Five Best Golf Courses in the UK
Boasting a mix of historic links and pristine parkland courses, the UK is one of the world’s most exciting golfing destinations.
With so many exceptional golf courses to choose from, it can be tricky to know where to start. That’s why we’ve put together this handy guide of five courses that stand out from the rest.
From the mature woodlands of Hertfordshire to the rolling hills of Surrey, discover five of the best golf courses in the UK.
Five of the UK’s Best Golf Courses
No matter your skill level, these courses offer something for everyone. Each with its own unique features and natural beauty, playing at one of the best golf courses in the UK is guaranteed to be a memorable experience.
1. Wentworth Golf Club – Virginia Water, Surrey
Wentworth Golf Club is located in Surrey, just a short drive from Windsor Castle. Often referred to as ‘the crown jewel of Wentworth’, the West Course has hosted countless major championships, including the Ryder Cup and the PGA Championship.
The West Course is also renowned for its classic heathland character. The gently undulating terrain creates a challenging yet visually appealing course. However, be aware that the course requires excellent precision, as it’s framed by natural hazards, including heather, gorse, and beautiful (yet challenging) water features.
2. The Belfry – Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands
Located in the West Midlands, The Belfry is undoubtedly one of the best golf courses in the UK. This iconic course has hosted more Ryder Cups than any other course in the world—and for good reason!
Despite its inland location, The Belfry offers a demanding test of golf crafted to emulate the spirit of links golf. Its firm, fast fairways demand precision and control while large, deep bunkers (strategically placed throughout the course) penalise wayward shots.
This is a course where every shot counts. It’s a demanding but fair test of golf and its reputation as a major championship venue is well deserved.
3. Sunningdale Old Course – Sunningdale, Berkshire
Sunningdale Old Course—part of Sunningdale Golf Club—is beloved for its picturesque landscapes, making it one of the UK’s best golf courses for natural beauty.
Located in Berkshire, just 30 miles southwest of London, this course is perfectly located for weekend and day trips out of the big city.
Through a forest of pine, oak and silver birch trees, you’ll find sweeping, emerald-green fairways punctuated by artfully placed bunkers filled with golden sand. During the summer months, the beauty of this golf course is accentuated further by the purple haze of blooming heather. As is typical of classic course design like this, the large undulating greens utilise the topography, rewarding only the most carefully weighted putts.
Sunningdale New Course sits right alongside its older sibling, representing probably the most magnificent double-header anywhere in the world–so it’s worth playing both if you can. Be sure to call into the halfway hut to try one of its famous sausage rolls.
4. Royal Birkdale – Southport, Merseyside
Royal Birkdale has hosted The Open on 10 occasions and enjoys a reputation as the fairest of the 14 links on the rota. That is not to say the play here is easy: keep the ball in the fairway and the course will offer up birdie opportunities aplenty, but deviate left or right and you will struggle to make pars.
The towering dunes that punish wayward shots are some of the tallest in the country, creating narrow fairway corridors that open out onto putting greens characterised by their many humps and hollows.
The 183-yard par three 12th hole is widely regarded as Birkdale’s most handsome. This requires a precise tee shot to a narrow green guarded by two pot-hole bunkers, with a steep run-off from the front edge and mounds of thick rough to the rear and either side. As English links experiences go, it doesn’t get any purer.
5. Ashridge Golf Club – Little Gaddesden, Hertfordshire
Ashridge Golf Club is not only one of the best golf courses in Hertfordshire but one of the best golf courses in the UK. It’s uniquely set amongst thousands of acres of National Trust-owned woodland, offering a stunning backdrop while you tackle its strategic design.
The course meanders through the woodland, with excellently placed water hazards and undulating greens. It is the perfect balancing act of beauty and challenge, helping earn this course the reputation of one of the finest parkland courses in the world.
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