Outstanding club2026

The best golf courses in United Kingdom (2026)

Find the top golf courses in the United Kingdom, with rankings based on verified golfer reviews. Golf was invented here and the ground it was invented on is still the best in the world for it. Nowhere else combines this many links coastlines and heathland belts in one place.Read more
Based on 791 verified reviews

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Purely focused on the design, challenge, and beauty of the golf course itself. Read more
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101
Club image Cavendish Golf Club

Cavendish Golf Club

8.52
Cavendish Golf Club
Derbyshire18 holes
Great value for moneyHillside course
102
Club image Moray Golf Club

Moray Old Course

8.52
Moray Golf Club
Moray36 holes
Great hospitalityLinks course
103
Club image Burhill Golf Club

The New Course

8.51
Burhill Golf Club
Surrey36 holes
Great maintenancePark course
104
Club image The Renaissance Club

Renaissance

8.51
The Renaissance Club
East Lothian18 holes
Great hospitalityLinks course
105
Club image Woldingham Golf Club

Woldingham Golf Club

8.50
Woldingham Golf Club
Surrey18 holes
Park course
106
Club image Prince's Golf Club

Himalayas

8.50
Prince's Golf Club
Kent27 holes
Great surroundingsLinks course
107
Club image Lundin Golf Club

Lundin Links

8.50
Lundin Golf Club
Fife18 holes
Great surroundingsLinks course
108
Club image The Gleneagles Hotel

PGA Centenary Course

8.50
The Gleneagles Hotel
Perth and Kinross63 holes
Home of the 2018 European Golf Team ChampionshipsGreat facilitiesHeathland course
109
Club image Royal Aberdeen Golf Club

Silverburn Course

8.50
Royal Aberdeen Golf Club
Aberdeen36 holes
Great maintenanceLinks course
110
Club image The Celtic Manor Resort

Celtic Twenty Ten

8.50
The Celtic Manor Resort
Wales54 holes
Great surroundingsPark course
111
Club image Notts Golf Club

Hollinwell

8.49
Notts Golf Club
Nottinghamshire18 holes
Great value for moneyInland course
112
Club image Crail Golfing Society

Craighead Links

8.49
Crail Golfing Society
Fife36 holes
Links course
113
Club image Montrose Golf Course

1562 Course

8.49
Montrose Golf Course
Angus, Scotland36 holes
Great surroundingsLinks course
114
Club image North Wales Golf Club (Llandudno)

Llandudno/North Wales

8.49
North Wales Golf Club (Llandudno)
Wales18 holes
Links course
115
Club image Dunbar Golf Club

Dunbar East Links Course

8.48
Dunbar Golf Club
East Lothian18 holes
Great hospitalityLinks course
116
Club image Mullion Golf Club

Mullion Golf Club

8.46
Mullion Golf Club
Cornwall18 holes
Great value for moneyLinks course
117
Club image Carnoustie Golf Links

Burnside

8.46
Carnoustie Golf Links
Angus, Scotland54 holes
The course of the 2018 Open ChampionshipGreat hospitalityLinks course
118
Club image Sutton Coldfield Golf Club

Sutton Coldfield Golf Course

8.45
Sutton Coldfield Golf Club
Warwickshire18 holes
Park course
119
Club image Fraserburgh Golf Club

Corbie Hill Course

8.45
Fraserburgh Golf Club
Aberdeenshire27 holes
Links course
120
Club image Gullane Golf Club

No. 2 Course

8.45
Gullane Golf Club
East Lothian54 holes
Great maintenanceLinks course

Everything about the top golf courses in United Kingdom

The best golf courses in the United Kingdom represent the game's deepest and most varied catalogue, and no other country comes close to matching the combination of historic links, heathland classics and championship venues that sit within a compact set of islands. Any serious golfer asking where to begin will find the answer pulls in several directions at once, which is precisely the point. Royal County Down in Newcastle is the course that anchors this conversation globally. It appears at the top of world rankings with a consistency that reflects genuine consensus rather than national sentiment. Architects and playing visitors who have worked through the world's great courses name it first more often than any other layout. It sets the benchmark against which the rest of British golf is measured. Royal Dornoch gives this list historical and architectural depth that no other northern links provides. Its connection to Donald Ross, Tom Watson's well-documented admiration and its consistent top-ten global positioning make it the second reference point that golfers who know British golf well will expect to find. It also signals that the best courses in the UK extend well beyond the Open Championship rota. The Old Course at St Andrews is the most visited and most symbolically significant course in the game. It may not rank first in every architectural assessment, but it is the course that every golfer wants on their record. For any golfer planning a UK trip, it is non-negotiable. Muirfield, Sunningdale Old Course and Royal Birkdale handle the serious inland and Open venue credentials. Muirfield brings Ryder Cup and Open history with a design precision that appeals to golfers who understand what great bunkering actually means. Sunningdale is the inland reference point, the course that defines English heathland golf in a single address. Royal Birkdale provides the Lancashire links presence and the weight of nine Open Championships on English soil. Royal Portrush, Carnoustie and Turnberry's Ailsa Course round out a first tier that no other country can assemble at the same depth. The United Kingdom does not have a handful of great courses. It has a catalogue, and a visit of any serious length will only scratch the surface of what is available.

How we rank the best 18-hole golf clubs in United Kingdom

This ranking of the best 18-hole golf clubs in United Kingdom is based on the overall score from verified golfer reviews and represents the total experience at a club. The ranking is calculated by aggregating scores across all categories, including course design, maintenance, hospitality, facilities, surroundings, and value for money. To be included in this list, a club must have a sufficient number of reviews to ensure a reliable and representative average.

How we rank the best golf courses in United Kingdom (Course Only)

This ranking isolates the quality of the playing surface from the rest of the club's amenities in United Kingdom. While our "Golf Club" rankings include factors like the clubhouse and hospitality, this "Course Only" list focuses exclusively on the architectural layout, hole variety, and turf conditions. It identifies the best-rated golf courses in United Kingdom for players who prioritize the technical challenge and design of the course above all else.

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