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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41
Club image St George's Hill Golf Club

Green Course

8.60
St George's Hill Golf Club
Surrey18 holes
Great maintenanceInland course
42
Club image Woburn Golf Club

The Marquess' Course

8.60
Woburn Golf Club
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire54 holes
Great clubhouseWoodland course
43
Club image Hunstanton Golf Club

Hunstanton Golf Club

8.59
Hunstanton Golf Club
Norfolk18 holes
Great surroundingsLinks course
44
Club image Hillside Golf Club

Hillside Golf Club

8.59
Hillside Golf Club
Lancashire18 holes
Great surroundingsLinks course
45
Club image West Cornwall Golf Club

West Cornwall Golf Club

8.58
West Cornwall Golf Club
Cornwall18 holes
Great value for moneyLinks course
46
Club image Prince's Golf Club

Dunes

8.54
Prince's Golf Club
Kent27 holes
Great surroundingsLinks course
47
Club image Etchinghill Golf Club

The Leas Course

8.52
Etchinghill Golf Club
Kent36 holes
Park course
48
Club image Liphook Golf Club

Liphook

8.52
Liphook Golf Club
Hampshire18 holes
Great value for moneyHeathland course
49
Club image Cavendish Golf Club

Cavendish Golf Club

8.52
Cavendish Golf Club
Derbyshire18 holes
Great value for moneyHillside course
50
Club image Burhill Golf Club

The New Course

8.51
Burhill Golf Club
Surrey36 holes
Great maintenancePark course
51
Club image Woldingham Golf Club

Woldingham Golf Club

8.50
Woldingham Golf Club
Surrey18 holes
Park course
52
Club image Prince's Golf Club

Himalayas

8.50
Prince's Golf Club
Kent27 holes
Great surroundingsLinks course
53
Club image Notts Golf Club

Hollinwell

8.49
Notts Golf Club
Nottinghamshire18 holes
Great value for moneyInland course
54
Club image Mullion Golf Club

Mullion Golf Club

8.46
Mullion Golf Club
Cornwall18 holes
Great value for moneyLinks course
55
Club image Sutton Coldfield Golf Club

Sutton Coldfield Golf Course

8.45
Sutton Coldfield Golf Club
Warwickshire18 holes
Park course
56
Club image The Addington Golf Club

Addington Golf Club (The)

8.43
The Addington Golf Club
Surrey18 holes
Great hospitalityInland course
57
Club image Seaton Carew Golf Club

Micklem Course

8.43
Seaton Carew Golf Club
County Durham22 holes
Great hospitality
58
Club image Saunton Golf Club

West Course

8.40
Saunton Golf Club
Devon36 holes
Great clubhouse
59
Club image Prince's Golf Club

Shore

8.37
Prince's Golf Club
Kent27 holes
Great surroundingsLinks course
60
Club image Chart Hills Golf Club

Chart Hills Golf Club

8.36
Chart Hills Golf Club
Kent18 holes
Park 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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