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

Select your category

Purely focused on the design, challenge, and beauty of the golf course itself. Read more
Powered by
1
Club image Walton Heath Golf Club

New Course

9.68
Walton Heath Golf Club
Surrey36 holes
Great hospitalityHeathland course
NorwegianGolferSilver

Handicap 15

"Walton is on the top of the list - and I have played a few top courses."

16 Jul 2025Read full review
2
Club image The Royal St George's Golf Club

Royal St George's

9.40
The Royal St George's Golf Club
Kent18 holes
Great maintenanceLinks course
Michel HamelinGold

Handicap 10.5

"A magnificent course — in fine weather with the wind up, as you'd expect from a links, and the upkeep is fabulous."

21 Oct 2025Read full review
3
Club image Sunningdale Golf Club

Old Course

9.40
Sunningdale Golf Club
Surrey36 holes
Great value for moneyHeathland course
AntoninGrimmGold

Handicap 16.9

"Both courses, which are over 100 years old, are lined with pine, birch, and oak trees and are a wonderful place to play golf."

4
Club image St George's Hill Golf Club

Red Course

9.29
St George's Hill Golf Club
Surrey18 holes
Great maintenanceInland course
JeroenExpert

Handicap 10.4

"You pass impressive houses or should I say mansions and you can see several holes just waiting to be played."

26 Mar 2025Read full review
5
Club image Hankley Common Golf Club

Hankley Common Golf Club

9.23
Hankley Common Golf Club
Surrey18 holes
Great surroundings
6
Club image West Hill Golf Club

West Hill Golf Club

9.22
West Hill Golf Club
Surrey18 holes
Great maintenanceWoodland course
GolfingAlmanExpert

Handicap 10

"West Hill Golf Club is a classic heathland course designed by Cuthbert Butchart in 1907."

19 Jan 2026Read full review
7
Club image St Enodoc Golf Club

Church Course

9.22
St Enodoc Golf Club
Cornwall36 holes
Great facilitiesLinks course
maxipag123Steel

Handicap 8

"Enedoc is certainly a course of great beauty matched by few others in England; but its teeth- and it has many!"

27 Jun 2025Read full review
8
Club image St George's Hill Golf Club

Blue Course

9.18
St George's Hill Golf Club
Surrey18 holes
Great maintenanceInland course
LeonardExpert

Handicap 14.3

"If you are looking for the perfect topography and landscape for a golf course, then St George's Hill is probably one of the best places."

27 Mar 2025Read full review
9
Club image West Lancashire Golf Club

West Lancashire Golf Club

9.10
West Lancashire Golf Club
Lancashire18 holes
Links course
donald.bezemer1Gold

Handicap 13.7

"Very friendly people — the hospitality and welcome at West Lancashire are genuinely excellent."

11 May 2025Read full review
10
Club image The Alwoodley Golf Club

Alwoodley

9.10
The Alwoodley Golf Club
Yorkshire18 holes
Great facilitiesInland course
GolfingAlmanExpert

Handicap 10

"Alwoodley, designed by Dr Alister MacKenzie in 1907, is widely regarded as one of England’s finest heathland courses."

30 Oct 2025Read full review
11
Club image Swinley Forest Golf Club

Swinley Forest Golf Course

9.08
Swinley Forest Golf Club
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire18 holes
Great maintenanceWoodland course
12
Club image Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club

Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club

9.08
Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club
Kent18 holes
Great surroundingsLinks course
13
Club image Saunton Golf Club

East Course

9.05
Saunton Golf Club
Devon36 holes
Great clubhouse
14
Club image Royal West Norfolk Golf Club

Royal West Norfolk Golf Club

9.03
Royal West Norfolk Golf Club
Norfolk18 holes
Great value for moneyLinks course
15
Club image Queenwood Golf Club

Queenwood Golf Club

9.02
Queenwood Golf Club
Surrey18 holes
Great value for moneyInland course
16
Club image Lancaster Golf Club

Lancaster Golf Club

9.00
Lancaster Golf Club
Lancashire18 holes
17
Club image Walton Heath Golf Club

Old Course

9.00
Walton Heath Golf Club
Surrey36 holes
Great hospitalityHeathland course
18
Club image Royal Birkdale Golf Club

Royal Birkdale Golf Club

9.00
Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Lancashire18 holes
Great surroundingsLinks course
19
Club image Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club

Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club

9.00
Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club
Lancashire18 holes
Home of the 2018 Woman's British OpenGreat maintenanceLinks course
20
Club image Seaton Carew Golf Club

Brabazon Course

9.00
Seaton Carew Golf Club
County Durham22 holes
Great hospitality

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.

Big Green Egg LogoGEO FoundationIAGTO
Leading Courses
Leading Courses

Copyright © 2007-2026 — leadingcourses.com