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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81
Club image Royal Ashdown Forest Golf Club

West Course

8.07
Royal Ashdown Forest Golf Club
Sussex36 holes
Heathland course
82
Club image Ashridge Golf Club

Ashridge Golf Club

8.07
Ashridge Golf Club
Hertfordshire18 holes
Great clubhouseWoodland course
83
Club image East Devon Golf Club

East Devon Golf Club

8.06
East Devon Golf Club
Devon18 holes
Great surroundingsHeathland course
84
Club image Kington Golf Club

Kington

8.06
Kington Golf Club
Shropshire & Herefordshire18 holes
Great value for moneyLinks course
85
Club image Bamburgh Castle Golf Club

Bamburgh Castle Golf Club

8.01
Bamburgh Castle Golf Club
Northumberland18 holes
Links course
86
Club image The Essex Golf & Country Club

The 9 Holes Garden Course

8.00
The Essex Golf & Country Club
Essex27 holes
Park course
87
Club image Walmer & Kingsdown Golf Club

Walmer & Kingsdown Golf Club

7.99
Walmer & Kingsdown Golf Club
Kent18 holes
Great surroundingsPark course
88
Club image St Mellion Golf Club

The Kernow Course

7.97
St Mellion Golf Club
Cornwall36 holes
Great maintenancePark course
89
Club image Falmouth Golf Club

Falmouth Golf Course

7.79
Falmouth Golf Club
Cornwall18 holes
Park course
90
Club image Etchinghill Golf Club

The Valley Course

7.79
Etchinghill Golf Club
Kent36 holes
Park course
91
Club image Ilfracombe Golf Club

Ilfracombe

7.71
Ilfracombe Golf Club
Devon18 holes
Great value for moneyPark course
92
Club image St Enodoc Golf Club

Holywell Course

7.65
St Enodoc Golf Club
Cornwall36 holes
Great facilitiesLinks course
93
Club image Old Fold Manor Golf Club

Old Fold Manor Golf Club

7.62
Old Fold Manor Golf Club
Hertfordshire18 holes
Park course
94
Club image Littlestone Golf Club

Championship Links Course

7.61
Littlestone Golf Club
Kent18 holes
Links course
95
Club image Salisbury & South Wilts Golf Club

Salisbury & South Wilts Golf Club

7.51
Salisbury & South Wilts Golf Club
Wiltshire27 holes
Great facilities
96
Club image Warley Park Golf Club

Course 2

7.50
Warley Park Golf Club
Essex27 holes
Park course
97
Club image De Vere Slaley Hall Golf Club

Priestman Course

7.50
De Vere Slaley Hall Golf Club
Northumberland36 holes
Great maintenancePark course
98
Club image Warley Park Golf Club

Course 1

7.22
Warley Park Golf Club
Essex27 holes
Park course
99
Club image The Essex Golf & Country Club

The Essex Golf & Country Club

7.19
The Essex Golf & Country Club
Essex27 holes
Park course
100
Club image Cape Cornwall Golf & Leisure Resort

Cape Cornwall Golf Club

7.16
Cape Cornwall Golf & Leisure Resort
Cornwall18 holes
Great value for moneyLinks 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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