Updated on November 10, 2026
👉 All Our Golf Rankings: The countries with the most golf courses, The Top 100 Golf Courses in the World…
🌊 The World Rankings: The 20 Best Links in the World, including Royal St. George’s, Royal Birkdale, and Royal Lytham.
📍 Are you staying in London? See the 10 best golf courses near London: Sunningdale, Swinley Forest, Walton Heath…
What is the best golf course in England? Sunningdale (Old Course), in Berkshire, is ranked No. 1 by Golf Digest, and Royal St. George’s, in Sandwich, ranked No. 1 by Top100GolfCourses. When comparing the two rankings, Sunningdale comes out ahead of Royal St. George’s and its neighbor, the New Course. The heathlands southwest of London account for five courses in our top 15, and four Open courses are included among them.
Top photo: St. Enodoc's Church Course in Cornwall. Nilfanion, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The 15 Best Golf Courses in England: The Rankings
15 courses shown.
| Rank | Course | Location | Golf Digest 2026 | Top 100 2026 | GOLF.com World |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunningdale Golf Club (Old Course) | Sunningdale, Berkshire | 1 | 2 | 22 |
| 2 | Royal St. George’s Golf Club | Sandwich, Kent | 3 | 1 | 30 |
| 3 | Sunningdale Golf Club (New Course) | Sunningdale, Berkshire | 6 | 3 | 55 |
| 4 | Swinley Forest Golf Club | Ascot, Berkshire | 4 | 5 | 50 |
| 5 | Royal Birkdale Golf Club | Southport, Merseyside | 2 | 8 | 42 |
| 6 | Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club | Lytham St. Annes, Lancashire | 5 | 6 | 68 |
| 7 | St. Enodoc Golf Club (Church Course) | Rock, Cornwall | 12 | 4 | — |
| 8 | St. George’s Hill Golf Club (Red & Blue) | Weybridge, Surrey | 7 | 9 | 57 |
| 9 | Ganton Golf Club | Ganton, North Yorkshire | 10 | 7 | — |
| 10 | Woodhall Spa Golf Club (Hotchkin) | Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire | 8 | 12 | 74 |
| 11 | Royal Liverpool Golf Club | Hoylake, Merseyside | 9 | 15 | 95 |
| 12 | Rye Golf Club (Old Course) | Camber, East Sussex | 11 | 13 | 90 |
| 13 | Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club | Deal, Kent | 15 | 10 | — |
| 14 | West Sussex Golf Club | Pulborough, West Sussex | 20 | 11 | — |
| 15 | Royal West Norfolk Golf Club | Brancaster, Norfolk | 17 | 14 | — |
Consensus ranking = average of the Golf Digest (May 2026) and Top100GolfCourses (April 2026) rankings; GOLF.com’s world top 100 ranking is provided for reference. “—”: Course not included in the ranking. Click on a column header to sort.
Where are the golf courses in England?
Click on a number to view the golf course, then click on its name to read its profile. Base map © OpenStreetMap.
How We Ranked England's Golf Courses
We compared the two rankings for England published in 2026: Golf Digest (May 2026, Top 35) and Top100GolfCourses (April 2026). The consensus ranking is the average of the two; a course not ranked in Golf Digest’s top 35 is assigned the 45th ranking. In the event of a tie, the higher of the two rankings is used to break the tie, followed by Golf Digest. The ranking at the GOLF.com's World Top 100 (2025-26) is displayed for informational purposes. This ranking is reviewed annually.
The Rankings in Detail
Architects and years of opening: official websites of the courses and the ranking lists cited, accessed on November 10, 2026; no information is provided when the source does not specify it. Photos under a free license via Wikimedia Commons.
1. Sunningdale Golf Club (Old Course) 🏴
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 1 · Top 100 2026 2 · GOLF.com Worldwide 22
Opened in 1901 on land leased from St. John’s College, Cambridge, which still owns the property. During the 1926 Open qualifiers, Bobby Jones shot a 66 there, consisting entirely of 3s and 4s.
2. Royal St. George’s Golf Club 🏴
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 3 · Top 100 2026 1 · GOLF.com Worldwide 30
In 1894, it hosted the first Open Championship held outside of Scotland; it has hosted a total of fifteen. Collin Morikawa won the 2021 Open there, his second major title. Published green fee: £430 (April–September 2027, lunch included; visitors on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, maximum handicap 18.4).
3. Sunningdale Golf Club (New Course) 🏴
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 6 · Top 100 2026 3 · GOLF.com Worldwide 55
Designed by Harry Colt, the club’s secretary from 1901 to 1913, and considered more difficult than the Old Course due to its smaller greens. The original holes 6 through 10, criticized for their elevation changes, were redesigned in the mid-1930s based on proposals by Tom Simpson and later revised by J.S.F. Morrison.
4. Swinley Forest Golf Club 🏴
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 4 · Top 100 2026 5 · GOLF.com Worldwide 50
Harry Colt described it as his “least bad” course. For a long time, it had no captain, no scorecards, and no assigned pars: scorecards weren’t printed until the 1990s.
5. Royal Birkdale Golf Club 🏴
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 2 · Top 100 2026 8 · GOLF.com Worldwide 42
Host of the Open since 1954 (Jordan Spieth won there in 2017); the 154th edition, its eleventh, was scheduled to take place there in July 2026. Its 1935 Art Deco clubhouse resembles an ocean liner stranded in the dunes.
6. Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club 🏴
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 5 · Top 100 2026 6 · GOLF.com Worldwide 68
Eleven Open Championships have been held here; the links course no longer borders the sea—it is located about 800 meters inland, surrounded by houses and bordered by a railroad track. More than 200 bunkers; Bobby Jones, Gary Player, and Seve Ballesteros (twice) have won the Open here. Published green fee: £420 (Monday–Friday, April 1–September 30, 2027).
7. St. Enodoc Golf Club (Church Course) 🏴
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 12 · Top 100 2026 4 · GOLF.com Worldwide —
The course takes its name from a 13th-century chapel near the 10th green, which was buried under sand and unearthed in 1863. The “Himalaya” bunker on the 6th hole, carved into a dune, is one of the course’s most famous obstacles. Published green fee: £175 (adult, peak season May–October 2026).
8. St. George’s Hill Golf Club (Red & Blue) 🏴
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 7 · Top 100 2026 9 · GOLF.com Worldwide 57
Opened in 1913, it is one of the world’s first residential golf developments. The club features three nine-hole loops (Red, Blue, and Green); the rated course combines the Red and Blue loops.
9. Ganton Golf Club 🏴
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 10 · Top 100 2026 7 · GOLF.com Worldwide —
Harry Vardon became the course’s professional in 1896, the year he won his first Open title. There are more than 110 bunkers with vertical walls, some so deep that they are equipped with wooden steps. Published green fee: £350 (foreign visitor rate); £250 for members of a golf association in Great Britain and Ireland (April–October 2027).
10. Woodhall Spa Golf Club (Hotchkin) 🏴
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 8 · Top 100 2026 12 · GOLF.com Worldwide 74
The original course designed by Harry Vardon opened in 1905. It was redesigned to a par of 73 in 1953 by S. V. Hotchkin, who had purchased the club in the early 1920s; its bunkers are considered among the most formidable in Great Britain. Published green fee: £245 (non-member visitor, May 1–October 31, 2026).
11. Royal Liverpool Golf Club 🏴
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 9 · Top 100 2026 15 · GOLF.com Worldwide 95
The second English course to have hosted the Open Championship. Tiger Woods (2006), Rory McIlroy (2014), and Brian Harman (2023) have won the Open there. Published green fee: £420 (April–September 2027).
12. Rye Golf Club (Old Course) 🏴
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 11 · Top 100 2026 13 · GOLF.com Worldwide 90
Founded in 1894, it is the very first course designed by Harry Colt, who was 25 years old at the time. A par-68 course measuring just over 6,500 yards with only one par-5 hole—the 1st—it is considered one of the most difficult “short” courses in the world.
13. Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club 🏴
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 15 · Top 100 2026 10 · GOLF.com Worldwide —
It hosted the Open in 1909 (J. H. Taylor) and in 1920 (George Duncan). Devastated by World War I, it was restored by James Braid and reopened in 1919. Published green fee: £285 (Monday–Thursday, April 1–October 10, 2026); £295 in 2027.
14. West Sussex Golf Club 🏴
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 20 · Top 100 2026 11 · GOLF.com Worldwide —
Course laid out in 1930 by Sir Guy Campbell and Major C. K. Hutchison on a small island of sand and heather. A par-68 course renowned for its five par-3 holes, ranging from 145 to 226 yards. Published green fee: £175 per player (two-player round, Monday–Thursday, April–October 2026); £200 on weekends.
15. Royal West Norfolk Golf Club 🏴
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 17 · Top 100 2026 14 · GOLF.com Worldwide —
At high tide, the clubhouse becomes an island, and holes 8 and 9 are submerged by the sea. Access is via a road that runs underwater at high tide; the club publishes the tide schedule. Published green fee: £210 (18 holes, Monday–Friday, 2027); £260 on weekends.
Where can you play golf in England?
Around London, in Berkshire, Surrey, and Sussex, the heathlands are home to the two Sunningdale courses, Swinley Forest, St. George’s Hill, and West Sussex. Kent and East Sussex have the links of Royal St George’s, Royal Cinque Ports and Rye; the North West those of Royal Birkdale, Royal Lytham and Royal Liverpool. Then come St Enodoc (Cornwall), Ganton (North Yorkshire), Woodhall Spa (Lincolnshire) and Royal West Norfolk. Nine of these clubs publish a visitor green fee, from £175 to £430.
See also
The 10 Best Golf Courses Near London
The Countries with the Most Golf Courses
The 15 Best Golf Courses in New Zealand
The 15 Best Golf Courses in Canada
The 15 Best Golf Courses in Australia
The Best Golf Courses in Scotland
The 15 Best Golf Courses in Spain
Top 100 Golf Courses in the WorldFrequently Asked Questions About Golf Courses in England
What is the best golf course in England?
The Old Course at Sunningdale, in Berkshire: No. 1 on Golf Digest and No. 2 on Top100GolfCourses, ahead of Royal St. George’s, which is No. 1 on Top100.
Can you play at Royal St. George’s?
Yes: The club charges a green fee of £430 from April through September 2027, including lunch, for visitors on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with a maximum handicap of 18.4.
Which English golf courses host the Open?
In our top 15: Royal St. George’s, Royal Birkdale, Royal Lytham & St. Annes, and Royal Liverpool. Royal Cinque Ports also hosted the tournament in 1909 and 1920.
How many golf courses are there in England?
2,213, according to the R&A's "Golf Around the World" report: see The countries with the most golf courses.