Seaham Golf Club

Seaham Golf Club is an established heathland course on the County Durham coast, just a short distance from Seaham Harbour and around six miles south of Sunderland. Its elevated and exposed position gives the course much of its character, with coastal winds capable of changing the difficulty of the layout considerably from one day to the next. At just over 6,000 yards, Seaham is not particularly long by modern standards, but the combination of elevation, gorse, ditches, out of bounds and changing wind means the scorecard rarely tells the full story.

The club was officially opened on 11 May 1911 by Mrs Luke Dillon. The original course occupied around 95 acres and measured only 2,700 yards, with the club's first professional, Wallace Brown, responsible for laying out a temporary nine holes while plans were made to complete the full course. The early membership included senior employees and agents connected with the Londonderry companies, alongside local doctors and members of the clergy. The Marquess of Londonderry became club president and made a significant donation of 100 guineas to help establish the club. Golfers interested in how Seaham developed can read the club's official history.

More than a century later, Seaham has developed into an 18-hole heathland course with five par threes and three par fives. That unusual mix gives the round plenty of variety. Shorter holes create genuine scoring opportunities, but several of the par threes become considerably more difficult when the wind changes direction, while the longer holes require golfers to keep the ball in play before thinking about attacking the green.

The opening stretch introduces the course quickly. The 1st is a short par four with a blind tee shot, while the 2nd immediately asks for an accurate iron with out of bounds running down the right. The 4th presents one of the recurring decisions at Seaham: whether to attack from the tee or play conservatively and leave a fuller approach. These are the sort of holes that make the course interesting for repeat rounds because the best strategy can change with the wind and ground conditions.

One of the toughest tests comes at the 8th, an uphill par four measuring around 430 yards. The club describes it as potentially one of the hardest par fours in the county, and for many golfers reaching the green in regulation requires two excellent shots. That is followed by a completely different challenge at the short 9th, where the yardage might encourage an aggressive tee shot but out of bounds and bunkering mean there is plenty of danger around what initially appears to be a straightforward scoring opportunity.

The back nine continues the mixture of shorter strategic holes and demanding shots. The picturesque 13th is one of Seaham's most recognisable holes, a short par three played over trees to a green where a ditch and out of bounds protect the right side. It is not long, but the combination of elevation, surrounding trouble and wind makes distance control important. The 15th provides the opposite challenge, stretching to close to 200 yards and becoming particularly difficult when played into a strong breeze.

There is little opportunity to relax over the closing holes. The par-five 16th has damaged plenty of scorecards over the years, with out of bounds on one side and a combination of ditch and trees on the other. The 18th then provides a demanding finish at roughly 450 yards, with trouble running along the right side and a drive that needs enough distance to reach the higher section of the fairway. A good score at Seaham therefore still has to be earned through the final few holes.

Seaham is worth playing because it offers something different from the heavily tree-lined parkland courses found across much of County Durham. Its heathland character and coastal exposure put far more emphasis on adapting to the conditions. A hole that requires a short iron on a calm summer day can demand considerably more club when the wind arrives, while golfers who can control trajectory and choose conservative targets are often rewarded more than those who simply chase distance.

The location also makes Seaham an appealing course for visiting golfers. The town sits on the Durham Heritage Coast, with Seaham's beaches, clifftop scenery and marina close by. County Durham's only marina is found at Seaham Harbour, while the town is also known for its sea glass and coastal walks. It makes the club particularly easy to include as part of a wider day or weekend on the Durham coast rather than travelling solely for the round.

For golfers in County Durham, Sunderland and the wider North East, Seaham Golf Club provides an enjoyable test with considerably more history and character than its modest yardage might suggest. The club dates back to 1911, the layout offers a distinctive combination of short strategic holes and demanding longer tests and the coastal wind ensures the course rarely plays exactly the same way twice. It is approachable enough for a broad range of handicaps, but golfers looking to score well will need accurate driving, sensible course management and the ability to adjust quickly to changing conditions.