Published 01 October 2026

Most golfers who travel to Britain with Halcyon Golf Travel come for the links - St Andrews, the Ayrshire coast, the dunes of Northern Ireland - and I understand why. But of all the golf trips to England we plan, I think the best golf trip Surrey and Berkshire has to offer, on the heathland courses just outside London, is the one well-travelled golfers usually never consider.

I am Jack Sallis, and this corner of England is home turf for me. I went to school at Wellington College in Berkshire, I caddied at Wentworth as a junior, and I have been playing these courses for the past 16 years. Sunningdale, Swinley Forest, The Berkshire and Walton Heath are not names on a bucket list to me. They are the courses I learned the game on, and I still think they are among the finest inland courses anywhere in the world.

This guide covers everything you need to plan a Surrey and Berkshire golf trip: the history and design of every course worth playing, the quirks of the booking calendar (which catch out a lot of people), how easy the logistics are from Heathrow, the hotels we use, and why this is one of the best golf destinations in Britain for couples.

The 18th on the Old Course at Sunningdale, with the famous oak tree and clubhouse behind the green.

Why Surrey and Berkshire?

The best golf courses near London are found in the heathland belt of Surrey and Berkshire, roughly 20 to 30 miles south-west of the city. Sunningdale (Old and New), Swinley Forest, Walton Heath, The Berkshire, St George's Hill and Hankley Common all sit within an hour of each other, and several of them rank inside the world's top 100. Most are between 20 and 45 minutes from London Heathrow, which makes this the most accessible collection of world-class golf in the British Isles. No other region on earth has this density of great inland golf.

What makes the area so special is geology. A band of sandy, free-draining soil runs through this part of southern England, and at the turn of the 20th century, as golf exploded in popularity and London's golfers wanted to play closer to home, the great architects of the day found it was the perfect canvas. Willie Park Jr, Harry Colt, Herbert Fowler and James Braid all built some of their finest work here, most of it within a few years of each other.

The result is a cluster of courses with more history per square mile than almost anywhere outside St Andrews. Ryder Cups, Walker Cups, Women's Opens, Senior Opens and the European Tour's flagship event have all been staged here, and many of these clubs have barely changed in a century. For a golfer who has already played the great links of Scotland and Ireland, this corner of Southern England is the natural next trip.

What Is a Heathland Golf Course?

Every course in this guide is a heathland course, so it is worth understanding what that means before you arrive. A heath is an open, sandy landscape dominated by heather, gorse, bracken and scattered pine and birch. The soil is poor for farming but perfect for golf, because it drains quickly and produces the same firm, fast-running turf you find on a links.

That is why heathland golf is often described as the inland cousin of links golf. You still get the bounce, the ground game and the need for imagination around the greens. What you do not get is the relentless sea wind, and in its place you get colour: purple heather in late summer, yellow gorse in spring, and fairways framed by tall Scots pines. Stray into the heather and you will quickly learn to take your medicine and chip out sideways.

I have written a full explainer on this, which I would recommend reading before your trip: what is a heathland golf course, covering the similarities and differences with links golf and the best heathland courses outside the south.

The 6th on Sunningdale's New Course - a green runway cut through a sea of heather.

The Golf: Course by Course

Below is my guide to every course I would consider for a Surrey and Berkshire golf trip, with the history, the designers, the championships and what each one is like to play. I have split them into the headline courses that form the core of most trips, the "Three Ws" around Woking that I think are some of the best value in England, and the two private clubs that everyone asks about.

Sunningdale Golf Club: Old and New

If you only play one course in this part of the world, make it Sunningdale. Founded in 1900, it has two courses that both sit in the world's top 100, and a clubhouse and halfway hut that are as much a part of the experience as the golf.

The Old Course was designed by Willie Park Jr and opened in 1901, and it is the course that proved great golf could be built inland. Its most famous moment came in 1926, when Bobby Jones shot 66 in qualifying for the Open with 33 shots and 33 putts, every hole a three or a four. It is still spoken of as the perfect round, and Jones said afterwards he wished he could take the course home with him. It is not long by modern standards, but the large, rolling greens and the heather that frames every hole make it a wonderful test.

The New Course was designed by Harry Colt, who was Sunningdale's first club secretary, and opened in 1923. It is tighter, more exposed and, many good players would argue, the tougher of the two. The walk from the 5th green to the 6th tee, looking down over a fairway cut from a sea of heather, is one of my favourite moments in English golf.

Sunningdale's championship record is exceptional. It has hosted the 1987 Walker Cup, the Women's British Open four times (1997, 2001, 2004 and 2008), the European Open, the Senior Open in 2009, 2015, 2021 and 2025, and the 2024 Curtis Cup.

The elevated 10th tee on the Old Course at Sunningdale, with the halfway hut just behind the green.

Walton Heath Golf Club: Old and New

Where Sunningdale is pines and parkland elegance, Walton Heath is open, windswept heath on the Surrey Downs, and it plays more like a links than any course in the area. Founded in 1903, both courses were designed by Herbert Fowler. The Old opened in 1904, and the New began as nine holes in 1907 before being extended to 18 in 1913.

The five-time Open champion James Braid was the club professional here from 1904 until 1950, and the membership over the years has included Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George and Edward, Prince of Wales, who served as captain. The championship history is just as rich: the 1981 Ryder Cup, the European Open for many years between 1978 and 1991, the 2011 Senior Open, the 2018 British Masters and, most recently, the 2023 AIG Women's Open, won by Lilia Vu.

The Old is the one in the world rankings, but do not dismiss the New. Holes from both courses are combined for championships, and on a firm summer day with the wind up, the New can be every bit as testing.

The Berkshire Golf Club: Red and Blue

Herbert Fowler also designed both courses at The Berkshire, which opened in 1928 among the pine forests near Ascot. It is one of the most tranquil places to play golf in England. The trees are so dense that you rarely see another hole, and each one feels like a private walk through the woods.

The Red Course is one of the great quirks of British golf, with six par 3s, six par 4s and six par 5s. It sounds like a gimmick, but it is a brilliant, varied round of golf, and the par 3s in particular are superb. The Blue Course has a more conventional card but opens with a long par 3 over a valley of heather, which is as intimidating a first shot as you will find anywhere. The club is also home to the Berkshire Trophy, one of the most prestigious 72-hole amateur events in the country.

Do not miss lunch at The Berkshire. The clubhouse lunch is a highlight of any trip, and it is one of the clubs where a jacket and tie are expected in certain rooms, so pack accordingly.

The Red Course at The Berkshire, where six par 3s, six par 4s and six par 5s make for one of golf's great quirks.

Swinley Forest Golf Club

Swinley Forest, near Ascot, is Harry Colt's work from 1909, and he famously called it his "least bad course". It is barely 6,400 yards from the back tees, yet it is ranked among the finest courses in the world, and it is the purest example I know of a course that needs no length to be a great test.

Swinley is also one of the most eccentric clubs in golf. It hosts no tournaments, has traditionally done without scorecards and official handicaps, and still operates with a quiet, old-world formality that is part of the charm. Visitor access is limited, but it is possible, and it is one of the rounds our clients remember most. Being a stone's throw from Wellington College, it is a course I know very well.

"Swinley Forest is the course I would pick for my last round. It is not the longest or the hardest, but there is not a weak hole on it, and nowhere else captures the spirit of heathland golf quite like it."- Jack Sallis

Hankley Common Golf Club

Further south-west, near Farnham, Hankley Common is the wildest of the heathland courses and my tip for the one that surprises people most. The course opened as nine holes in 1897, James Braid designed the extension to 18 holes in the early 1920s, and Harry Colt reworked several holes in the 1930s.

It is set on open, rolling common land, with vast expanses of heather and very few trees, so it feels closer to a links than almost anything else inland. The finish is famous: the 18th requires a long approach over a deep, heather-filled chasm to a green on the far side. Hankley hosted the Men's Home Internationals in 2021 and is a regular venue for top amateur golf.

Hankley Common - open, rolling heathland that plays more like a links than almost any course inland.

St George's Hill Golf Club

Harry Colt's other masterpiece in the area, St George's Hill near Weybridge opened in 1913 as the centrepiece of one of England's most exclusive residential estates. It is dramatically hilly for heathland golf, with tees and greens set on ridges and plunging valleys of heather and rhododendron in between.

It is regularly ranked in the world's top 100, and I think it is one of the most beautiful places to play in the country, particularly in May when the rhododendrons are in flower. The Red and Blue nines form the main course, with the Green nine alongside.

The Three Ws: Woking, West Hill and Worplesdon

Just south of Woking, three clubs sit shoulder to shoulder, and together they are known as the "Three Ws". I love building a day or two around them, because they are full of history, beautifully presented and slightly less in demand than the headline names.

• Woking Golf Club (1893) - Originally laid out by Tom Dunn, Woking holds a special place in the history of golf course architecture. In 1901, two of its members, John Low and Stuart Paton, placed a pair of bunkers in the middle of the 4th fairway, inspired by the Principal's Nose at St Andrews. It forced golfers to choose between a bold line and a safe one, and it is widely credited as the birth of strategic design.
• West Hill Golf Club (1909) - Designed by Cuthbert Butchart, West Hill is the youngest of the three and plays every inch of its length through pines, heather and the Brookwood stream. It has hosted the Father and Son Foursomes since 1931, one of the most charming events in amateur golf.
• Worplesdon Golf Club (1908) - Laid out by J.F. Abercromby, with former Prime Minister Arthur Balfour as its first captain. Worplesdon is home to the famous Mixed Foursomes, played since 1921 and won eight times by the great Joyce Wethered.

The Private Clubs: Wentworth and Queenwood

No guide to golf in Surrey would be complete without these two, but I want to be clear from the outset: both are private members' clubs, and neither is open to visitors in the way the courses above are. Play is by invitation of a member.

Wentworth, in Virginia Water, is the best-known golf club in England. Harry Colt designed the East Course (1924) and the famous West Course (1926), nicknamed the Burma Road, and the Edinburgh Course followed in 1990. In 1926 Wentworth hosted the informal match between the professionals of Great Britain and the United States that led to the Ryder Cup, and it staged the real thing in 1953. It was home to the World Match Play Championship from 1964 to 2007, and the West Course has hosted the BMW PGA Championship, the DP World Tour's flagship event, every year since 1984. Ernie Els made significant changes to the West in the mid-2000s.

Queenwood, near Ottershaw, is a very different proposition. Designed by David McLay Kidd and opened in 2001, it drew heavily on the heathland traditions of Sunningdale and Walton Heath. Membership is capped at around 350 and it is widely regarded as one of the most exclusive golf clubs in the world. If your trip is built around these courses you will be spoiled for choice without it, and if you do have a member connection, we are always happy to build the rest of the trip around that round.

When to Book: The Surrey and Berkshire Calendar

The top heathland clubs in Surrey and Berkshire typically open their visitor diaries in late October or early November for the following summer. That is much later than most of the leading courses in Scotland and Ireland, which often take bookings well over a year in advance. Because demand is so high, especially at Sunningdale, the best approach is to get your name on a club's waiting list before the diary opens, so your request is handled as soon as tee times are released. Sunningdale only takes visitors from Monday to Thursday.

This catches out a lot of golfers, particularly those combining the south with a Scottish or Irish leg. You can have your St Andrews and Muirfield tee times confirmed a year ahead, and then find you cannot even request Sunningdale until the autumn before you travel. That is why we put our clients on the relevant waiting lists early, and plan the rest of the itinerary around the clubs that are hardest to secure.

A few rules of thumb from years of booking these courses:

• Sunningdale is Monday to Thursday only. Monday tee times tend to open up for booking earlier in the year than the rest of the week, so if Sunningdale is the priority, a Monday is often the easiest day to secure.
• Weekends are hard, but not impossible. The Berkshire and Walton Heath are the best options for weekend golf, but visitors are generally restricted to the afternoons.
• Build the week around the hardest tee time. Confirm your Sunningdale day first, then fit the other courses around it.
• Handicaps apply. Sunningdale's limit is 18.4 for men and 24.4 for women, and The Berkshire's is 18 for men and 24 for women, so bring your handicap certificate.

If you want to know how Sunningdale compares with the rest of the most sought-after rounds in the British Isles, have a look at our guide to the toughest tee times to book.

"The single biggest mistake people make with a Surrey and Berkshire trip is assuming it works like Scotland. The diaries open late, the good days go quickly, and the golfers who get the best tee times are the ones who were on the waiting list first."- Jack Sallis

Getting There: The Heathrow Advantage

Most of the leading heathland courses in Surrey and Berkshire are between 20 and 45 minutes' drive from London Heathrow. Sunningdale, Wentworth, Swinley Forest and The Berkshire are all roughly 20 to 30 minutes from the airport, Walton Heath and St George's Hill around 30 to 40 minutes, and Hankley Common around 45 minutes. Windsor, the natural base for a trip, is only about 15 to 20 minutes from the terminals. It means you can land in the morning and, if you are feeling energetic, play nine holes that afternoon.

For golfers flying in from the US, this is a huge advantage. Heathrow is Europe's busiest transatlantic hub, so you can fly from almost any major American city straight into the heart of golf country, with no connecting flight, no long drive north and no domestic transfer. The same is true at the end of the trip: tee off in the morning, have lunch in the clubhouse and be at the airport in half an hour.

Within the area, distances are short. Nothing in this guide is much more than an hour from anything else, so you can stay in one hotel for the whole trip and never feel like you are spending your holiday in a car. We offer self-drive, private transfers and dedicated driver-guides, all of which are explained on our golf trip transport page, and for this part of the world I usually recommend a driver so nobody has to navigate the M25 after a long clubhouse lunch. If you are bringing your own clubs, read our tips on flying to the UK with your golf clubs first.

It is also easy to add a few days in the capital. Central London is around 45 minutes to an hour from Windsor, and many of our clients finish their trip with two or three nights in London before flying home. For a links contrast, the Kent coast is around two hours away; our guide on why you should add Kent to your golfing bucket list explains the best way to pair the two.

Where to Stay: Our Recommended Hotels

One of the joys of this trip is that you can base yourself in one place for the whole week. Windsor, Ascot and the Surrey countryside around Bagshot are all perfectly positioned, and the standard of hotels is as high as anywhere in Britain. These are the four we recommend most often.

The Castle Hotel, Windsor - Our Preferred Four-Star

For a four-star base, The Castle Hotel in Windsor is our first choice. It is an elegant Georgian former coaching inn on Windsor High Street, a one-minute walk from the gates of Windsor Castle, with origins as an inn dating back to the 16th century. It is in the midst of a multi-million pound refurbishment, the rooms are comfortable and characterful, and Penningtons, the hotel's British brasserie, is a relaxed spot for dinner after golf.

What I like most is the location. You can walk out of the front door into the town, watch the Changing of the Guard, and be on the first tee at Sunningdale in 20 minutes. For couples and groups who want a lively base rather than a secluded country house, it is hard to beat.

A guest room at The Castle Hotel on Windsor High Street, a minute's walk from the castle gates.

Pennyhill Park, Bagshot - Our Preferred Five-Star

For five-star luxury, Pennyhill Park is our favourite hotel in the area. It is a 19th-century, ivy-clad country house set in around 120 acres near Bagshot, and it is only a short drive from Sunningdale, The Berkshire and Swinley Forest. It is also the training base of the England rugby team, which tells you something about the facilities.

The spa is the star of the show. At around 45,000 square feet it is one of the largest and best hotel spas in the country, and it is a big part of why Pennyhill works so well for couples. Dining is excellent too, led by the Michelin-starred Latymer, with Hillfield offering a more relaxed farm-to-fork menu.

With an award-winning 45,000 sq. ft. spa and 124 individually designed rooms and suites, Pennyhill Park offers the ultimate indulgence after a day on the course.

Fairmont Windsor Park

On the edge of Windsor Great Park, Fairmont Windsor Park is a newer five-star with 251 rooms set in 40 acres of gardens around a lake. Its 2,500 square metre spa and wellness centre includes several pools, a hammam and a salt room, and it is superbly placed for Wentworth, Sunningdale and Heathrow. It is a great choice for larger groups who want space and a wide choice of restaurants and bars under one roof.

The spa at Fairmont Windsor Park, one of several outstanding hotel spas within easy reach of the golf.

Coworth Park, Ascot

Coworth Park is part of the Dorchester Collection and set in 240 acres of parkland in Ascot, with its own polo fields and stables. It is quieter and more intimate than the Fairmont, the service is exceptional, and Woven by Adam Smith holds a Michelin star. For a special occasion trip, it is a wonderful place to stay, and it is ten minutes from Sunningdale.

If Walton Heath is the focus of your week, Beaverbrook, a five-star country house hotel near Leatherhead and the former home of Lord Beaverbrook, is another excellent option on the Surrey side.

Coworth Park in Ascot, set in 240 acres of Berkshire parkland.

The Perfect Golf Trip for Couples

Surrey and Berkshire is one of the best golf destinations in Britain for couples, because there is as much to do off the course as on it. Non-golfing partners can visit Windsor Castle, walk in Windsor Great Park, go racing at Ascot, spend a day in central London or relax in some of the finest hotel spas in the country, while the golfer plays world-class courses 20 minutes away. The area also has one of the highest concentrations of Michelin-starred dining in the UK, including two three-star restaurants in the village of Bray.

I would go as far as to say it is the best couples golf trip in the British Isles. On a links trip to the Scottish Highlands or the west of Ireland, a non-golfer can be left with long days and not a great deal to do. Here, the golfer is never more than half an hour from the hotel, so you can play in the morning and be back for a late lunch together, and the options for the rest of the day are endless.

A few of our favourite things to do while the golf is being played:

• Windsor Castle - the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world, home to St George's Chapel and still an official residence of the King.
• Windsor Great Park and The Savill Garden - thousands of acres of royal parkland on the doorstep, and some of the finest gardens in England.
• Ascot Racecourse - racing throughout the year, with Royal Ascot in June one of the great occasions of the English summer. Polo is played nearby too, at Coworth Park and in Windsor Great Park.
• Eton and the Thames - walk across the bridge from Windsor to Eton, or take a boat trip along the river.
• London for the day - the West End, Mayfair shopping, the museums and galleries are all under an hour away.
• Spa days - Pennyhill Park, Fairmont Windsor Park and Coworth Park all have outstanding spas that are destinations in their own right.

Then there is the food. Bray, a small village on the Thames just outside Windsor, is home to two restaurants with three Michelin stars: Heston Blumenthal's The Fat Duck and the Roux family's Waterside Inn. Add the Hind's Head in Bray, Latymer at Pennyhill Park and Woven at Coworth Park, all Michelin-starred, and you could eat at a different starred restaurant every night of a week-long trip without ever being more than 30 minutes from your hotel.

Windsor Castle - a perfect day out for non-golfing partners, and 20 minutes from Sunningdale.

How We Would Plan Your Week

Every trip we build is bespoke, but a typical seven-night Surrey and Berkshire trip for a couple or a small group might look like this:

• Day 1 - Land at Heathrow, 20 minutes to Windsor, afternoon at leisure.
• Day 2 - Sunningdale Old in the morning, lunch in the clubhouse, and the New in the afternoon if you have the legs.
• Day 3 - Walton Heath Old, with dinner in Bray that evening.
• Day 4 - A day off: Windsor Castle, the spa or a day in London.
• Day 5 - The Berkshire Red, with a jacket-and-tie lunch.
• Day 6 - Swinley Forest or Hankley Common.
• Day 7 - St George's Hill or one of the Three Ws.
• Day 8 - A short transfer back to Heathrow.

If you want a mix of heathland and links, you can swap the last two days for Royal St George's and Royal Cinque Ports on the Kent coast. You will find that version, with prices, in our Southern England sample itinerary linked at the top of this guide.

Plan Your Surrey and Berkshire Golf Trip

I have spent most of my golfing life on these courses, and I still get a thrill driving through the gates at Sunningdale or Swinley. If you have done the great links and want to see a different side of British golf, or you are looking for a trip that works just as well for your partner as it does for you, I do not think there is a better week to be had anywhere in the British Isles.

Halcyon Golf Travel can take care of everything: waiting lists and tee times, hotels, transport, dinner reservations and the days off the course. Book a free 30-minute discovery call with our team, and we will start building your Surrey and Berkshire trip around the courses you most want to play.

Frequently Asked Questions

Jack Sallis

Founder, Halcyon Golf Travel

Jack Sallis is the founder of Halcyon Golf Travel, a UK-based specialist designing bespoke golf trips across Scotland, Ireland and England. He represented England at junior level and continues to compete regularly for Nottinghamshire and the Old Wellingtonians.

He is a member at Hollinwell and Rye Golf Club, two of England's most respected traditional clubs, and a member of the British Golf Collectors Society.

With deep, first-hand knowledge of courses and hospitality throughout the UK and Ireland, Jack combines elite playing credentials with on-the-ground insight to create exceptional, detail-driven golf travel experiences built around access, authenticity and a genuine understanding of the game.