Although the United Kingdom might be better known for its links golf, it is also home to some of the world’s finest inland courses.
The centre of both England and Scotland are home to some of the very best, with tree-lined fairways and elevated views across moors and hills.
There is a variety to inland golf, with parkland, heathland and moorland courses dotted around the country – all of which provide their own challenges and charms.
If maneuvering your way through Scottish pine trees or Yorkshire heathland is your favourite type of golf, then read on for the inland courses that you must play in 2026 – all of which you can do on the NCG Top 100s Tour…
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Which inland courses are must plays on the NCG Top 100s Tour in 2026?
Notts Golf Club, or Hollinwell, as it is more commonly known, is one of the finest versions of heathland golf in England. Situated in the heart of Nottinghamshire, it is a visual delight, as well as a golfing delight. The venue played host to the John Player Classic throughout the early 1970s, for what was the biggest prize in tournament golf at the time.
- Book your spot to play at Notts Golf Club (Hollinwell) on the NCG Top 100s Tour on April 22nd, 2026 here.
Hallamshire is almost the barrier that separates the industrial city of Sheffield from the moors and hills of the Peak District. You can see both from the clubhouse windows, and the course plays into that as well, with flat sections at the start and end, and a more undulating run of holes around the turn. As the home of Matt Fitzpatrick, a replica of the US Open trophy he won in 2022 sits in the clubhouse bar.
- Book your spot to play at Hallamshire on the NCG Top 100s Tour on April 24th, 2026 here.
- You can play at Notts Golf Club (Hollinwell) and Hallamshire as part of our South Yorkshire & Nottinghamshire Swing, which also incorporates an event at Lindrick.
Another layout in the glowing repertoire of Dr Alister MacKenzie, the current version of Sutton Coldfield was opened in the 1930s. It has become one of the greatest inland layouts in England, with both narrow and wide holes to provide a great mixture of parkland golf.
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- Book your spot to play at Sutton Coldfield on the NCG Top 100s Tour on May 12th, 2026 here.
- You can also play at Sutton Coldfield as part of our Midlands Swing, which also incorporates events at Edgbaston and Sherwood Forest.
The Gleneagles Resort in central Scotland can proudly say that they have three world-class courses on sit, making it arguably the greatest 54-hole venue in the United Kingdom. The PGA Centenary Course is one of those, and it is a course that has its own slice of history as well, as the only European layout to have played host to both the Ryder Cup and the Solheim Cup, doing so in a five-year span in the 2010s.
- Book your spot to play at the PGA Centenary Course on the NCG Top 100s Tour on June 9th, 2026 here.
The Queen’s Course is another part of the incredible golfing set up at the Gleneagles Resort, designed by James Braid – alongside the King’s Course – in the early 20th Century. Water hazards, thick Scottish pine trees and tall ridges all come into play during a round on the Queen’s.
- Book your spot to play at the Queen’s Course on the NCG Top 100s Tour on June 10th, 2026 here.
- You can also play the PGA Centenary Course and Queen’s Course at Gleneagles as part of our Perthshire Swing, which also incorporates an event at Auchterarder.
Arguably the greatest inland course in the United Kingdom, the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa makes you think about every shot. Deep bunkers line the fairways, while the green complexes are sublime. The venue is also the home of England Golf.
- Book your spot to play at Woodhall Spa (Hotchkin) on the NCG Top 100s Tour on June 16th, 2026 here.
Five of the biggest names in golf course design – Harry Colt, James Braid, CK Cotton, Donald Steel and Martin Hawtree – have all played a part in the design of the golf course at Luffenham Heath. You don’t really need much more to know just how good of a course it is going to be…
- Book your spot to play at Luffenham Heath on the NCG Top 100s Tour on June 18th, 2026 here.
- You can also play at both Woodhall Spa and Luffenham Heath as part of our East Midlands Swing, which also incorporates events at Seacroft and Belton Park.
When it comes to hilltop golf in England, there isn’t many better venues than Cleeve Hill. It is the finest golf course in Gloucestershire, with Old Tom Morris designing the original layout. Blind shots with marker posts – often a staple of links venues – are found often at Cleeve Hill, but that is all part of the fun!
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- Book your spot to play at Cleeve Hill on the NCG Top 100s Tour on June 29th, 2026 here.
Alwoodley is one of Yorkshire’s golfing greats – and the birthplace of Dr Alister MacKenzie‘s golf course design career. Alwoodley was his first design, and he was one of the founding members of the club, along with being club captain shortly before the First World War. Today, Alwoodley is a tough but fair heathland course, that offers birdie chances, but can easily snatch them away in the blink of an eye. It is all worth it for the view on the elevated 18th tee, though, looking back at the sublime clubhouse and to the Yorkshire Dales beyond.
- Book your spot to play at Alwoodley on the NCG Top 100s Tour on July 23rd, 2026 here.
The only venue on this list that can say they played host to the European Tour for more than two decades is Fulford Golf Club, situated just outside the city of York. It did so from 1971 through to 1991, under the guise of three different tournaments, having already hosted the Martini International during the 1960s. The course, which remains somewhat an out-and-back layout as you cross over the A64, has seen changes in recent years that have improved and upgraded it to another level.
- Book your spot to play at Fulford on the NCG Top 100s Tour on July 24th, 2026 here.
- You can also play at Alwoodley and Fulford as part of our Yorkshire Swing, which also incorporates events at Moortown, Sand Moor and Headingley.
The best bunkerless course in the United Kingdom? Willie Park Jr designed the original layout at Berkhamsted, with Harry Colt and James Braid making slight alterations in the years following. There might not be any sand, but the grass bunkers around the greens can be just a difficult to get out of!
- Book your spot to play at Berkhamsted on the NCG Top 100s Tour on August 13th, 2026 here.
- You can also play at Berkhamsted as part of our Oxfordshire & Hertfordshire Swing, which also incorporates an event on the Red Course at Frilford Heath.
A Harry Colt classic that celebrated its centenary a couple of years prior, Prestbury is one of the best golf courses in and around the city of Manchester. Tree-lined fairways, plenty of undulations and a set of cracking short holes add to the charm of this venue.
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- Book your spot to play at Prestbury on the NCG Top 100s Tour on August 20th, 2026 here.
Like Prestbury, Cavendish is a club that has recently celebrated its centenary, and was designed by one of the greats. Dr Alister MacKenzie was the man behind the layout at this Derbyshire venue, with Cavendish being described as the ‘Inspiration for Augusta’.
- Book your spot to play at Cavendish on the NCG Top 100s Tour on August 21st, 2026 here.
- You can play at both Prestbury and Cavendish as part of our South Manchester Swing.
Sitting atop Brackenber Moor in Cumbria, there aren’t many golfing venues like Appleby. Open Champion Willie Fernie designed the layout, which winds its way across the hills in a horseshoe shape. Watch out for the sheep, and the electric fences that line the greens!
- Book your spot to play at Appleby on the NCG Top 100s Tour on September 16th, 2026 here.
- You can also play at Furness Old Links as part of our Cumbria Swing, which also incorporates events at Seascale and Furness Old Links.
Now have your say…
What is the best inland course that you have played? Which links venues do you want to take on in 2026? Let us know your thoughts with a post on X, formerly Twitter!
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