Walton Heath Golf Club, championship heathland with bold bunkering and heather, Surrey
Ranked · 12 courses · updated 2026

The Best Golf Courses in Surrey

Surrey is the home of English heathland golf, a belt of sandy, heather and pine country south west of London where the great architects built a cluster of courses unmatched anywhere inland. From the televised drama of Wentworth's West to the championship purity of Walton Heath, Harry Colt's St George's Hill and the celebrated three Ws, here are the twelve we rate most highly, ranked, with our verdict on each and how to play it.

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By the GolfForKings editorial desk · How we rank · Last reviewed June 2026

Photograph: Walton Heath Golf Club, via Google

How we chose them

This is a Surrey list, drawn strictly from courses within the county. That distinction matters, because two of the most famous heathland courses usually grouped with Surrey, Sunningdale and The Berkshire, in fact sit just over the line in Berkshire, and we cover them in our wider Surrey and Berkshire heathland guide. What remains within Surrey is still one of the densest concentrations of great inland golf in the world, from the championship stages of Wentworth and Walton Heath to the architectural classrooms of Woking, West Hill and Worplesdon, all built between the 1890s and the 1920s on the same free draining, heathery sand.

Every fact here, from designers and opening years to host events and remodellings, was checked at the time of writing. Many of these courses are private members clubs reached through a member, and we say so plainly; where a club welcomes weekday visitors, such as Walton Heath, Woking, West Hill, Worplesdon, Hankley Common and Camberley Heath, we note it, because access shapes any trip. The verdicts and the order are ours, and reasonable golfers will reorder the top three. If you want any of these built into a costed Surrey golf trip, that is exactly what our concierge does.

The ranking

01

Wentworth, West Course

Harry Colt, 1926 · Ernie Els redesign · Virginia Water · private, member access

The most famous course in Surrey and one of the most televised in Britain, home of the BMW PGA Championship on the DP World Tour. Harry Colt laid out the West, the Burma Road, in 1926 through the pines and heather of Virginia Water, and an Ernie Els redesign has modernised and toughened it for the professional game. Long, demanding and beautifully wooded, with a famous reachable par 5 finish, it is the headline act of Surrey golf. A private members club, so access generally runs through a member, but on profile and pedigree it sits at the top of the county.

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02

Walton Heath, Old Course

Herbert Fowler, 1904 · near Tadworth · members, visitors welcome

The purest championship heathland course in Surrey and the only one in the county to have hosted the Ryder Cup, in 1981. Herbert Fowler routed the Old over high, open heath in 1904, and it plays firm, fast and exposed, with bold bunkering, springy turf and the wind as a constant partner, a genuine test that has staged European Opens and US Open final qualifying. Unusually for a course of this class it warmly welcomes visitors, which makes it the most accessible great round in the county and, for many, the connoisseur's number one.

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03

St George's Hill

Harry Colt, 1913 · Weybridge · private, member access

Harry Colt's 1913 masterpiece and, with Sunningdale just over the Berkshire border, the course that defined heathland golf. Set among the pines, silver birch and sandy slopes of an exclusive Weybridge estate, its 27 holes in three loops, Red, Blue and Green, tumble dramatically over the contours with some of the finest one shot holes in England. Immaculately kept and intensely private, reached through a member, it is one of the most beautiful inland courses in Britain and a benchmark of the genre.

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04

Walton Heath, New Course

Herbert Fowler, 1907 · near Tadworth · members, visitors welcome

The Old's superb companion and a great course in its own right, routed by Herbert Fowler over the same wild Walton heath. The New shares the firm turf, the heather and the big, exposed sky, and the two are routinely combined into one of the best 36 hole days in English golf. Like the Old it welcomes visitors, and many regulars quietly rate the two as a single, unmissable heathland experience rather than a first and second course.

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05

Woking

Tom Dunn, 1893 · near Woking · members, visitors weekdays

The oldest and most historically important of the famous Surrey heathland three Ws, opened in 1893 and a cradle of the strategic school of design championed by its members Stuart Paton and John Low. Compact, subtle and endlessly clever, it taught the golfing world that width, angles and bunkering mattered more than length. A quiet, charming members club that welcomes weekday visitors, and required playing for any student of architecture.

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06

New Zealand

Founded 1895 · near Woodham · private, member access

One of the most private and atmospheric heathland courses in England, hidden among the pines and heather near Woodham and founded in the 1890s. Narrow, natural and gloriously old fashioned, it has changed little in a century and is treasured by the lucky few who play it for its peace, its purity and its sense of stepping back in time. Access is strictly through a member, which only adds to its mystique among Surrey's connoisseurs.

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07

West Hill

Opened 1909 · Brookwood · members, visitors weekdays

The most heavily wooded and arguably the prettiest of the three Ws, opened in 1909 among the towering pines and purple heather near Brookwood. Tighter and more dramatic than its neighbour Woking, with a celebrated short par 3 stretch, it is a beautifully maintained and welcoming members club that takes weekday visitors. Played with Woking and Worplesdon, it completes one of the great heathland triangles in the world, all within a short drive of one another.

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08

Worplesdon

J. F. Abercromby, 1908 · near Woking · members, visitors weekdays

The third of the three Ws, laid out by J. F. Abercromby in 1908 and long famous for its closing par 3 over a pond and for the Worplesdon Mixed Foursomes. Heather, pine and silver birch frame a clever, rolling course that rewards thought over power, and like its siblings it welcomes weekday visitors. The trio of Woking, West Hill and Worplesdon, all neighbours, is the heart of any Surrey heathland pilgrimage.

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09

Hankley Common

James Braid and Harry Colt, remodelled 1936 · Tilford · members, visitors weekdays

A wild, expansive heathland course on a vast common near Tilford, begun by James Braid in 1897 and remodelled by Harry Colt in 1936 into the layout admired today. Bigger and more open than the three Ws, with a famous, fearsome closing par 4 across a heathery valley, it has a rugged grandeur all its own and even doubled as a film location for the golfing scenes some visitors come to spot. A welcoming members club that takes weekday visitors.

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10

Coombe Hill

J. F. Abercromby, 1911 · Kingston · private, member access

J. F. Abercromby's lush, hilly parkland and heathland course near Kingston, opened in 1911 and a complete contrast to the open heaths to the south west. Set among mature trees, rhododendrons and rolling terrain on the edge of London, it is leafy, secluded and beautifully conditioned, with bold changes of elevation. A private members club reached through a member, and one of the finest inland courses close to the capital.

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11

Camberley Heath

Harry Colt, 1913 · Camberley · members, visitors weekdays

A classic Harry Colt heathland design from 1913 on the Surrey and Berkshire fringe at Camberley, with heather, pine and a fine set of par 3s that bear the architect's unmistakable stamp. Less heralded than Wentworth or Walton Heath but pure Colt, it is a rewarding, well kept members course that welcomes weekday visitors and rounds out the remarkable concentration of heathland golf in this corner of the county.

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12

Wentworth, East Course

Harry Colt, 1924 · Virginia Water · private, member access

The original Wentworth course and the elegant foil to the famous West, designed by Harry Colt in 1924 over the same handsome Virginia Water estate. Shorter and more subtle than its celebrated sibling, the East is a charming, classic Colt heathland layout that many members prefer for an everyday round. Part of the private Wentworth Club, reached through a member, it confirms the estate as one of the great inland golf addresses in Britain.

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Designers, opening years and host events verified June 2026. Wentworth, St George's Hill, New Zealand and Coombe Hill are private members clubs reached through a member; Walton Heath, Woking, West Hill, Worplesdon, Hankley Common and Camberley Heath welcome weekday visitors. Course profiles are added across the site as the directory grows. Always confirm visitor access and fees directly before booking. Check tee time availability.

Play the best of Surrey

Tell us which of these are on your list, the championship names like Wentworth and Walton Heath or the heathland three Ws, and roughly when. One concierge arranges the access, the tee times and the base within easy reach of London, and costs the trip to the head, with no obligation.

Surrey golf questions

What is the best golf course in Surrey?

It is a close call between two greats. Wentworth's West Course is the most famous, the televised home of the BMW PGA Championship, a Harry Colt design toughened by Ernie Els. But many connoisseurs give the nod to Walton Heath's Old Course, the purest championship heathland in the county and the only Surrey course to have hosted the Ryder Cup, in 1981. Wentworth has the profile; Walton Heath has the strategic heathland purity and, crucially, welcomes visitors.

Can you play the best Surrey courses as a visitor?

Some, but not all. Walton Heath, Woking, West Hill, Worplesdon, Hankley Common and Camberley Heath are members clubs that welcome weekday visitors, which makes a heathland tour very doable. Wentworth, St George's Hill, New Zealand, Coombe Hill and Wentworth East are private and generally reached through a member. Booking ahead and confirming visitor days directly is essential, as access and green fees vary by club and season. Always confirm directly before booking.

Why is Surrey famous for golf?

Surrey is the home of English heathland golf. A belt of free draining, sandy, heather and pine country south west of London proved perfect for golf, and between the 1890s and the 1920s the great architects, Harry Colt, Herbert Fowler, J. F. Abercromby, James Braid and Tom Dunn, built a remarkable cluster of courses here. Wentworth, Walton Heath, St George's Hill and the three Ws of Woking, West Hill and Worplesdon sit within a short drive of one another, giving the county one of the densest concentrations of top class inland golf anywhere in the world.

When is the best time to play golf in Surrey?

Late spring and early autumn, roughly May, June, September and October, are the prime months, when the heather is at its best, the sandy turf runs firm and fast and the weather is most settled. Heathland courses drain superbly, so Surrey offers good winter golf too, often firmer underfoot than parkland alternatives. High summer is fine but busier. Spring brings the fresh greens and autumn the famous purple heather. Always check the forecast and confirm visitor access for your dates.

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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course designers, opening years and host events verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.