Six of the best courses we love to walk in the UK
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Whether it’s the views, great holes, or because it’s just a nice stroll, these are some of the courses we enjoy ambling around the most.
Golf is famously described as a “good walk spoiled”. But the idea that Mark Twain coined the phrase is, like the saying itself, untrue.
It’s an incredible walk, and for so many good reasons. But where to do it? Which courses in the United Kingdom are some of the best to stroll around?
Here are a sextet of our favourites. We’ve taken into account amazing views, great holes, as well as a sense of history in compiling our list. How do these courses rank with some of yours?
Incredible views and terrain to match
Sunningdale Old (Berkshire)
We’d add the New as well if you’re looking for 36 holes of near perfection. Few courses can hold up a candle to Sunningdale and the way the Old flows through the heather and pines is just majestic. The course isn’t an obstacle to be traversed. It uses the land flawlessly, yet each hole has its own distinctive character. Add springy turf and true greens and every step is a pleasure.
Boat of Garten (Highlands)
It’s not just the incredible setting beneath the Cairngorm mountains, and the birch trees and the heather, though that would be more than enough. Nor is it simply the birds of prey that soar overhead as you settle down to your shots. It’s also a manageable walk, at under 6,000 yards, and engaging. Enjoy the isolation, the crumpled fairways, and the gentle undulations. And don’t think you can overpower it.
St Andrews Old Course (Fife)
Its credentials are obvious, and its holes have been copied at courses all over the world. But there’s another reason to play the Old Course and it’s not just because it’s the Home of Golf. Start the turn back towards the Auld Grey Toun, watch the famous landmarks come ever more clearly into view, and finish at the spot where so many legends of the game putted out. It’s an incredible march and every golfer needs to do it at least once.
The height of heavenly?
Swinley Forest (Berkshire)
This healthland corner of Windsor Great Park is quintessentially English. Architect Harry Colt famously referred to it as his “least bad course” and, in many ways, it’s a place where the modern world has never ventured. Swinley Forest is special but presented without fervour or fuss. Heather, glorious pine, and rhododendron line the way and, while it can be undulating in places, it never leaves you out of breath. It is enjoyable. It is fun. It is almost peerless.
Royal County Down (County Down)
This is as good as it gets. A course that adorns a million photographs and melts the imagination. There is no setting like it – the dramatic Mourne Mountains, the Murlough Nature Reserve and the Irish Sea combining with stunning golf holes to produce something so utterly memorable, you’ll wish you never had to leave.
North Berwick (West Links)
Like the Old Course at St Andrews, it famously finishes in the town but North Berwick is also a satisfying stroll. Try not to get overwhelmed by holes like Pit, Perfection, and the incredible Redan, but feel completely free to take a big lung full of air when staring at the views of Bass Rock, the Firth of Forth and the breathtaking coastline. If you can’t be inspired by crashing waves on the beach as you drive over them – as you do on the 2nd – then why are you even playing this game?
The height of heavenly?
Swinley Forest (Berkshire)
This healthland corner of Windsor Great Park is quintessentially English. Architect Harry Colt famously referred to it as his “least bad course” and, in many ways, it’s a place where the modern world has never ventured. Swinley Forest is special but presented without fervour or fuss. Heather, glorious pine, and rhododendron line the way and, while it can be undulating in places, it never leaves you out of breath. It is enjoyable. It is fun. It is almost peerless.
Royal County Down (County Down)
This is as good as it gets. A course that adorns a million photographs and melts the imagination. There is no setting like it – the dramatic Mourne Mountains, the Murlough Nature Reserve and the Irish Sea combining with stunning golf holes to produce something so utterly memorable, you’ll wish you never had to leave.
North Berwick (West Links)
Like the Old Course at St Andrews, it famously finishes in the town but North Berwick is also a satisfying stroll. Try not to get overwhelmed by holes like Pit, Perfection, and the incredible Redan, but feel completely free to take a big lung full of air when staring at the views of Bass Rock, the Firth of Forth and the breathtaking coastline. If you can’t be inspired by crashing waves on the beach as you drive over them – as you do on the 2nd – then why are you even playing this game?
Stewart Golf
For over two decades, Stewart Golf has been transforming how golfers experience the course, focusing entirely on engineering the ultimate walk.
Hand-built in Great Britain, these premium electric trolleys allow passionate players to stroll the fairways completely hands-free, letting them focus on their game just like a tour professional.
By removing the physical strain of carrying or pushing, Stewart Golf ensures that walking the course becomes a pure pleasure, allowing golfers to truly immerse themselves in every step of the round.
