London and The South Coast

Royal St George’s captures the spirit of true links golf, full of character, challenge and the occasional surprise. Some players may comment on its quirks or lively bounces, yet these features are exactly what give the course its charm and sense of adventure. The welcome is warm and the clubhouse rich with tradition, but once you head to the first tee the focus shifts quickly.

Fairways weave through tall dunes, bunkers cut deep into the landscape and bold decisions often bring the greatest rewards. The vast bunker on the fourth is unforgettable, while the par three seventeenth carries its own drama, forever linked to Thomas Bjorn’s 2003 heartbreak. Come ready to embrace its unpredictability and Royal St George’s will deliver a thrilling links experience.

Royal Cinque Ports, known to many as Deal, offers one of the most authentic championship links rounds in England. Set along Sandwich Bay, it delivers a blend of coastal drama and strategic nuance that rewards creativity as much as control. The fairways roll across firm, rumpled ground, encouraging thoughtful shot placement and clever use of the wind. The back nine is especially memorable, turning into the prevailing breeze and serving up a closing stretch renowned for its difficulty and character.

With well shaped greens, purposeful bunkering and a layout that feels entirely natural, Deal captures the essence of traditional seaside golf. Every shot matters here, and every bounce tells part of the story.

Prince’s Golf Club is a storied and continually refreshed links on the Kent coast, offering a round that feels both rooted in history and alive with new ideas. It famously hosted the 1932 Open Championship, where Gene Sarazen showcased his groundbreaking sand wedge, a moment that still echoes through the game. Today the course is arranged across three distinctive nines – Shore, Dunes and Himalayas – each bringing its own flow and character.

Firm turf, gentle contours and well prepared greens reward smart strategy rather than brute force. Blending championship heritage with an easygoing coastal atmosphere, Prince’s stands out as one of the most enjoyable places to play in south east England.

Sunningdale’s Old Course is often celebrated as the world’s finest heathland layout. First crafted by Willie Park Jr. in 1901 and later shaped by Harry Colt, it holds an important place in golf’s architectural story and remains a fixture in global top-30 rankings. The course moves with effortless grace through heather and mature woodland, each hole fitting the land so naturally that the routing feels almost inevitable. Vistas are beautifully framed and the flow from green to tee is as elegant as any course in Britain.

Its greens carry gentle but telling slopes that reward precise approaches and delicate putting. Tempting short par fours offer chances for the bold, yet the course never gives up a score without a fight. There is a rare sense of atmosphere here, a blend of beauty and calm authority that makes a round on the Old Course feel genuinely special.

Sunningdale’s New Course stands among the finest inland layouts in golf. Designed by Harry Colt in 1923, it flows across open heathland framed by pine, birch and generous sweeps of heather, with wide views over the Berkshire landscape. The course has a natural rhythm that invites thoughtful play, asking you to choose bold lines, trust a few semi blind drives and commit to carries that look longer than they are. Cross bunkers, angled fairways and five distinctive par threes create variety from start to finish.

Swinley Forest is a place of rare beauty and quiet confidence. Designed by Harry Colt, who jokingly called it his “least bad” work, the course feels timeless from the opening tee shot. It is not long, yet its charm lies in its subtlety and superb playability. Tall pines frame each hole without overwhelming them, the heather sits in all the right places, and every contour feels deliberately and thoughtfully placed. The par threes form the core of the experience, especially the Redan-influenced fourth and the demanding seventeenth, each asking for commitment and precision.

Swinley is always fair, yet it constantly asks questions. The greens and their surrounds introduce deft run offs, clever bunkering and plenty of nuance, creating a round that rewards touch as much as strategy. It is golf in its purest form, beautifully balanced and endlessly satisfying.

The Old Course at Walton Heath is a benchmark of English heathland design. Created by Herbert Fowler in 1904, it stretches across wide, open ground where heather lined fairways and firm turf encourage thoughtful, well planned golf. Nothing here feels forced. The fairways offer room to swing, yet scoring depends on finding the best lines into large, subtly contoured greens that reveal their character only when you get close.

As the round develops, the course builds beautifully. The long par three eleventh demands a crisp, accurate strike, while the fourteenth delivers one of the most rewarding drives on any heathland course. With a history that includes the Ryder Cup, British Masters and Women’s Open, Walton Heath remains a place of quiet tradition and honest, strategic challenge.

The Blue Course at The Berkshire announces its intent from the opening tee. The round begins with a striking par three played in full view of the clubhouse terrace, calling for a confident carry over a heather filled valley. It sets the tone for a front nine that blends scoring chances with genuine challenge, using the natural movement of the heathland to create varied par fours and fives. Herbert Fowler’s routing makes excellent use of the rises and falls in the land, shaping approaches that feel both natural and dramatic.

The back nine keeps the pressure high. Another strong par three leads into a closing run known for its toughness, with the final five par fours demanding accuracy, imagination and sustained focus. Beautifully maintained and consistently engaging, the Blue Course offers a formidable yet fair examination of heathland golf, rewarding skill and thoughtful play.

The Red Course at The Berkshire is a superb example of classic heathland design. Laid out by Herbert Fowler in 1928, it moves gracefully across rolling ground framed by heather, pine and birch. Its distinctive rhythm comes from an unusual balance of six par fives, six par fours and six par threes, creating constant variety and a steady mix of decision making. The elevation changes add interest throughout, giving the course more shape and texture than many of its peers.

Fowler’s strategic instincts appear on every hole. Cross bunkers, angled lines of play and subtly contoured greens encourage thoughtful golf without ever feeling unfair. Conditioning is always excellent and the routing flows smoothly from start to finish. The Red remains a course to savour, beautifully balanced and as rewarding today as it was almost a century ago.