The best golf courses around London offer very different days out. The Grove combines championship parkland with a hotel stay, The Shire brings Seve Ballesteros’s flair to north London, and Foxhills gives you two full-length courses at one Surrey resort. Traditional clubs such as Royal Wimbledon and The Addington add another side to the choice.
The important questions are where you are starting from, whether visitors can play on your dates, and whether you want a single round or an overnight trip. This guide covers seven venues across London, Hertfordshire, Surrey and north-west Kent, with links to our South East England golf breaks when you are ready to compare accommodation and golf packages.
Our starting recommendations: Choose The Grove for a premium visitor round, Foxhills for a two-course resort stay, The Shire for an unusual layout, and The Addington for heathland character. Brocket Hall offers two estate courses and lodge accommodation. Royal Wimbledon needs advance permission, while visitors to London Golf Club should focus on the International Course.
Compare golf courses near London
The mileage bands below are rough road-distance estimates from central London around Trafalgar Square. They help compare locations; your starting point and chosen route will change the journey. A short distance across London can take longer than a motorway journey, so check your route before committing to a tee time.
| Venue | Area and approximate distance | Visitor access | Break format |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Grove | Watford, Hertfordshire 20–30 miles |
Visitor tee times; no membership or handicap required. | Day golf or a hotel stay with golf on site. |
| The Shire London | Barnet, north London fringe 15–25 miles |
Visitor bookings available; check the booking window. | A course visit within a north London trip. |
| Brocket Hall | Near Welwyn Garden City 25–35 miles |
Visitor rounds and residential golf arrangements. | Two courses, with Melbourne Lodge accommodation. |
| Royal Wimbledon | Wimbledon, south-west London 8–12 miles |
Limited Monday–Thursday visits by prior written application; club membership and handicap requirements apply. | A specifically arranged club visit. |
| Foxhills | Ottershaw, Surrey 25–35 miles |
Visitor tee times and hotel golf breaks, subject to availability. | Two 18-hole courses, a short course and a hotel on site. |
| London Golf Club | Ash, near Brands Hatch, Kent 25–35 miles |
Visitor golf on the International; Heritage is members-only. | A named-course visitor round. |
| The Addington | Croydon, south London 12–18 miles |
Visitor tee times available through advance booking. | A heathland course visit. |
Visitor access means that non-members can book or apply to play under the venue’s rules. It does not guarantee unrestricted weekend availability. Secure the golf before building a hotel itinerary around a particular club.
North London and Hertfordshire: three contrasting choices
The Grove Golf Course
The Grove golf course has a strong tournament pedigree: Tiger Woods won the World Golf Championship here in 2006, and the venue staged the British Masters in 2016. Kyle Phillips’s design uses undulating fairways and mature parkland to create an attractive, substantial test.
The appeal for a visiting golfer is that the booking route is straightforward. You do not need to be a member or hold a handicap, although you should be able to maintain the expected pace of play. Choose suitable tees and give yourself time to use the practice facilities.
Best fit: A premium golf day or a short hotel break. Compare The Grove golf packages if you want to stay overnight; two rounds here mean returning to the same 18-hole course.
The Shire London
The Shire is Seve Ballesteros’s only course design in England, and the layout reflects his appetite for invention. Six par threes, six par fours and six par fives give the round an unusual rhythm, with changes of club and strategy throughout.
The closing par five, with its S-shaped lake guarding the green, supplies a suitably distinctive finish. There is plenty of challenge from the back tees, so choose a starting position that lets you enjoy the design rather than spend the day recovering from it.
Best fit: A characterful visitor round on the northern side of London. The standard online visitor booking window is short, so check how your individual or group booking can be arranged before fixing the rest of the trip.
Brocket Hall
Brocket Hall offers two courses within its Hertfordshire estate. The Palmerston works through mature woodland, making placement and the shape of your shots important. The Melbourne uses the estate’s more open landscape and the River Lea to provide a contrasting round.
It is the combination that makes the venue particularly interesting for a golf trip: two days can feel different without requiring you to change clubs or accommodation.
Best fit: An estate golf break with the opportunity to play both layouts. Visitor golf and stay-and-play arrangements are offered, with accommodation in Melbourne Lodge. Confirm the named courses and residential booking arrangements for your dates.
For more ideas on this side of the capital, explore our Hertfordshire golf course guide.
Surrey and south-west London: resort golf or a traditional club visit
Foxhills Club & Resort
Foxhills is a strong option when the brief is a golf weekend with accommodation and leisure facilities in one place. The Longcross and Bernard Hunt are both 18-hole courses, while the nine-hole par-three Manor course provides a shorter alternative.
The Longcross’s tree-lined corridors put the emphasis on controlled driving and positioning. The Bernard Hunt has a more open feel and is generally more forgiving from the tee, though its length and changes in elevation still offer a proper challenge.
Best fit: A two-course Surrey resort stay, particularly if some of the group also want time around the pools or spa. Confirm the two courses, tee times and leisure access included in any residential offer.
Royal Wimbledon Golf Club
Royal Wimbledon brings a traditional members’ club experience to this selection. Its history dates to 1865, with Harry Colt shaping the course golfers know today. The appeal is in the variety of holes, the tree-lined setting and the pleasure of walking a course that feels removed from the surrounding city.
Access is the deciding factor here. A limited number of visitors can apply to play Monday to Thursday. Prior written introduction, recognised club membership and a current handicap meeting the club’s limits are required; casual visitors are not admitted.
Best fit: A special club visit arranged before travel. It should only become part of an itinerary once the club has accepted the application.
South London and north-west Kent: heathland and championship golf
The Addington Golf Club
The Addington is a distinctive choice for golfers drawn to traditional heathland. Its rolling ground, pine-lined holes and views towards the London skyline give it a strong sense of place, while the routing rewards thought as much as power.
The course dates to 1913, with Abercromby and Colt associated with its design. Restoration work begun in 2020 has opened up playing corridors, reinstated strategic features and renewed bunkering and green surrounds. That work is an important part of the course’s current story.
Best fit: An engaging visitor round from a south London or Croydon base. Book in advance and ask about any works or maintenance affecting the day you intend to play.
London Golf Club: the International Course
Despite the name, London Golf Club sits in Kent near Brands Hatch. The International is the course to consider for a standard visitor booking; the Heritage is members-only.
The International’s broad landscape, significant changes in level and lakes create a championship-style round with a different feel from the wooded and heathland courses elsewhere in this guide. The scale is part of the attraction, but suitable tees remain important for an enjoyable day.
Best fit: A visitor golf day approached from south-east London or north-west Kent. Name the International when enquiring and check the visitor booking window. Its location makes it worth comparing with other golf courses in Kent.
How to turn the course list into a golf weekend near London
Choose one side of the capital before choosing the hotel. A Watford or Hertfordshire base makes sense for the northern courses, Ottershaw suits a Foxhills stay, and a south London or north-west Kent base is more practical for The Addington or London Golf Club.
A one-night resort break
The Grove works well if you want a hotel stay and two rounds on the same championship course. Foxhills offers the chance to play a different 18-hole layout each day, while Brocket Hall combines its two estate courses with Melbourne Lodge. The accommodation and golf must be booked as the specific package or combination you want.
Our The Grove offers include overnight golf-break options. Farther north-east, near Ware, Hanbury Manor golf breaks provide another Hertfordshire stay-and-play choice, with one-night, two-round packages to compare.
A two-round club tour
For a trip built around different venues, consider a northern combination such as The Grove and The Shire, or a southern itinerary including The Addington and the International at London Golf Club. Agree the available tee times first, then choose accommodation around the actual route. These are suggested combinations to tailor, with each course booking subject to its own access rules.
Keep Royal Wimbledon as a separately confirmed opportunity. Its limited visitor policy makes it unsuitable as an assumed second round in an otherwise bookable weekend.
Travel and package details that matter
- Compare arrival days: a Sunday-night golf package may suit your group differently from a Friday or Saturday stay.
- Allow for traffic: the M25, A3 and routes through London can materially change your arrival time.
- Plan the final connection: a railway station near the venue may still require a pre-booked taxi with room for golf bags.
- Check the complete quote: named courses, number of rounds, room sharing, meals, buggy requirements and any transfers should be clear.
Golf courses around London: FAQs
Can non-members play the courses in this guide?
The Grove, The Shire, Brocket Hall, Foxhills, The Addington and London Golf Club’s International Course offer visitor golf under their booking rules. Royal Wimbledon has limited access by prior application. The Heritage Course at London Golf Club is members-only.
Which venues offer golf and accommodation together?
The Grove and Foxhills have hotels at their golf venues, while Brocket Hall offers residential golf with Melbourne Lodge. Hanbury Manor is another stay-and-play option farther north-east in Hertfordshire. Compare the specific courses, rounds and meals included in each offer.
Which courses near London are easiest to book without a handicap?
The Grove explicitly welcomes golfers without a handicap, provided they can maintain the expected pace. Other clubs set their own conditions, so confirm them before booking. Royal Wimbledon requires recognised club membership and a current handicap within its limits.
Are these all pay-and-play municipal courses?
No. This selection includes visitor-friendly resort courses and private clubs with specific visitor arrangements. It focuses on distinctive course experiences and golf breaks around London. Fees and booking windows vary considerably between venues.
Find the right golf break around London
Tell us your starting point, preferred dates, group size and handicaps, along with whether you want a course visit or an overnight stay. We can help you compare our available packages and shape the trip around the golf and travel arrangements that suit your group.
