When to Play Golf in Surrey
The Surrey heathland is built on sand, which changes everything about timing. The turf drains in minutes rather than days, the courses play firm and fast all summer, and the heather turns the whole belt purple from late July into August. The real calendar here is not the weather but the clubs: most of the great names take visitors on weekdays only, Sunningdale's 2026 diary is already full, and the best windows are booked months out. Here is the year, month by month, and how to plan around it.
Photograph: Walton Heath Golf Club, Surrey, by Walton Heath Golf Club, via Google
The short answer
The best time to play golf in Surrey is May to early July, with September the equal of either. The days are long enough for 36 holes, the sandy turf has firmed into its running summer self, and the clubs are in their full visitor season. The connoisseur's pick is narrower: late July through August, when the heather blooms and courses like Walton Heath Old and Hankley Common sit in a sea of purple. That is the postcard the heathland paints once a year, and it is worth planning around.
The second answer is that Surrey barely has an off season. These courses occupy a band of free draining sand southwest of London, which is why the Edwardians built here in the first place: while clay parkland courses flood in a wet English winter, the heathland keeps playing to its main greens. What actually governs your trip is access, not climate. Nearly every marquee club is private and takes visitors on weekdays only, several insist on foursomes or two ball play on certain days, and the famous diaries open the previous autumn and fill fast. Our Surrey and Berkshire heathland destination guide covers the courses themselves; this page is about when to go.
Surrey heathland golf, season by season
| Window | Weather and turf | Visitor access and fees | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| January to February | Cold, often crisp; frost delays possible, but the sand drains fast and the heath stays open while parkland floods | Quietest tee sheets of the year; winter rates run well below summer cards; some clubs require fairway mats or restrict trolleys | Serious value if you accept short days and mats |
| March to April | The heath wakes up; drying turf, gorse coming into yellow flower, showers passing through quickly | Most clubs flip to their in season rate card from April 1; visitor diaries are in full swing and spring weekdays book up | A lovely shoulder, with fees stepping up in April |
| May to June | Long evenings, fresh running fairways, the most settled stretch of the English year | Peak visitor season under way; Sunningdale's window opens in May; weekday slots at the big names go months ahead | The sweet spot for conditions and daylight |
| July to August | Warm and firm, the turf at its fastest; heather in purple bloom from late July into August | Society season packs the midweek sheets; book the furthest ahead of any window | The heather window; our pick for the photograph |
| September to October | Often the best turf of the year, soft light, heather fading through September | Demand stays high into October, then in season rates wind down; Sunningdale's visitor season ends in October | September rivals June; October is the value end of prime |
| November to December | Shorter, damper, still playable; rounds need to be off the first tee by midday to finish | Winter rates return; weekend access actually eases at some clubs; 2027 diaries open, Sunningdale's from November 2026 | Book next year's trip while playing this year's bargain |
Seasonal pattern and 2026 club policies verified June 2026 from club websites. Fees and access rules change, so always confirm directly with each club before booking. Check Surrey tee time availability.
The clubs set the calendar
Plan a Surrey trip around a working week, because the weekend barely exists here for visitors. Sunningdale, whose Old Course Willie Park Jr laid out in 1901 and whose New Course Harry Colt added in 1923, welcomes visitors Monday to Thursday from May to October, asks for handicaps of 18.4 for men and 24.4 for women, and lists a summer green fee of £325 per course with a £550 day ticket for both. Its 2026 visitor diary is already fully booked, and the 2027 diary opens in November 2026. One honesty note: the clubhouse sits just over the county line in Berkshire, as does Colt's exquisite Swinley Forest of 1911, but no sane Surrey heathland trip leaves either off the list. We compare the two giants of the belt in Sunningdale vs Wentworth, and our Sunningdale guide covers the booking battle in detail.
Walton Heath, Herbert Fowler's 1904 masterpiece on the Epsom side of the county, is the friendliest of the marquee names: visitors play Monday to Friday from 9:30am and even at weekends and bank holidays from midday, 11am in winter. The club's most recently published in season card, running April to November, listed £260 Monday to Thursday and £300 on Fridays, weekends and bank holidays; confirm the current 2026 figures directly. St George's Hill, Colt's 1913 design at Weybridge, takes visitors Monday to Thursday with very limited Friday mornings and has listed weekday fees around £240, and there is a timing wrinkle for 2026: the club is renovating its Red nine from August 2026 to April 2027, with 18 hole rounds played over the Green and Blue nines in that window. The two make a natural pairing, weighed up in Walton Heath vs St George's Hill.
Then come the three Ws around Woking, the soul of the heathland. Woking Golf Club, the oldest of the belt at 1893, publishes its 2026 card as £215 on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, when play is two ball and foursomes only, and £235 on Tuesday and Friday for four ball play, with a £315 day rate and handicap limits of 24.0 for men and 28.0 for women. West Hill takes visitors Monday to Friday and reopened in early March 2026 after the second phase of its bunker and heathland restoration; fees are on application, so confirm with the club. Worplesdon is weekdays only with advance booking and a high season weekday round around £220, again best confirmed directly. Further southwest, Hankley Common publishes 2026 fees of £220 Monday to Thursday and £235 Friday to Sunday, one of the few places in the county where a visitor can book a weekend afternoon. The full rate picture lives in our Surrey green fees guide.
What a peak season day costs
Budget roughly £215 to £325 for a marquee 18 in summer 2026, and £450 to £550 for a 36 hole day at the biggest names once you add lunch in the clubhouse, which on the heathland is half the point. A five day, five course trip built around Sunningdale, Walton Heath, St George's Hill, Woking and Hankley Common runs £1,200 to £1,400 in green fees alone before accommodation and travel; our five day Surrey heathland itinerary sequences it sensibly, and the wider county picture is in our Surrey course rankings. All fees are indicative for 2026 and always worth confirming directly before booking. Hotels in the stockbroker belt are scarce and dear in midweek, so compare Surrey hotel rates early for your dates.
Winter rules and booking lead times
Winter on the heathland is a genuine option rather than a consolation. The sand keeps the courses open and the main greens in play through most of the season, fees fall sharply, and the tee sheets empty out. The trade is daylight and protection: rounds need to start by midday in December, frost can hold the first tee for an hour, and several clubs ask visitors to play from fairway mats or restrict trolleys in the coldest months. Policies differ club by club and year by year, so check before you travel. On lead times, work backward from the diary openings: the famous clubs open visitor books the previous autumn, Sunningdale from November for the following year, and the May to September weekdays go first. Six to nine months ahead is comfortable for a full itinerary; inside three months you are working around what is left, which is exactly the moment to hand the sequencing to a concierge. For where Surrey sits in the bigger picture, see England's best heathland courses, our Surrey and Berkshire heathland rankings and the full England destination guide.
Plan a Surrey heathland trip
Tell us roughly when you want to travel and who is in the group, and one concierge times the trip to the heather, works the weekday visitor windows at Sunningdale, Walton Heath and the three Ws, and costs it to the head. The famous diaries fill the previous autumn, so the sooner we start the better, with no obligation.
Surrey golf timing questions
When is the best time to play golf in Surrey?
May to early July and September are the sweet spots: long days, firm sandy turf, the courses in full color and the weather at its most reliable. Late July through August is the connoisseur's window, because that is when the heather blooms purple across the heaths. The honest caveat is that sand based heathland drains so fast that every month is playable; winter simply brings shorter days, occasional frost delays and lower fees. Always confirm conditions and rates directly with the clubs before booking.
Are Surrey's heathland courses playable in winter?
Yes, and that is the point of heathland. The courses sit on free draining sand, so they stay open and play to main greens through most winters while clay parkland courses nearby are waterlogged. Expect occasional frost delays, some clubs asking for fairway mats or restricting trolleys in the depths of winter, and rounds finishing by mid afternoon in December. Winter rates are meaningfully lower, but check each club's mat and trolley policy before you travel.
How much does a peak season day on the Surrey heathland cost in 2026?
For summer 2026, Sunningdale lists a £325 green fee per course with a £550 day ticket for 36 holes, Woking is £215 to £235 with a £315 day rate, and Hankley Common is £220 to £235. Walton Heath's most recently published in season card ran £260 to £300, and St George's Hill has listed around £240 on weekdays. So a marquee 18 sits roughly between £215 and £325, and a 36 hole day at the biggest names runs £450 to £550 before caddies, lunch and travel. All fees are indicative; always confirm directly before booking.
Can visitors play Sunningdale and Walton Heath on weekends?
At Sunningdale, no: the club welcomes visitors Monday to Thursday from May to October, with handicap limits of 18.4 for men and 24.4 for women, and its 2026 visitor diary is already fully booked. Walton Heath is the friendlier exception, taking visitors Monday to Friday from 9:30am and even at weekends and bank holidays from midday, 11am in winter. Most of the rest of the heathland belt, including Woking, West Hill, Worplesdon and St George's Hill, is weekdays only, so plan the trip around a working week.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Seasonal trips, green fee changes and the booking windows that just opened. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. 2026 visitor policies and fees at Sunningdale, Walton Heath, St George's Hill, Woking, West Hill, Worplesdon and Hankley Common verified June 2026 from club websites. Last reviewed June 2026.