According to data research site, Statista, over 750,000 people in England play golf regularly – defined as twice or more each month.
A report on the Golf News website in 2021 revealed a significant boom in the number of new, or lapsed golfers starting to play the sport immediately after lockdown. There are signs that they have stuck with it.
Golf is a competitive sport, but also very social. After all, you’re spending the best part of four hours walking through fine scenery with your playing partners, so it’s inevitable there’s going to be a lot of interaction between you.
Additionally, there are the convivial attractions of the “19th hole”! You may even find some of the real ales I wrote about in a previous article.
With more than 2,200 courses in England there’s plenty of choice when it comes to deciding where you want to play. To help you, we’ve focused on southern England and set out a list of 10 of the top courses for you.
Guests are allowed to play on all the courses listed, though you should check times and the days of the week when visitors are allowed to play.
1. Royal St George’s, Sandwich, Kent
Royal St George’s is a classic links course on the Kent coast and a regular on the British Open venue list. You’ll probably remember Colin Morikawa’s dramatic victory there in 2021. I personally witnessed Darren Clarke’s victory here in 2011, although my wife felt the highlight of the day was hiding under my golf umbrella during a torrential downpour!
The proximity to the English Channel means that variable weather conditions can add an extra degree of difficulty to an already challenging course.
The fairways are actually wider than on many courses, but notoriously deep bunkers – some of which actually have steps to make the bottom accessible – can ruin a round in a matter of minutes.
2. Royal Ashdown Forest, East Grinstead, Sussex
As the name suggests, this is a fine heathland and woodland course set in the heart of the royal forest in Sussex.
If you spend far too much time magnetically drawn to bunkers, this is the course for you. Thanks to the local conservation laws, you won’t find any here!
There are actually two different courses to play – Old and West. The latter is the much shorter of the two with a par 68, but both are challenging, and a good score is something to celebrate in the 19th century clubhouse.
3. West Sussex, Pulborough, Sussex
A mix of forest, thick heather, and bunkers make this very challenging course, even for the most experienced golfer.
It’s hard to argue with the assessment on the club website that states that the course is “everybody’s idea of what a good golf course should be”.
Interestingly, there’s only one par five for men on the course. That means a whole host of par four holes at the upper end of the yardage limit, so good distance off the tee is critical.
4. Burnham & Berrow, Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset
Heading west, this is the second links course on our list, looking out over the Bristol Channel.
Compared to Royal St George’s, the fairways are narrow with a preponderance of bushes on either side to trap drives that aren’t gun-barrel straight.
There aren’t that many bunkers for a links course, but the ones that are there are treacherous.
“B&B” is a top quality course that deservedly hosts a lot of amateur championships.
5. Royal North Devon, Westward Ho!, Devon
The next on our list is another links course, and the oldest golf course in England, dating back more than 150 years to 1864.
It’s noteworthy for not being obsessively manicured as many courses are these days.
It’s a truly challenging proposition with a superb run of seven holes from the 4th to the 10th that, between them, epitomise the very best of links golf.
Set in the mouth of the River Taw, weather can change in an instant and can ruin the most carefully compiled rounds of golf and wipe out even the most comfortable lead.
I have played one of my best games of golf here on account of the fact the number of balls I lost was in the single digits!
6. St Mellion, Saltash, Cornwall
From the oldest course, to one of the newest, St Mellion only opened in 1988.
It was designed by Jack Nicklaus and, as you’d expect from a Nicklaus course, there are plenty of bunkers and water hazards, together with steep slopes and thick woods just off the fairway.
As it’s the furthest west of the courses on this list, the extra daylight can be useful, making for slightly later evenings if you have a late-afternoon tee time.
7. The Grove, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire
We head back east to the first of four courses that are all within striking distance of London.
The Grove is set in the grounds of a former stately home that used to be the seat of Earls of Clarendon.
It’s now been converted into a hotel, spa, and conference facilities, with this fine course as an added attraction.
At over 7,400 yards, it’s the longest course on this list, with a mix of open land and woodlands meaning that good scores on or around par are well-earned.
8. Walton Heath, Tadworth, Surrey
As the name suggests, Walton Heath offers two heathland courses dating back to the turn of the 20th century. The longer of the two – the Old Course – has been ranked in the top 100 courses in the world every year since 1938.
The greens are notoriously small on both courses, making accurate approach play essential to a successful round.
Like The Grove, Walton Heath is just inside the M25, and easily accessible from London and the suburbs.
9. Sunningdale, Sunningdale, Berkshire
In 2021 Golf World chose the Old course at Sunningdale as the second-best course in England, and it’s generally regarded as the perfect place to play golf.
There are actually two courses – both outstanding – set on heathland and in birch and pine forests.
Given its location in the royal county of Berkshire, and its proximity to Windsor, it’s no surprise that Sunningdale has strong royal connections. Two former monarchs, George VI and Edward VIII, have been club captain!
Visitors are welcome but it’s worth noting that a round on one course will set you back £300 (2022 prices).
10. Hanbury Manor, Ware, Hertfordshire
Like The Grove, Hanbury Manor is set in the grounds of a manor house converted to a hotel and conference venue.
The course offers you an interesting contrast when it comes to the front and back nines.
The front nine is hilly and undulating, whereas the second half of the course – within sight of the manor house itself – is much more parkland.
The Charlton House home course
Although I haven’t listed it as one of the top 10, I’d highly recommend Shooters Hill Golf Club, where I’m a member.
It’s only a coupe of miles from the centre of London, yet it’s a very attractive parkland course with some wonderful views across the Kent countryside.
Get in touch
I’m afraid we can’t give you any advice about how to improve your swing! But if you want to talk about any aspect of your financial planning, please get in touch.
You can contact us by email or, if you prefer to speak to us, you can reach us in the UK on +44 (0) 208 0044900 or in Hong Kong on +852 39039004.
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