Kirby-le-Soken, while the main course carries the name of Arthur Havers.

Did You Know? During the Second World War the Frinton links was requisitioned and mined as an invasion defence. Only three holes stayed open, and full play did not return until around 1947.