The Surrey and Berkshire Heathland
The greatest concentration of inland golf on earth, a belt of heather, pine and fast running sandy turf forty minutes from London. Sunningdale, Wentworth, Walton Heath, Swinley Forest and the rest, the courses that matter and how to play them.
Photograph: Sunningdale Heath Golf Club, Sunningdale Heath Golf Club, via Google
Why the heathland
Drive twenty miles southwest of London and the clay gives way to sand. On that free draining heathland soil, in the golden age between 1900 and the 1930s, a handful of architects laid out what many consider the finest inland golf in the world. Willie Park junior found Sunningdale, Harry Colt shaped Swinley Forest and St George's Hill and the New course at Sunningdale, and Herbert Fowler carved Walton Heath and The Berkshire out of the heather. The turf runs firm and fast like a links, the heather punishes the wayward, and the stands of Scots pine and silver birch turn every hole into a framed picture.
What sets the region apart is density and quality together. Nowhere else can you play Sunningdale, Wentworth, Swinley Forest, The Berkshire, Walton Heath and St George's Hill, all genuine top one hundred candidates, without ever moving more than half an hour between first tees. Most are private members clubs with their own rhythms and their own degrees of welcome, so a heathland trip is as much about access as architecture. Get the introductions right and a few days here is the most concentrated golf history the inland game can offer.
The regions
Sunningdale and Ascot
The beating heart of the heathland. Sunningdale's Old and New, Wentworth's three courses and Swinley Forest all sit within a few miles of Ascot, with The Berkshire's Red and Blue a short hop north. The richest cluster of inland golf anywhere.
Woking and west Surrey
The original heathland trio of Woking, West Hill and Worplesdon, joined by the brooding New Zealand and the spectacular St George's Hill above Weybridge. Quieter, older clubs that reward the connoisseur willing to seek them out.
Walton Heath and the downs
East toward the North Downs, Walton Heath's two Fowler courses stand a little apart from the rest, more open and exposed, a former Ryder Cup and European Open venue with a wilder, windswept character all of its own.
The courses that matter
Sunningdale, Old Course
The course that defined heathland golf and still rated among the best inland courses in the world. A gentle, perfectly judged routing through heather and pine, with the famous halfway hut and the old oak by the eighteenth green.
Sunningdale, New Course
Harry Colt's bolder, more exposed companion to the Old, opened over higher, more heather clad ground. Many members quietly prefer it, and together the two make Sunningdale the finest thirty six hole day in English golf.
Wentworth, West Course
The Burma Road, home of the European Tour and host of the BMW PGA Championship, reworked by Ernie Els. The most famous parkland heathland test in England, access by arrangement with a handicap certificate.
Walton Heath, Old Course
An open, windswept Fowler classic that has appeared in the world top one hundred every year since the rankings began in 1938. A 1981 Ryder Cup venue and a regular final qualifying course for the Open.
Swinley Forest
The course Colt himself called the least bad he ever built, a serene, short and exquisite layout through pine and rhododendron near Ascot. A famously private club and, for many, the purest heathland walk of all.
The Berkshire, Red and Blue
Two beautifully balanced Fowler courses among towering pines near Ascot. The Red runs an unusual sequence of six par 3s, six par 4s and six par 5s; the Blue is tighter and more wooded. A glorious thirty six hole day.
St George's Hill
A dramatic, hilly Colt design set among one of England's grandest residential estates above Weybridge, twenty seven holes of plunging fairways and heather banks. Spectacular golf with views across the Surrey hills.
Woking Golf Club
The oldest of the Surrey heathland courses and hugely influential, where members Low and Paton pioneered strategic bunkering. A subtle, walkable classic that repays study more than power.
Worplesdon and West Hill
Woking's near neighbors complete the original heathland three, both quieter, tree lined courses of real charm. West Hill is the tighter of the two, Worplesdon the more open, and a day across all three is a heathland education.
Designers, opening years and host history verified June 2026 by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Most clubs are private and welcome visitors only on limited days by arrangement. Always confirm access, dress code and fees directly before booking.
When to go
| Season | Conditions | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| May to September | Long evenings, firm fast turf, heather in bloom in late summer | The prime window, courses at their best |
| April and October | Cooler and quieter, the autumn color through the pines | Excellent value shoulder golf, fewer visitors |
| November to March | The sandy soil drains well but days are short and cold | Playable on the better days, dress for it |
| Ascot race weeks | The area is busy and hotels fill | Avoid for golf unless you want both |
The heathland drains faster than almost any inland golf in Britain, so the season runs long. Late August, when the heather turns purple, is the most beautiful time of all.
Indicative costs
| Item | Indicative 2026 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Flagship visitor green fee | Around £200 to £400 | Sunningdale, Wentworth, Walton Heath, on visitor days |
| Members only clubs | By introduction | Swinley Forest and others, accessed through a member or operator |
| A long weekend, all in | Around £1,500 to £3,000 per person | Several rounds, a good hotel, transfers, excluding flights |
Indicative third party figures for the 2026 season, shown to set expectations only. We are a guide, not an operator, and never quote our own pricing. Always confirm directly before booking.
Getting there and around
The heathland is the easiest world class golf in Britain to reach. Heathrow is twenty to thirty minutes from Sunningdale and Wentworth, central London under an hour by road or rail, and the whole cluster fits inside a small triangle between Ascot, Woking and Walton on the Hill. A hire car is useful for the short hops between clubs, though a driver lets the group relax after lunch and handles the narrow lanes around the estates. For a visitor coming from overseas, this is a region you can fold into the start or end of a London trip without ever feeling you have left the city's orbit.
Where to stay
Base yourself near Sunningdale or Ascot and almost everything is within half an hour. Pennyhill Park at Bagshot and Coworth Park near Ascot are the grand country house hotels of the area, with The Berystede and the Wentworth resort lodges closer to the courses themselves. For a London led trip, a city hotel works too, since the drive out to the first tee is short. Book the better hotels well ahead around Ascot's race weeks, and let one planner line up the tee times and the introductions so the days flow.
Plan your heathland golf trip
Tell us the courses you want and roughly when. One concierge handles the access and the introductions, costs the whole trip to the head, and replies within one working day, with no obligation.
Heathland golf questions
What is heathland golf?
Heathland golf is played on the free draining sandy soils southwest of London, where heather, gorse and stands of Scots pine and silver birch frame the fairways. The turf is springy and the ground firm, so the courses play fast in the manner of links golf even though they sit well inland. The belt in Surrey and Berkshire holds some of the finest inland courses in the world, most laid out between 1900 and the 1930s.
Can visitors play Sunningdale and Wentworth?
Most of the great heathland clubs are private members clubs that welcome visitors on limited days, usually midweek, by advance arrangement and often with a handicap certificate. Sunningdale, Wentworth and Walton Heath take green fee visitors at premium rates; Swinley Forest and a few others are far harder to access and best reached through a member or a specialist operator.
Where is the heathland golf belt near London?
The belt runs through southwest Surrey and east Berkshire, roughly between Ascot, Sunningdale, Woking and Walton on the Hill, about thirty to forty five minutes from Heathrow and an hour from central London. Sunningdale, Wentworth, Swinley Forest, The Berkshire and St George's Hill sit within a short drive of one another.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Heathland visitor days, the best access windows and the courses worth booking first. Every other week.