Surrey sits on a stretch of free-draining sandy soil south-west of London that has produced a concentration of world-class golf courses unmatched anywhere in England. The famous Surrey sandbelt runs through a landscape of heather, Scots pine, silver birch and gorse, creating the fast-running, heather-lined conditions that have made the county the undisputed home of heathland golf in the UK. Nowhere else inland can you play so many genuinely great courses in such a compact area, moving between century-old layouts designed by the giants of British golf architecture and modern resort destinations that have earned national rankings of their own. This list covers the courses that consistently appear at the top of independent rankings, from the headline names at Wentworth and Walton Heath through to the famous trio of the three W’s, the best resort golf in the county, and a handful of parkland and hillside courses that offer something different from the heathland standard. Whether you are planning a golf trip, joining a club, or just getting to know what the county has to offer, this is where to start.
Wentworth Club
Wentworth Drive, Virginia Water
Wentworth Club is Surrey’s most globally recognised golf venue, established in 1922 when the visionary George Tarrant acquired the development rights for the Wentworth Estate and commissioned Harry Colt to design the courses. The West Course, completed in 1926, earned the nickname “Burma Road” after the Second World War because of its length and relentless difficulty. Set within a 700-hectare estate in Virginia Water and just 20 minutes from Heathrow, the club has hosted the Ryder Cup, the World Match Play Championship, and has been the home of the BMW PGA Championship for decades, making it one of the most televised and recognisable inland courses in the world.
Today the club operates three 18-hole courses, the West, the East, and the Edinburgh, all maintained to championship standards and offering a combined 54 holes on one of the great private golf estates in Europe. Visitor access is limited and green fees are among the highest in the country, which places Wentworth in a category slightly apart from the rest of this list in practical terms. That said, for golfers with the connections and budget to play it, the West Course in particular remains a bucket-list round, a parkland layout of towering pines, strategic bunkering, and championship length that no other Surrey course can quite replicate.
Walton Heath Golf Club
Deans Lane, Walton-on-the-Hill, Tadworth
Walton Heath is one of the most distinguished golf clubs in the world, founded in 1903 and designed in full by Herbert Fowler across two courses that remain among the finest heathland layouts in existence. The Old Course has appeared in the World’s Top 100 Golf Courses every year since rankings began in 1938, and Jack Nicklaus famously described it as “wonderfully pure.” The club’s history is extraordinary: Edward VIII was its first Captain, the five-time Open Champion James Braid served as club professional for over forty-five years, and Winston Churchill was a regular player from 1910 until his death in 1965. Major championships hosted include the 1981 Ryder Cup, multiple European Opens, the British Masters, and the 2023 AIG Women’s Open.
Both the Old and New courses are ranked in the UK and Ireland’s Top 50, offering the quintessential heathland experience: springy turf over sandy subsoil, open vistas, and fairways framed by heather that punishes anything offline with a severity that rivals the great links courses of Scotland. Visitors are welcomed in the spirit of what the club calls the Walton Way, treated as members for the day, and the combination of world-class golf, a rich sense of history, and a warm clubhouse atmosphere make this the most complete experience on Surrey’s sandbelt. For serious golfers, this is as good as inland golf gets.
St George’s Hill Golf Club
Golf Club Road, Weybridge
St George’s Hill Golf Club in Weybridge is one of those rare courses that delivers both architecturally and visually from the very first tee. The main 18-hole experience is formed by the Red and Blue nines, both designed by Harry Colt and opened in 1913, routed across hilly, pine-clad heathland with bold elevation changes, spectacular views from the clubhouse terrace over six holes at once, and a sense of dramatic engagement that few other courses in the county can match. Golf Monthly describes it as “easily one of the best golf courses in England,” and that verdict is consistently echoed across independent rankings.
The course was ahead of its time in another sense too: St George’s Hill was designed as a golf and residential community from the outset, with large private houses planned on the surrounding estate, in a way that predated modern golf community developments by decades. A separate nine-hole Green course adds flexibility for different lengths of round, and the club welcomes societies and visiting groups across all 27 holes. Strong rankings, enthusiastic visitor reviews praising both conditioning and architecture, and a setting that is simply beautiful on a fine day place St George’s Hill comfortably among Surrey’s very best.
Hankley Common Golf Club
Tilford Road, Tilford, near Farnham
Hankley Common is frequently cited by those who know it as one of the finest inland courses in the UK, yet it remains less well-known than its Surrey sandbelt neighbours. Golf began here in 1897 with a nine-hole layout, James Braid added nine further holes in 1922, and Harry Colt remodelled the course in 1936 to create a layout of genuine and lasting distinction. The course sits within a Site of Special Scientific Interest of over 850 acres, home to oak, rowan, woodlark, dartford warbler, adder, and deer, creating a wildness and sense of space that is unique even by Surrey standards. Perhaps most memorably, the final scenes of the James Bond film Skyfall, supposedly set in the Scottish Highlands, were filmed here.
The course and its enormous surroundings have something that even the most celebrated heathland tracks can lack: a feeling of complete isolation, as though the rest of the world has been left behind entirely. Fairways meander through heather with few parallel holes, the 7th par-three is regarded as one of the finest short holes in the country, and the bunkering is precise and beautiful. Architects Mackenzie and Ebert completed a recent multi-phase restoration project that has returned the course to exceptional condition. For many heathland devotees, this is the non-negotiable inclusion on any Surrey golf itinerary.
Hindhead Golf Club
Churt Road, Hindhead
Hindhead Golf Club has one of the most distinctive founding stories in Surrey golf: the club was established in 1904 by a group of enthusiasts that included Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, who became its first president in 1905. The course was designed by J.H. Taylor, one of the great Triumvirate of Edwardian golf, and its 18 holes were inaugurated by a match between Taylor himself and James Braid. The club moved to its present site in 1921, and the course now tumbles through heather-strewn valleys and across a heathland plateau in the dramatic landscape around the Devil’s Punchbowl, offering some of the most visually striking golf in Surrey.
Hindhead was listed as a hidden gem by Top100GolfCourses.com in 2005 and has since climbed into the full Britain and Ireland Top 100, confirming what its devoted following already knew. Golf World’s 2025 rankings place it 44th best in England, and the combination of scenic views, a testing front nine through wooded valleys, and an open, elevated back nine with far-reaching views over the Surrey countryside makes it one of the most memorable rounds in the county. Green fees are accessible and visitor tee times are available, making Hindhead a highly practical and genuinely exciting choice for anyone building a Surrey golf trip.
Woking Golf Club
Pond Road, Woking
Woking Golf Club is the oldest of the famous three W’s and one of the oldest heathland courses in the world, founded in 1893 and originally laid out by Tom Dunn. The club is celebrated not just for its age but for its architectural significance: the fourth hole, with its bunkers positioned strategically in the middle of the fairway by a pair of inventive early members, is widely regarded as one of the first examples of strategic golf hole design in England, a concept that would go on to define the best heathland architecture. The revered golf writer Bernard Darwin called Woking his “spiritual home,” which says something about the character of the place.
The course plays with an inland links character that surprises visitors on first acquaintance, with heather, fast-running fairways and a design that rewards accuracy and course management over power. Visitors consistently comment on the quality of the welcome and the quality of the clubhouse, which sits beside the 14th green and offers one of the more civilised views in Surrey golf. Woking is the most accessible of the three W’s for many golfers and makes a natural starting point for anyone attempting the classic three-course circuit. The course is consistently ranked among the finest in the county and in England, and it has been well maintained without being over-developed.
Worplesdon Golf Club
Heath House Road, Woking
Worplesdon Golf Club is a classic Surrey heathland layout laid out in 1908 by J.F. Abercromby, with greens and bunkers constructed by Willie Park Junior, making it one of the most distinguished design collaborations in the history of British golf architecture. The club has notable royal connections: HRH The Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII, served as Captain in 1933. The famous Joyce Wethered was Lady Captain in 1922 and President from 1963 to 1997, and the course appears in The 500 World’s Greatest Golf Holes for its remarkable 11th, a 520-yard par five surrounded by brilliant heathland. Architects Lobb and Partners completed a multi-year restoration programme in 2021, reinstating heather on bunkers and restoring the famous horseshoe bunker on the celebrated par three 13th.
Many would argue that Worplesdon is the best of the three W’s, and Golf Monthly’s UK and Ireland Top 100 places it highest of the trio. It is not a long course at just under 6,500 yards, but it demands precision and intelligence rather than power, with driving accuracy far more important than length off the tee. The short holes are particularly strong, the par three 13th being regarded as one of the best in the UK, the 10th over Bridley Pond is the signature hole, and the springy fairways and profusion of heather provide that seasonal colour that makes heathland golf in Surrey something uniquely worth travelling for.
West Hill Golf Club
Bagshot Road, Brookwood
West Hill Golf Club is the youngest and arguably the most demanding of the three W’s, laid out in 1910 by Cuthbert Butchart, a Scottish professional from Carnoustie, on the instruction of the club’s founder, Mrs Marguerite Lubbock. The circumstances of its founding are themselves a piece of social history: at the time, women were not permitted to become members at other local Surrey clubs, so Mrs Lubbock decided to form one of her own. Butchart went on to become West Hill’s first club professional and was also a forward-thinking clubmaker, producing innovative drivers that were considered revolutionary for the era. The course he created has remained virtually unchanged ever since, a remarkable testament to the quality of the original design.
West Hill is often described as the most heathery and most demanding of the three W’s, with narrow fairways, towering Scots pines, abundant heather, and a bunkering scheme that is some of the best in the county: always precise, strategically positioned, and beautifully maintained. The view down over the course from the elevated clubhouse and first tee fires the imagination before a shot has been struck. Players who favour accuracy over length and appreciate a course where course management genuinely matters will find West Hill one of the most rewarding rounds in Surrey.
Foxhills Club and Resort
Stonehill Road, Ottershaw
Foxhills was established in 1975 on the former estate of the 18th-century politician Charles James Fox, and has grown into one of the most complete golf and leisure destinations in the south of England. The resort operates three courses, the two championship 18-hole layouts, the Longcross and the Bernard Hunt, and the nine-hole Manor. The Bernard Hunt course is named after one of Foxhills’ most celebrated professionals, a player who won 30 titles on the PGA European Tour and appeared in 10 Ryder Cup matches. The Longcross course, laid out through avenues of Scots pine, beech and silver birch, is the more highly ranked of the two full-sized courses and a consistent presence in Golf World’s English Top 100.
Today’s Golfer ranked Foxhills the third-best golf resort in England and 17th in Great Britain and Ireland in 2025, and the club has been inducted into the 59Club’s Eminent Collection of just 17 elite golf clubs in the world for exceptional customer service. For a golf group with mixed abilities or varying ambitions, Foxhills is unusually practical: the nine-hole Manor course handles those who want a shorter round or a warm-up, the full practice facilities include a covered driving range with TrackMan technology, and the on-site hotel and spa mean a full golf break can be arranged without leaving the estate.
Burhill Golf Club
Burwood Road, Walton-on-Thames
Burhill Golf Club is one of the most historically layered golf venues in Surrey, sitting within a 1,100-acre estate whose Georgian mansion dates back to 1726 and has been owned by the Guinness family since the early twentieth century. The original Old Course was designed by Willie Park Junior and ready for play in 1907, an achievement all the more remarkable for the fact that Park and his team designed and built it in just five months. The club gained immediate prestige: early visitors included royalty from around the world and a collection of dukes, earls, and lords, and Ryder Cup star Paul Casey joined as a junior in 1992, winning the Surrey Junior championship in 1995. During the Second World War, the estate was requisitioned by the Ministry of Aircraft Production, and it was here that Barnes Wallis developed the famous bouncing bomb used in the Dambusters raid.
The Old Course today is a parkland layout with a sprinkling of heathland character, offering a great variety of mature trees, beautifully strategic original bunkering, and a more varied and demanding back nine. The newer course, designed by Simon Gidman and built around the River Mole, provides a contrasting modern test with larger greens and a number of water hazards. Together they make Burhill one of the best two-course clubs in the county, with a grand clubhouse and history to match. For anyone who wants parkland golf of genuine quality within easy reach of the sandbelt, Burhill is a rewarding and characterful choice.
West Surrey Golf Club
Enton Green, near Godalming
West Surrey Golf Club is one of those courses that rewards those who seek it out, set within beautifully tranquil Surrey Hills countryside near Godalming and offering a quality of experience that competes comfortably with more famous neighbours to the north. The course was designed by Herbert Fowler in 1910, the same architect responsible for Walton Heath, and founded as a commercial venture by a prominent local landowner using farmland from the Enton Hall estate. Fowler’s 6,482-yard par-71 layout winds through the Surrey Hills in gently undulating, wooded terrain, and a substantial upgrade in 2002 brought USGA-standard sand-based greens and a fairway watering system that have lifted the conditioning to match the quality of the design.
Golf Monthly ranks West Surrey among its Top 100 courses in England, and Top100GolfCourses.com describes it as a “quintessential gem” in attractive, park-like surroundings with charming rural views. The course builds to a particularly strong finish: the valley-like par-four 17th and the spectacular downhill par-five 18th, arriving in front of a horseshoe-shaped clubhouse reminiscent of a 19th-century Surrey farmhouse, are among the most satisfying closing holes in the county. For golfers looking to diversify a Surrey itinerary beyond the pure heathland of the sandbelt, West Surrey offers hillside, wooded, and parkland character in a setting of outstanding natural beauty.