Golf in the Cotswolds: The Complete Guide
England's most photographed hills hide a golf secret: a top 100 ranked commons course above Cheltenham at a fraction of top 100 prices, 54 holes at Minchinhampton, Victorian golf over Painswick's beacon and a string of escarpment courses with fifty mile views. This is golf as it was before money got involved, an hour and a half from London.
Photograph: Cleeve Hill, via Google
Why golf here
The Cotswolds run on limestone, and limestone makes golf country: free draining turf, heaving natural contours and commons where golfers have shared the ground with sheep since the 1880s. The golf clubs here are among England's oldest, Stinchcombe Hill and Cirencester both date from 1889, Painswick from 1891, Broadway from 1895, and several still play over open common land with no two flat lies on the property. The headline numbers are remarkable: Cleeve Hill, the region's one nationally ranked course, peaks at 60 pounds in summer 2026, about a third of what comparable rankings cost elsewhere in England.
This is also the easiest sell in British golf to a mixed group. The villages, Broadway, Painswick, Bibury, Stow, are the prettiest in the country, the pubs and hotels are a destination in themselves, and no course on this page is more than forty minutes from a base in Cheltenham or Tetbury. You will not play championship links golf here. You will play something rarer: hilltop golf over ancient ground, in landscapes that explain why the whole region is protected, at green fees that feel like a clerical error.
The Cotswolds courses to build around
Cleeve Hill
The roof of the Cotswolds and the round the trip is built around: wild, treeless commons golf across the region's highest ground, ranked 94th in Golf.com's UK and Ireland top 100, 67th by Golf World and third in Golf World's top 100 under 35 pounds. Sheep wander the fairways, the wind plays every shot with you, and the views run across the Severn Vale to Wales. Summer 2026 fees are 50 pounds midweek before noon and 60 Friday to Sunday, with twilight golf from 25. No buggies, by order of the terrain.
Minchinhampton
The golf estate of the southern Cotswolds: 54 holes across two properties. The Old Course has rolled over Minchinhampton Common since 1889, golf among the cattle and earthworks with the town wrapped around it. Three miles away, the Avening and Cherington courses are the modern championship pair, parkland tests that host county golf in immaculate condition. Published winter 2025 to 2026 visitor rates run 65 to 70 pounds on the championship courses, with summer rates higher and online booking now open to visitors.
Broadway
Eight hundred feet up on the edge of the escarpment above England's showpiece village, Broadway's turf drains like a links and its views run across the Vale of Evesham to the Malverns and the Black Mountains. Design histories credit refinements to Alister MacKenzie and Tom Simpson, and the course's quick, tilted greens support the claim. Pair the round with lunch on Broadway's high street and the day converts any non golfer.
Painswick
The most eccentric and lovable course in the region, laid out in 1891 by Open champion David Brown across Painswick Beacon and its Iron Age hill fort. Holes play over ramparts and quarries, par hovers in the sixties, and the whole round costs less than a dozen premium golf balls. It is short, it is mad, and nobody who plays it ever forgets it. The village below, all silvered stone and yew trees, is the Cotswolds at full strength.
Stinchcombe Hill
Golf since October 1889 on a grassy plateau hanging over the Severn Vale, where the routing horseshoes around the hill and the views reach the Forest of Dean and the Welsh hills. The turf is old, fine and fast, the par 3s are a matched set of postcards, and the welcome is proper Gloucestershire. The natural partner to Minchinhampton on the southern leg of a trip.
Cirencester
The capital of the Cotswolds keeps the region's most playable members' course, founded in 1889 on rolling downland off the Cheltenham road. It is the sheltered pick when the wind makes the high commons a battle, and the club releases visitor tee times online seven days before play. A sound opening or closing round either side of the M4 and M5 drive home.
Also worth a detour: Naunton Downs in the high wolds near Stow, and Tewkesbury Park's parkland with Abbey views at the region's northwestern gate. Facts verified June 2026 from the clubs' own sites and published rankings. Always confirm access and fees directly before booking.
Indicative green fees and the season
Nothing here requires a ballot, a letter of introduction or a second mortgage. Book Cleeve Hill and Minchinhampton online, call the smaller clubs a few days ahead, and keep a weather eye on the forecast: the escarpment courses are glorious in sun and honest work in a gale.
| Course | Indicative visitor fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cleeve Hill | £50 Mon to Thu, £60 Fri to Sun (summer 2026, before noon) | Twilight from £25; no visitor buggies |
| Minchinhampton, Avening and Cherington | £65 to £70 (published winter 2025 to 2026 card) | Summer rates higher; online visitor booking |
| Minchinhampton, Old Course | Commons golf, modest fees via the club | Golf on the Common since 1889 |
| Broadway | Arrange with the club | Escarpment course, 1895; reciprocal 1895 Club network |
| Painswick | Among the lowest fees in the region | Closed for golf when the Beacon events run; call ahead |
| Stinchcombe Hill and Cirencester | Mid double figures | Visitor times online or via the professional |
Indicative visitor green fees as published by each club, verified June 2026; where a club had not yet published a current card we say so rather than guess. May, June and September are the prime months; winter golf stays open on the limestone at lower rates. Always confirm directly before booking.
Booking individual rounds? Compare live tee times through our partner: [TEE_TIME_AFFILIATE_LINK]. Hotels from Broadway to Tetbury: [HOTEL_AFFILIATE_LINK].
Three days in the hills
Drive from London in about ninety minutes, take the train to Cheltenham Spa, or fly into Birmingham or Bristol, each around an hour out. Base in Cheltenham for the northern courses, Painswick or Tetbury for the southern, and let the non golfers loose on the villages while you play.
Cleeve Hill
Straight up the hill for the ranked round while the legs are fresh. Wooden tees in the bag, sheep on the fairways, fifty miles of England below. Dinner in Cheltenham's Montpellier quarter afterward.
Broadway, then Painswick
The escarpment double: Broadway's MacKenzie touched downland in the morning, the drive south along the wold edge, and Painswick's hill fort golf as the maddest, happiest second round in England. Stay at The Painswick or a Broadway coaching inn.
Minchinhampton, 36 holes
The championship pair at Avening and Cherington for the serious golf, or one round there and a sentimental lap of the 1889 Old Course among the cattle. Tetbury and Calcot's spa country sit ten minutes away for the finish.
Plan your Cotswolds golf trip
The right mix of commons golf and championship parkland, a honey stone village base and a table booked where it matters. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling, and one concierge builds the trip and costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Golf in the Cotswolds: common questions
What is the best golf course in the Cotswolds?
Cleeve Hill, the highest ground in the Cotswolds above Cheltenham, is the standout: a wild commons course ranked 94th in Golf.com's UK and Ireland top 100 and 67th by Golf World, at a 2026 peak fee of just 50 to 60 pounds. Minchinhampton's 54 holes, Broadway on its escarpment and the Victorian commons golf of Painswick complete the front rank.
How much does golf in the Cotswolds cost in 2026?
This is some of the best value golf in England. Cleeve Hill's summer 2026 fee is 50 pounds midweek before noon and 60 pounds Friday to Sunday, with twilight from 25. Minchinhampton's published winter 2025 to 2026 visitor rate is 65 to 70 pounds, with summer rates higher. Most other clubs in the hills sit between about 30 and 60 pounds. Always confirm directly before booking.
When is the best time to play golf in the Cotswolds?
May, June and September are ideal: firm turf on the high commons, long days and the villages at their best between the holiday peaks. The escarpment courses sit on free draining limestone and play well in winter at lower rates, though Cleeve Hill and Painswick are exposed when the wind blows. July and August bring the heaviest tourist traffic to the villages, so book dinner before you book golf.
How do you plan a Cotswolds golf trip?
Base in or near Cheltenham, Painswick or Tetbury and nothing is more than forty minutes away. A classic three day run is Cleeve Hill, then Broadway, then 36 holes at Minchinhampton, mixing commons golf with championship parkland. London is about ninety minutes by car or train to Cheltenham, and Birmingham and Bristol airports are both around an hour. This is also England's easiest golf trip to sell to non golfers.
Related
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts and indicative fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.