Outstanding club2026

The best golf courses in England (2026)

Find the top golf courses in England, with rankings based on verified golfer reviews. England built the finest heathland belt in the world on the sandy soils of Surrey and Berkshire, then matched it with a Lancashire links coast that has no equal south of Scotland.Read more
Based on 352 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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61
Club image Seaford Head Golf Course

Seaford Head Golf Club

8.34
Seaford Head Golf Course
Sussex18 holes
Great value for money
62
Club image Trevose Golf & Country Club

Championship Course

8.33
Trevose Golf & Country Club
Cornwall36 holes
Great facilities
63
Club image Seaton Carew Golf Club

Old Course

8.32
Seaton Carew Golf Club
County Durham22 holes
Great hospitality
64
Club image Dunstanburgh Castle Golf Club

Dunstanburgh Castle Golf Club

8.29
Dunstanburgh Castle Golf Club
Northumberland18 holes
Great value for moneyLinks course
65
Club image Bigbury Golf Club

Bigbury Golf Club

8.27
Bigbury Golf Club
Devon18 holes
Great clubhouse
66
Club image Bovey Castle Golf

Bovey Castle Golf Club

8.25
Bovey Castle Golf
Devon18 holes
Great surroundingsPark course
67
Club image Woburn Golf Club

The Dukes Course

8.25
Woburn Golf Club
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire54 holes
Great clubhouseWoodland course
68
Club image Burhill Golf Club

The Old Course

8.25
Burhill Golf Club
Surrey36 holes
Great maintenancePark course
69
Club image Formby Ladies Golf Club

Formby Ladies

8.23
Formby Ladies Golf Club
Lancashire18 holes
Great hospitalityGolf course architect: Douglas McEwan
70
Club image New Zealand Golf Club

New Zealand Artisans Golf Club

8.23
New Zealand Golf Club
Surrey18 holes
Great maintenancePark course
71
Club image Thurlestone Golf Club

Thurlestone Golf Club

8.21
Thurlestone Golf Club
Devon18 holes
Links course
72
Club image Burnham & Berrow Golf Club

Channel Course

8.21
Burnham & Berrow Golf Club
Somerset27 holes
Great clubhouseLinks course
73
Club image Sutton Coldfield Golf Club

Blue Course (winter course)

8.20
Sutton Coldfield Golf Club
Warwickshire18 holes
Park course
74
Club image Little Aston Golf Club

Little Aston Golf Club

8.17
Little Aston Golf Club
Staffordshire18 holes
Great maintenancePark course
75
Club image Hayling Golf Club

Hayling Golf Club

8.17
Hayling Golf Club
Hampshire18 holes
Great maintenanceLinks course
76
Club image Sheringham Golf Club

Sheringham Golf Club

8.15
Sheringham Golf Club
Norfolk18 holes
Great maintenanceLinks course
77
Club image Woburn Golf Club

The Duchess' Course

8.15
Woburn Golf Club
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire54 holes
Great clubhouseWoodland course
78
Club image Stoneham Golf Club

Stoneham Golf Club

8.13
Stoneham Golf Club
Hampshire18 holes
Great maintenanceHeathland course
79
Club image Yelverton Golf Club

Yelverton Golf Club

8.09
Yelverton Golf Club
Devon18 holes
Heathland course
80
Club image Royal North Devon Golf Club

Royal North Devon Golf Club

8.07
Royal North Devon Golf Club
Devon18 holes
Great hospitalityLinks course

Everything about the top golf courses in England

The best golf courses in England divide between two traditions that have shaped how the game is played and designed across the world. Both belong on this list, and the golfer arriving with a week and a serious intent will find that England delivers at a level most international visitors do not anticipate before they arrive. Sunningdale Old Course leads without question. It is the agreed reference point for English heathland golf, the course most consistently named by architects and experienced playing visitors as the single finest inland layout in the country. Willie Park Jr's design and H.S. Colt's revisions on naturally sandy Berkshire ground produce conditions and a strategic challenge that no other English inland course has matched. Walton Heath Old Course gives the Surrey moorland dimension and Ryder Cup credentials. Its open elevation, genuine heather rough and Herbert Fowler design place it clearly in the same heathland tradition as Sunningdale while offering a different and more exposed playing experience. Together these two establish that the London heathland belt is the most concentrated stretch of top-level inland golf in the world. Royal Birkdale is the Lancashire coast's anchor and England's most respected Open venue. Its championship record, the quality of its fairway valleys between genuine dunes, and the historical weight of nine Open Championships give this list its links credentials and its connection to the professional game at the highest level. Royal St George's at Sandwich provides the most authentic and eccentric links character on the Kent coast. Golfers who know English golf well will expect to see it, and it broadens the geographic reach beyond the London and Lancashire clusters. Woodhall Spa's Hotchkin Course addresses the inland midlands and gives the list architectural depth for golfers familiar enough with English golf to look beyond the headline names. Its bunkers are the most discussed individual design feature of any English course and make it immediately identifiable. Ganton in Yorkshire provides the northern England presence and Walker Cup and Ryder Cup credibility that confirms this list covers the full country rather than only its most visited golf corridors.

How we rank the best 18-hole golf clubs in England

This ranking of the best 18-hole golf clubs in England 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 England (Course Only)

This ranking isolates the quality of the playing surface from the rest of the club's amenities in England. 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 England for players who prioritize the technical challenge and design of the course above all else.

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