Wentworth vs The Grove: Which Golf Trip Wins?
Forty minutes apart on the leafy northwest side of London, these two answer different questions. Wentworth's West Course is the members' cathedral, a Harry Colt parkland rebuilt by Ernie Els into the home of the BMW PGA Championship. The Grove is the bookable one, a Kyle Phillips resort with a five star hotel and a WGC on its record. We priced both at 2026 rates and the right answer depends almost entirely on whether you can get on.
Photograph: Wentworth Club, via Google, by Mark Ren
The verdict
For most traveling golfers, the honest pick is The Grove, because you can actually play it. The Grove is a resort first: a Kyle Phillips parkland of around 7,152 yards wrapped around a restored Georgian mansion turned five star hotel in Chandler's Cross, Hertfordshire, with visitor tee times most days and a spa, restaurants and rooms on the doorstep. It has the record to back the room rate too, having hosted the 2006 World Golf Championship that Tiger Woods won and the 2016 British Masters that Alex Noren took. As a complete stay and play within 40 minutes of central London, it is hard to beat.
But if you can get on, Wentworth's West Course is the one you will talk about. Harry Colt laid it out in 1926, Ernie Els reshaped it across two redesigns from 2005, and the result is the long time home of the BMW PGA Championship, the DP World Tour's flagship, at around 7,284 yards through Surrey pines and rhododendron. The catch is access: Wentworth is a private members' club where play is for members and their guests, with guest green fees indicatively from about 195 pounds in winter to 360 in summer, caddie included. The verdict: book The Grove for the trip you can build today, and chase a Wentworth tee time through a member or a corporate day for the round with the tournament pedigree.
Head to head
| What matters | Wentworth, West Course | The Grove |
|---|---|---|
| The course | Harry Colt parkland of 1926, redesigned by Ernie Els from 2005; par 72 of around 7,284 yards through Surrey pines | Kyle Phillips parkland opened in 2003; par 72 of around 7,152 yards around a Georgian mansion in Hertfordshire |
| Pedigree | Long time home of the BMW PGA Championship, the DP World Tour flagship; the European Tour's headquarters | 2006 WGC American Express, won by Tiger Woods; 2016 British Masters, won by Alex Noren |
| 2026 green fee | Guest fees indicatively from around 195 pounds in winter to about 360 in summer, caddie included | Visitor fees indicatively in the region of 125 to 170 pounds, with summer and weekend peaks higher |
| Getting on | Private members' club; play for members and their guests, or via arranged corporate days | Resort course with public visitor tee times most days; book directly or through the hotel |
| Where to stay | No hotel on site; base in Virginia Water, Egham or wider Surrey | The Grove hotel on site, a five star country house with spa and restaurants |
| The supporting golf | Wentworth East and Edinburgh courses on site; Sunningdale, Swinley Forest and Walton Heath nearby | Moor Park and the Hertfordshire clubs close by; Surrey heathland an easy drive south |
Green fees and access verified June 2026 against published course information and are indicative; both change with season and demand, so always confirm directly before booking. Check tee times · Check hotel rates.
Who should pick which
Pick Wentworth if...
You want the round the professionals play, and you have a way on. The West Course is theater: the long par fives that decide the BMW PGA every September, the water guarding the 18th green, and the Els bunkering that turned a genteel Colt parkland into a modern tournament examination. It suits the golfer ticking off the great championship venues, the buddies group with a member among them, or a company entertaining clients on a corporate day. Pair it with the Surrey heathland names just up the road and you have one of the strongest golf weeks in England; our guide to the Surrey and Berkshire heathland maps the whole cluster, and the Sunningdale vs Wentworth comparison is the natural next read.
Pick The Grove if...
You want a trip you can book this afternoon. The Grove gives a group everything in one place: a championship parkland with genuine tournament history, a five star hotel and spa, dining without a drive, and tee times you do not need a member to secure. It is the smart base for a London golf break, an easy sell for a couples weekend or a corporate day where the non golf hours matter as much as the round, and it reads beautifully for a society looking for one polished, bookable marquee course. Build around it with our best golf courses in Surrey ranking and the Surrey golf packages page, or fold both clubs into a wider England golf holiday.
Or refuse the choice. The two clubs sit about 40 minutes apart, so a four night London golf break can stay at The Grove, play it on arrival, swing through Sunningdale and Walton Heath, and crown the trip with a Wentworth tee time when access allows. Our best golf courses in England list shows where both sit nationally.
Plan your London golf trip
The home of the BMW PGA, a five star resort 40 minutes away, and the Surrey heathland in between: tell us roughly when and who is traveling, and one concierge prices it to the head, with no obligation.
Wentworth vs The Grove questions
Is Wentworth or The Grove easier to play as a visitor?
The Grove, comfortably. The Grove is a resort course you can book directly, with a five star hotel on site and visitor tee times most days, so any group can play it without a member. Wentworth's West Course is a private members' club where access is for members and their guests, so unless you know a member or arrange a corporate day, the Grove is the realistic ticket. Always confirm current access arrangements directly before booking.
How much do Wentworth and The Grove cost in 2026?
Indicative 2026 figures: Wentworth's guest green fees on the West Course run from around 195 pounds in winter to about 360 in summer, typically including a caddie, and only members and their guests may play. The Grove's visitor green fees have run in the region of 125 to 170 pounds, with summer and weekend peak rounds higher. Both are indicative and change with season and demand, so always confirm directly before booking.
Which course is better, Wentworth West or The Grove?
Wentworth's West Course has the deeper pedigree as the long time home of the BMW PGA Championship, a Harry Colt parkland remodeled by Ernie Els into a modern tournament test of around 7,284 yards. The Grove is a younger Kyle Phillips parkland of about 7,152 yards that hosted a WGC in 2006 and the British Masters in 2016, and it plays as a polished, bookable resort experience. Tournament aura goes to Wentworth; access and a complete stay and play go to the Grove.
Can you play both Wentworth and The Grove on one trip?
Yes, they sit about 40 minutes apart on the northwest side of London, so a short golf break can take in both if you can secure Wentworth access. A common plan bases at The Grove for the hotel and an easy round, adds the Surrey heathland names like Sunningdale and Walton Heath, and treats a Wentworth tee time as the centerpiece when a member or corporate day allows. Always confirm access and tee times directly before booking.
Related
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts and fees verified June 2026 against published course information. Last reviewed June 2026.