The Best Heathland Courses of Surrey and Berkshire
The sandy belt southwest of London holds the finest concentration of heathland golf in the world, a run of golden age classics by Park, Colt and Fowler where heather, silver birch and Scots pine frame some of the greatest inland golf anywhere. Our ranked ten, with the verdict on each, the architects and indicative 2026 green fees.
Photograph: Sunningdale Golf Club, Mark Glithero, via Google
How we chose
On a band of free draining sand and gravel southwest of London, the late Victorians discovered that heathland could give inland golf the firm turf, the run and the strategic character of the links. Between the 1890s and the 1920s the great architects of the era, Willie Park Jr, Harry Colt, Herbert Fowler and John Abercromby, laid out a cluster of courses here that has no equal anywhere inland. We have weighed the quality and architecture of the course itself first, then its pedigree and championship history, its conditioning and standing among the panellists who rank British golf, and finally how rewarding it is for the travelling golfer to reach and play.
The result is a top ten that any other region in the world would envy, where the gap between first and tenth is desperately narrow. Sunningdale, Walton Heath, Swinley Forest and Wentworth carry the marquee names and the tournament history, but the depth runs through St George's Hill, The Berkshire and the historic Surrey clubs of Woking and Worplesdon. Access is the one obstacle: these are private members clubs that admit visitors mostly on weekdays and at a price, so a heathland week takes planning, but few golf trips reward it more richly.
The ranking
Sunningdale, Old Course
The course that defined heathland golf and still its standard bearer, Willie Park Jr's 1901 masterpiece on the Berkshire and Surrey border, later refined by Harry Colt. A perfect, walkable sequence of holes through heather and pine, crowned by the downhill par 5 tenth and the iconic oak behind the eighteenth green, it remains many golfers' favourite course in the world. The benchmark every other heathland is measured against.
Indicative 2026 green fee, premium · visitors on weekdays. Always confirm directly before booking.Walton Heath, Old Course
Herbert Fowler's bold, open heath, higher and more exposed than its neighbours and the most links like of the inland greats, host of the 1981 Ryder Cup and a recent AIG Women's Open. Big greens, wild heather and a relentless run of strong holes reward power and nerve in equal measure. A muscular, windswept test that stands apart from the more sheltered Ascot courses.
Indicative 2026 green fee, premium · visitors on weekdays. Always confirm directly before booking.Swinley Forest
Harry Colt's own favourite, which he modestly called the least bad course he ever built, a serene, private retreat carved through pine, heather, azalea and rhododendron. Famous for one of the finest sets of par 3s in golf and an unhurried, members club atmosphere, it is shorter than the championship courses but utterly absorbing. Access is among the most restricted in the region, which only deepens its mystique.
Indicative 2026 green fee, premium · strictly by arrangement. Always confirm directly before booking.Wentworth, West Course
The famous Burma Road, Harry Colt's 1926 design and the most televised inland course in Britain as the long time host of the BMW PGA Championship. Strengthened over the years into a demanding modern tournament test of tree lined corridors and water guarded par 5 finishes, it carries the grandest reputation of all the Surrey courses. The most recognisable round on this list and a bucket list venue for many visitors.
Indicative 2026 green fee, premium · visitors on weekdays. Always confirm directly before booking.The Berkshire, Red Course
The more characterful of Herbert Fowler's two courses at The Berkshire, an unusual and much loved routing of six par 3s, six par 4s and six par 5s through glorious heather and pine. Quirky, varied and beautifully maintained, it sits among the best inland courses in the country and pairs naturally with the Blue for a day of two contrasting eighteens. A members favourite with a devoted following.
Indicative 2026 green fee, premium · visitors on weekdays. Always confirm directly before booking.St George's Hill
Harry Colt's dramatic hillside design of 1913, draped over the slopes of an exclusive Weybridge estate with sweeping elevation changes rare among the flatter heaths. Twenty seven holes of tumbling fairways, heather banks and clever green sites make it one of Colt's finest and most exhilarating routings. A private, leafy enclave and a course the connoisseur ranks with the very best.
Indicative 2026 green fee, premium · visitors on weekdays. Always confirm directly before booking.Sunningdale, New Course
Harry Colt's New Course of 1923, a sterner, more open and arguably more exacting companion to the Old, with which it shares one of the great clubhouses in golf. Wilder heather, bigger carries and a more exposed feel give it a character all its own, and many good judges prefer it. To play both in a day is one of the finest experiences in English golf.
Indicative 2026 green fee, premium · visitors on weekdays. Always confirm directly before booking.The Berkshire, Blue Course
The longer and more conventional of Fowler's pair at The Berkshire, a classic par 71 of handsome tree framed holes that many members rate the equal of the Red. Beautifully turfed and quietly strategic, it completes one of the great 36 hole days in heathland golf. Less talked about than its sibling but never the weaker round.
Indicative 2026 green fee, premium · visitors on weekdays. Always confirm directly before booking.Woking Golf Club
The oldest of the Surrey heathland courses, founded in 1893 by a group of London barristers and famously refined by the amateur theorists Stuart Paton and John Low, whose central bunkers on the fourth changed strategic design forever. Short by modern standards but endlessly clever, it is the senior member of the Surrey Three Ws and a living piece of golf history. Subtle, intimate and deeply admired by those who study the game.
Indicative 2026 green fee, peak season · visitors on weekdays. Always confirm directly before booking.Worplesdon Golf Club
John Abercromby's 1908 layout, with bunkers and greens shaped by Willie Park Jr, the most polished of the Surrey Three Ws and a longtime host of the celebrated Worplesdon Mixed Foursomes. Heather, pine and a lovely closing stretch around the lake give it both beauty and bite. A gem that completes the trio of historic Woking heaths and rewards a place on any heathland itinerary.
Indicative 2026 green fee, peak season · visitors on weekdays. Always confirm directly before booking.Architects, opening years and tournament history verified June 2026. These are private members clubs with limited visitor access, usually on weekdays. Rankings reflect our editorial view alongside the established UK course rankings. Course profiles are added across the site as the directory grows.
Golf in Surrey and Berkshire guide Check tee time availability
Where they sit on the map
The courses fall into two tight clusters, both an easy drive from Heathrow and central London. The first gathers around Ascot, Sunningdale and Virginia Water on the Berkshire and Surrey border, where Sunningdale's two courses, Swinley Forest, The Berkshire's pair and Wentworth sit within a few minutes of one another, the densest stretch of great inland golf on earth. The second lies a little south around Weybridge and Woking in Surrey, home to St George's Hill and the historic Three Ws of Woking, Worplesdon and West Hill, with Walton Heath on the higher ground near Tadworth. A heathland week bases near Ascot or Woking and plays out across both groups by short drives.
Plan your heathland golf trip
Tell us the courses you want and roughly when. One concierge costs the whole trip to the head and replies within one working day, with no obligation.
Heathland golf questions
What is the best heathland golf course in Surrey or Berkshire?
Sunningdale's Old Course, Willie Park Jr's 1901 design near Ascot, is the most celebrated heathland course in the world and the usual choice for the top spot. Walton Heath, Swinley Forest and Wentworth's West Course are all in the leading group, and the margin between the very best is famously narrow.
Can visitors play these heathland courses?
Mostly, yes, but with care. These are private members clubs that admit visitors chiefly on weekdays, at a premium green fee and by prior arrangement, and a few such as Swinley Forest are far more restricted. Tee times need to be booked well ahead, ideally through the club or a specialist operator. We are a guide, not an operator, so always confirm access and fees directly before booking.
Why is the golf around Sunningdale so good?
The Sunningdale, Ascot and Woking area sits on a belt of free draining sandy heath, the ideal ground for golf, which gives firm, fast turf and the run that links golfers prize. When the game spread inland at the turn of the twentieth century, the great architects Park, Colt, Fowler and Abercromby chose this sandy belt for their courses, and the result is the finest concentration of heathland golf anywhere in the world.
Related
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