Hampshire Golf Holidays: Where to Stay and Play
Hampshire is what happens when Surrey's golf moves one county west and loses the price tag: a Top 100 heathland gem at Liphook from around £95, pure Harry Colt at Blackmoor, and the only true links on England's central south coast at Hayling. Here is how to build the heath and links double into a holiday, what the 2026 fees total, and where to sleep between rounds.
Photograph: Hayling Golf Club, by Geoff Pearce, via Google
Who this trip suits
Golfers who know that the best value in world golf is the second most famous county in any great golfing country. The connoisseur names on our Hampshire ranking, Liphook, Blackmoor, Stoneham, Hayling, would be headline acts anywhere else; here they sit an hour from London with midweek tee sheets that actually answer the phone. It is the natural trip for groups who have done the Surrey sand belt and balked at repeating those fees, for London visitors who want heathland golf without heathland formality, and for links collectors making the pilgrimage to Hayling's windblown dunes, the only true links between Rye and the Cornish coast.
The courses to build around
Three anchors. Liphook is the headliner, an Arthur Croome heathland design from 1923 with a Top 100 Britain and Ireland ranking and some of the cleverest green complexes in southern England. Blackmoor, ten minutes away on the same sandy belt, is Harry Colt at his purest, 1913, two loops of nine through pine and heather. Hayling is the change of key: Tom Simpson links golf over real dunes on the Solent, wind guaranteed, views to the Isle of Wight included. Around them, Stoneham's restored Willie Park Jr layout above Southampton, North Hants at Fleet where Justin Rose learned the game, and the Old Thorns resort course by Dave Thomas and Peter Alliss, which conveniently comes with the county's best golf hotel attached.
A sample 4 night structure, costed
| Day | The plan |
|---|---|
| Day 1 · arrive | Check in at Old Thorns near Liphook, 90 minutes from Heathrow off the A3. Loosen up on the resort's own Thomas and Alliss course, then spa and dinner on site |
| Day 2 · the headliner | Liphook in the morning (visitor rates from around £95 midweek, around £125 weekends; society days from about £135 with meals). Afternoon free in the South Downs, or 9 more at the resort |
| Day 3 · Colt day | Blackmoor, ten minutes north (around £150 April to October, near £120 in winter, Monday to Thursday visitor days). Classic two loop Colt heathland; stay a second night at the Liphook base |
| Day 4 · the links | Drive an hour south to Hayling (around £130). Play the Simpson links with the Solent wind up, then a final night near Portsmouth's harbor, or back at Old Thorns for the easy run home |
| Optional day 5 | Stoneham by Southampton on the way west (book online for the keenest rates), or Rowlands Castle as the gentle inland partner to Hayling. Total fees for the core three rounds: roughly £375 |
Stay and play through Old Thorns or a packaged operator often beats piecing it together. Compare packages · Check tee times · Browse stays.
When to go and when to book
The sand is the secret. Hampshire's heathland belt and Hayling's links drain the way the famous Surrey courses do, which means April and October here play like June elsewhere; if your dates are shoulder season, this county rewards the gamble better than almost anywhere in southern England. May, June and September remain the prime windows, with the heather flowering purple across Liphook and Blackmoor from late July into August. Midweek is the trip: the anchor clubs are private members' clubs that publish generous Monday to Thursday visitor sheets, Blackmoor's visitor days run Monday to Thursday, and weekend access everywhere is limited and pricier. Four to eight weeks of lead time lands most midweek dates; summer and society season deserve more.
Budget honestly and the value case writes itself: roughly £375 in fees for Liphook, Blackmoor and Hayling combined is comparable to one peak round at Sunningdale or Swinley Forest over the border. Spend the difference on the beds and the cellar at Old Thorns, or on extending to a fifth day. For the wider national picture, our England golf holidays page sets every county trip side by side.
Plan your Hampshire golf holiday
Tell us your group, your month and which anchors matter most, and one concierge secures the visitor days, books the beds and costs the trip to the head. No obligation.
Hampshire holiday questions
How much does a Hampshire golf holiday cost?
Less than the famous heathland next door. Liphook publishes visitor rates from around £95 midweek, Hayling's links runs around £130, and Blackmoor sits near £150 in its April to October season, so a three round long weekend lands near £375 in fees, against £300 plus for a single round at the marquee Surrey clubs. With three nights at a good country hotel or the Old Thorns resort, most groups spend £650 to £1,000 per person. Fees are indicative for the 2026 season; always confirm directly before booking.
What courses should the trip be built around?
Three anchors: Liphook, the county's Top 100 heathland masterpiece; Blackmoor, pure Harry Colt on the same sandy belt ten minutes away; and Hayling, the only true links on the south coast between Rye and Cornwall, an hour south on the Solent. Stoneham by Southampton and North Hants at Fleet are the strongest supporting rounds, and Old Thorns adds a resort course attached to your hotel.
Where should the trip be based?
The east Hampshire heathland triangle around Liphook is the golf base: Old Thorns resort puts a hotel, spa and its own course five minutes from Liphook's gates, with Blackmoor and North Hants in easy reach. For the links leg, either day trip to Hayling, about an hour, or split the stay with a night near Portsmouth and pair Hayling with Rowlands Castle.
When is the best time to go?
May, June and September, but Hampshire's sand is the real advantage: the heathland courses and Hayling's links drain superbly, so spring and autumn play firm when clay parkland elsewhere is sodden. Visitor sheets are friendliest midweek; most of the private clubs sell limited weekend times. Book four to eight weeks out for midweek golf, longer for summer Fridays.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Fee changes, booking windows and the trips worth taking. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Green fees verified June 2026 against club published rates. Last reviewed June 2026.