This club is famous for… no handicaps, no medals, one amazing lunch
You might have heard of Harry Colt. He was a fairly useful architect – Sunningdale’s New, the West and East courses at Wentworth and redesigns of Muirfield and Hoylake among his most famous creations.
So when he tells you, rather self-depreciatively, that Swinley Forest was his ‘least bad course’, you know it’s somewhere pretty special.
And so it is. Perched on the Surrey-Berkshire border, on land around Windsor Great Park, Swinley Forest is simply stunning.
Colt had mapped out the course in his mind before felling a single tree on the property back in the early 20th century. What he created was a glorious heathland that’s defined by some wonderful par 3s and short 4s.
But, gorgeous as it is, Colt’s remarkable design skills in such a tight space – Swinley Forest is only 5,838 yards off the white tees – are not the only reason for which the course is renowned.
It’s because playing a round here is like taking a step back in time. Scorecards are a relatively recent innovation at Swinley Forest.
Winter rules are in effect all year round. There are no handicaps, and no medal competitions.
This is not golf played for competition, it’s the sport played for pure enjoyment alone.
“A law unto itself”, as the club’s own course guide puts it, “Swinley is an anachronism living in its Edwardian past”.
Despite its exclusivity – you have to look pretty hard to find the sign pointing the way towards the entrance – the club is unpretentious and the staff very warm and welcoming.
And if you ever get the chance to drive through the gates and marvel at Colt’s marvellous opening hole to your left, make sure to don a jacket and tie afterwards and sample the quite amazing lunch in the clubhouse.
“Pure nursery fare” is how Swinley put it.
We’re told the world is about making progress. But some things should never change and Swinley Forest is one of those.
This club is famous for… hosting the Open outside Great Britain
This club is famous for… the Stableford scoring system
Click here for the full ‘This Club Is Famous For’ archive
Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
