Liphook Golf Club, heathland fairway framed by pines and heather, Hampshire
Ranked · heath, links and forest

The Best Golf Courses in Hampshire

Hampshire is the quiet neighbor of the famous Surrey and Berkshire heath, and its best golf earns its own place: a Top 100 heathland course at Liphook, the only true south coast links between Rye and Cornwall at Hayling, and Harry Colt and Willie Park designs in between. This is our ranked verdict on the eight courses that matter most in Hampshire, with the design pedigree, who gets on and how, and the smartest way to build them into a trip.

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By the GolfForKings editorial desk · Editorial policy · Last reviewed June 2026

Photograph: Liphook Golf Club, Hampshire, via Google

How we chose them

Hampshire sits just south and west of the great Surrey and Berkshire heathland belt, and shares its sandy soil without quite sharing its fame, which is exactly why it rewards the traveling golfer. Our ranking leads with Liphook, the only Hampshire course in the Top 100 of Britain and Ireland, a heathland layout of subtle, brilliant greens on the Surrey border. Behind it we rate Hayling, a genuine Tom Simpson links and a rarity on the English south coast, then the renovated Willie Park heath of Stoneham and Harry Colt's compact gem at Blackmoor. We weigh architecture, atmosphere and the quality of the walk above conditioning or clubhouse polish, and every design fact below was verified in June 2026 against club and ranking sources.

We also ranked for the trip. Hampshire splits neatly into a northern heathland cluster near Fleet and the Surrey border, a coastal pairing on the Solent at Hayling and around Portsmouth, and the New Forest courses to the west, so a base can be chosen to suit. Fees move with season and weekday and are highest in summer, so treat any figure as indicative and confirm directly before booking. None of these clubs has a course profile on the site yet, so each entry links to our wider England guides below.

The ranking

01

Liphook

Arthur Croome, 1923 · Surrey border · Top 100 Britain and Ireland · heathland

The county's number one and its only course in the Top 100 of Britain and Ireland, Liphook is a heathland masterpiece on the Surrey border that punches far above its modest length. Laid out by the gifted amateur architect Arthur Croome and opened in 1923, it is famous for some of the most engaging and cleverly contoured green complexes in England, defended by heather, pine and sandy lies rather than brute yardage. It plays alongside the great Surrey and Berkshire courses without the same fanfare or fees, and welcomes visitors through the week. The connoisseur's choice in southern English golf.

How to get a tee time in Hampshire

02

Hayling

Tom Simpson · Hayling Island, the Solent · Top 100 England links · true links

The rarest thing in Hampshire golf, a genuine links, Hayling is the only one of its kind on the English south coast between Rye in Sussex and the courses of Cornwall. Tom Simpson, one of the great architects of the golden age, drew the present layout over the dunes and sandy turf of Hayling Island, and the result sits in the Top 100 of both England's courses and Britain and Ireland's links. The wind off the Solent is the defining test, the turf runs fast and true, and the views across to the Isle of Wight make it the most atmospheric round in the county. Visitors welcome; book ahead.

Plan a Hampshire golf trip

03

Stoneham

Willie Park Jr, 1908 · Southampton · Top 100 England · heathland

On the northern edge of Southampton, Stoneham is a Willie Park Jr design from 1908 that has been revived by a major restoration program: trees cleared, heather encouraged back to the fairway edges, and the bunkering returned toward Park's original style. The result is a Top 100 England heathland course rediscovering the character it was famous for a century ago, with strong par 4s tumbling across undulating, sandy ground. Historically significant too, as the venue of the first Dunlop Masters in 1946. A welcoming club and an easy trip from the M27 and Southampton airport.

Plan a Hampshire golf trip

04

Blackmoor

Harry Colt, 1913 · Whitehill, near Bordon · Top 100 England · heathland

A pure Harry Colt heathland design from 1913, Blackmoor is a masterclass in how the great architect used natural ground: holes crafted among pine, birch, oak and heather, with tight turf and white sand bunkers, laid out in two loops of nine. At a mere 6,164 yards it is short by modern standards, but the obstacles and the angles make it plenty tricky, and it ranks comfortably in the Top 100 of England. The connoisseur's second Hampshire course after Liphook, a few miles away on the same belt of sandy heath, and a genuine joy to play.

Plan a Hampshire golf trip

05

North Hants, Fleet

Heathland · Fleet · Justin Rose's boyhood club · confirm fees directly

Near the Surrey border at Fleet, North Hants is the heathland course where Justin Rose grew up and learned his game, and it narrowly missed a place in the Top 100 of England in its own right. A handsome, well bunkered layout on the same sandy soil as Liphook and Blackmoor, it has long hosted serious amateur and regional championship golf, and the conditioning and greens are first class. It rounds out the northern Hampshire heathland cluster perfectly, within easy reach of London and the M3, and welcomes visitors through the week.

Plan a Hampshire golf trip

06

Brokenhurst Manor

Harry Colt · New Forest · parkland and heath · confirm fees directly

Deep in the New Forest, Brokenhurst Manor is the pick of the courses in England's great southern woodland: a Harry Colt design that winds through oak, beech and heather with the forest ponies never far from the fairways. It is a quieter, more secluded round than the heathland names above, full of charm and good holes, and it pairs naturally with a stay in one of the New Forest's country hotels for the gentler, scenic leg of a Hampshire trip. Visitors are welcome; book ahead and confirm seasonal rates directly.

Plan a Hampshire golf trip

07

Army Golf Club

Heathland · Aldershot · sandy military heath · confirm fees directly

Founded for the garrison at Aldershot, the Army Golf Club is one of the underrated heathland courses of the Surrey and Hampshire border country: firm, sandy, heather lined and routed across genuinely good golfing ground, with the kind of fast running turf that the famous names nearby charge a great deal more to play. It is a value round of real quality, welcoming to visiting golfers through the week, and a smart addition to any northern Hampshire heathland itinerary alongside North Hants, Liphook and Blackmoor.

Plan a Hampshire golf trip

08

Rowlands Castle

Harry Colt · near Havant · parkland and heath · confirm fees directly

In the chalk and woodland country north of Havant, Rowlands Castle is a Harry Colt parkland and heath design that makes the natural inland partner to a links day at Hayling a few miles south. Long, mature and well bunkered, it has hosted county and regional championship golf and offers an honest, enjoyable test at a sensible fee. As the second round of a coastal Hampshire day, or a gentle opener before the Solent wind at Hayling, it earns its place at the foot of this list. Visitor friendly; book ahead.

Plan a Hampshire golf trip

Design facts and ranking positions verified June 2026 from club and Top 100 sources; green fees vary by season and day and are highest in summer, so always confirm directly before booking. Check tee time availability.

Building the trip

Hampshire works best as a two or three base trip, or as an easy extension of a Surrey and Berkshire heathland week. Base near Fleet or Farnham for the northern heath, Liphook, Blackmoor, North Hants and the Army, all within half an hour of each other and of the Surrey border, then move south to the Solent for the links at Hayling and the Colt parkland at Rowlands Castle around Portsmouth. The New Forest leg at Brokenhurst Manor suits a softer pace and a country hotel. London is barely an hour from the northern cluster on the M3, and Southampton airport sits in the middle of it all, which makes Hampshire one of the most accessible quality golf counties in England.

Timing is the lever. Summer brings the firmest heath and the fastest Hayling links along with the busiest tee sheets, while April, May, September and October bring the same golf for less and quieter courses. Our guide to how to play golf in Hampshire maps the access course by course. For the wider picture, see our guides to golf in England and the best courses in England, and compare the neighboring heath on our best courses in Surrey list.

Plan your Hampshire golf trip

The Top 100 heath of Liphook, the only true links on the south coast at Hayling, and the Colt and Park courses in between, with a base chosen to keep every first tee close. Tell us roughly when and who is traveling, and one concierge builds the Hampshire trip around your dates, with no obligation.

Hampshire golf questions

What is the best golf course in Hampshire?

Liphook is the best golf course in Hampshire and the only one in the county to feature in the Top 100 Courses in Britain and Ireland. A heathland course on the Surrey border with some of the finest green complexes in England, it leads a county whose strength is its variety: the Tom Simpson links of Hayling, the Harry Colt heath of Blackmoor and the renovated Willie Park layout at Stoneham all rank in the Top 100 in England.

Is there links golf in Hampshire?

Yes. Hayling Golf Club on Hayling Island is the only true links on the south coast of England between Rye in East Sussex and the courses of Cornwall. Laid out by Tom Simpson, it is a genuine, breezy links over dunes and sandy turf, and it sits in the Top 100 of both England's courses and Britain and Ireland's links. The rest of Hampshire's best is heathland and parkland.

Can visitors play Hampshire's best courses?

Yes. Liphook, Hayling, Stoneham, Blackmoor, North Hants, Brokenhurst Manor, the Army Golf Club and Rowlands Castle are members clubs that welcome visitors, most readily on weekdays with advance booking. None is as restricted as the most private Surrey and Berkshire clubs, so a confirmed weekday tee sheet and a little notice will get you onto the lot. Always confirm access and fees directly before booking.

When is the best time for a Hampshire golf trip?

May to September gives the warmest weather and the firmest heath and links turf, along with the busiest tee sheets and highest fees. April and October are excellent value shoulders with quieter courses, and the sandy heath and the Hayling links drain well, so winter golf is very playable here too. The county is close to London and the south coast airports, making it an easy trip in any season.

Related

All best of lists How to play golf in Hampshire Best courses in Surrey Best courses in England Golf in England Home

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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts and ranking positions verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.