The Cotswolds do golf the old way, on high common land and free draining limestone with views that run for miles. Minchinhampton's three courses lead the way, Broadway and Cleeve Hill climb the escarpment, and the cult round at Painswick is like nowhere else. Here are the eight we rate most highly, ranked, with our verdict on each and how to play it.
Photograph: Broadway Golf Club, via Google
The Cotswolds reward the golfer who likes character over manicure. Much of the best golf here sits on high common and downland, free draining limestone turf that plays firm the year round and is grazed, in places, by cattle and sheep. Minchinhampton is the grand exception with a polished 54 holes, but the soul of the region is in courses like Cleeve Hill and Painswick, ancient common land layouts with blind shots, vast views and almost no pretension.
Every fact here, from designers and dates to access, was checked at the time of writing. Most of these courses welcome visitors readily, and the common land courses are genuine pay and play. The verdicts and the order are ours, weighing quality against the sheer pleasure of the setting. If you want any of these built into a costed Cotswolds trip with the tee times handled, that is exactly what our concierge does.
The grandest golf in the Cotswolds, a 54 hole club whose Old Course dates from 1889 on open common land, free of bunkers and shared with grazing cattle, while the Avening and Cherington courses, shaped by Fred and Martin Hawtree, are immaculately drained parkland that plays the year round. The complete Cotswold club, with the history on the common and the quality on the new ground, and the natural anchor of any trip.
A high, springy downland course on Willersey Hill at nearly 900 feet, founded in 1895, with huge views over the Vale of Evesham to the Malverns and the Welsh hills beyond. Firm, fast and rarely waterlogged, with the picture postcard town of Broadway just below, it is one of the most scenic and purely enjoyable rounds in the region and a members club that welcomes visitors warmly.
The epitome of natural golf, laid out by Old Tom Morris in 1888 on common land at the highest point in the Cotswolds, a par 70 of around 6,443 yards running up hill and down dale with vast, unspoilt views over Cheltenham and the Severn vale. A genuine pay and play with no airs, raw and windswept, sharing the hill with walkers and sheep, and the best value round on this list.
A peaceful, maturing downland course in the high wolds northeast of Cheltenham, set in a quiet valley framed by dry stone walls and big skies. The well drained limestone turf plays firm and true, it is generous off the tee and never crowded, and it makes a relaxed, friendly round in the heart of the northern Cotswolds. A lovely change of pace from the escarpment courses.
A well established parkland course on the edge of Cheltenham, born as Cheltenham Town Golf Club in 1902 and moved to its present rolling site in the 1970s. Mature, beautifully kept and welcoming, with views to the escarpment, it is the most accessible serious round close to the town and a dependable choice when the high common courses are blowing.
A wonderfully eccentric and ancient hilltop course on Painswick Beacon common, with blind shots, grazing sheep, an Iron Age hill fort and holes squeezed between the bracken and the ramparts. Short, quirky and unforgettable, with an Alister MacKenzie hand in its past, it is the cult round of the Cotswolds, beloved by those who value fun and history over length and polish.
A gently undulating parkland course on the Bathurst estate just north of the old Roman town, founded in 1893 and well drained on Cotswold limestone, a pleasant and very walkable round. A reliable, good value members club that welcomes visitors, and an easy addition to a trip based in the southern Cotswolds around Cirencester and Stroud.
Just over the southern edge of the region in the Castle Combe valley, a handsome parkland resort course by Peter Alliss and Clive Clark that threads along the Bybrook river beside a grand country house hotel. The premium stay and play option of the area, more manicured than its common land neighbours, and a fine, scenic test to finish a Cotswolds week on.
Designers, dates and access verified June 2026. Cleeve Hill and Painswick are common land pay and play courses; the others are members clubs and a resort that welcome visitors. Always confirm visitor access and fees directly before booking. Check tee time availability.
Tell us which of these are on your list, the polished 54 holes at Minchinhampton, the common land golf of Cleeve Hill and Painswick, or a wider tour, and roughly when. One concierge handles the tee times, the base and the country house hotel, and costs the trip to the head, with no obligation.
Minchinhampton is the clear number one, a 54 hole club whose 1889 Old Course on the common is steeped in history and whose Hawtree designed Avening and Cherington courses are immaculate, year round parkland. Its rivals for pure pleasure are the high common land courses of Broadway, Cleeve Hill and Painswick. Most welcome visitors, so plan ahead and confirm access and fees before booking.
Yes. Most Cotswolds courses welcome visitors readily, and Cleeve Hill and Painswick are genuine common land pay and play courses you can often just turn up to play, mindful of the sheep and walkers who share the land. Minchinhampton, Broadway and the parkland clubs take visitor bookings directly. Always confirm current access and fees before booking.
The common land courses are the bargains. Cleeve Hill, an Old Tom Morris layout at the highest point in the Cotswolds, and the eccentric Painswick on its hilltop common both offer raw, characterful golf and enormous views for pay and play prices. They are not manicured, but for value and sheer enjoyment they are hard to beat. Confirm fees directly before booking.
The free draining Cotswold limestone plays well the year round, but April to October offers the warmest, driest conditions and the high common and downland courses at their firm, fast best. Winter golf is very playable on this ground, if windy on the escarpment. Always check the forecast and booking windows for your dates.
Course access, green fee changes and the booking windows that matter across England. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts, access and fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.