With three 9-hole loops designed by Martin Hawtree, the Dorset Golf & Country Club is one of the county’s premier facilities. The Lakeland & Parkland nines make up the championship course, but the shorter Woodland loop is enjoyable too.
With three 9-hole loops designed by Martin Hawtree, the Dorset Golf & Country Club is one of the county’s premier facilities. The Lakeland & Parkland nines make up the championship course, but the shorter Woodland loop is enjoyable too.
The Dorset Golf Resort (Lakeland & Parkland)
Located adjacent to Higher Hyde Heath Nature Reserve, Dorset Golf & Country Club lies at the heart of a special site of scientific interest, which obviously limits the scope for developments around the property, affording the site a certain air of tranquillity.
There’s twenty seven holes available for play here, consisting of two championship 9-hole circuits called Lakeland and Parkland, and the much shorter, more enclosed 9-hole Woodland which is carved through a Rhododendron Forest to complement the main 18-hole layout.
Martin Hawtree set out the fairways in the early 1990s and the main characteristic of the design becomes apparent right away – large, clover-shaped fairway and greenside bunkers which proliferate around the property in significant size and number.
Highlight holes on the Lakeland & Parkland layout include the shortest of the par threes at the 160-yard 7th (the other three short holes all measure in excess of 200 yards), the short par four 10th and the final par five on the scorecard at the 537-yard 16th.
The latest ranking of the Top 100 Golf Courses in the World serves as the ultimate global golf bucket list. Most members of our World Top 100 Panel are seasoned golfers, each playing 20-30 of these courses annually while travelling extensively over decades to form their opinions on others. We recognise that opinions vary—even among our panel members. Rankings are subjective, and there are undoubtedly 50 or more courses in the UK and USA alone that could easily fit onto this list. Links Golf Pilgrimages The rankings
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Broadstone Golf Club, Broadstone, Dorset, England Click any of the large images to return to the main Broadstone course page Broadstone Golf Club - photo by Rod Wiltshire Broadstone Golf Club - 5th hole Broadstone Golf Club - 7th hole Broadstone Golf Club - 8th hole Broadstone Golf Club - 14th hole Broadstone Golf Club - 18th hole
Top 10 Golf Courses in Dorset 2015 Dorset Best in County rankings updated Dorset lies in the south west of England on the coastline with the English Channel and more than half of this rural county is designated as an area of outstanding natural beauty. A large proportion of its southern boundary forms the Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage site that extends almost one hundred miles, where international field studies have looked at the wide variety of geological features occurring along its length. There’s some great golf to be found along this coast – as well as further inland – with some of the golf clubs established as far back as the 1890s, when the likes of Came Down, Isle of Purbeck and Sherborne were all founded. We’ve recently revised our rankings for this region and present now our newly updated Top 10 for Dorset. Broadstone holds onto the number 1 slot in the county, which is not entirely unexpected as it currently occupies a position in our Top 100 chart for Great Britain & Ireland. This lovely old heathland track has attracted a flurry of recent complimentary reviews, exemplified by: “the layout never fails to deliver a great round of golf in wonderful surroundings with superb views over the surrounding countryside”. At number 2 in the Dorset listings, the position it has occupied since we first established our county rankings in 2012, is Remedy Oak, a John Jacobs design that opened for play almost ten years ago. A designated regional qualifying course for the Open from 2013 to 2017, this top woodland track also features in our GB&I rankings. Such is its undoubted quality (especially since the club’s recent investment in USGA greens), we think it’s a modern classic in the making. Rising one place to number 3, we have the course at Parkstone, where James Braid modified the original Willie Park Jnr. layout back in the early 1930s. Not much has changed at this terrific track since then and the course is all the better for it too, with fairways routed across heathland and around lakes and pine trees, in a wonderfully natural setting. At number 7, climbing two spots in the chart, the course at Dudsbury Golf Club, Hotel & Spa is a tree-lined parkland layout where water comes into play at no fewer than fourteen of the holes. Designed by Donald Steel and opened in 1991, it offers a really tough test of golf when played from the 6,900-yard championship tees. The only new entry in the latest edition of the Dorset rankings arrives at number 10 and it’s Knighton Heath, which is situated a few miles north of Bournemouth, with fairways set our around a compact 90-acre parcel of land. Extending to a modest 6,065 yards from the back tees, this tree-lined track is tight in places so playing to handicap is never a foregone conclusion when teeing it up here. Sincere thanks to all the clubs and professional golfers who assisted with our re-ranking process for this region. To view details of all the courses in our Dorset Top 10 rankings click the link. If you’ve played extensively across the southwest region of England and would like to contribute to our next re-ranking exercise then please email Editor-in-Chief Keith Baxter at keith@top100golfcourses.com. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses
England is home to some of the best golf courses in the world, and its five highest-ranked layouts can be played without being a member. From a 15-time Open venue on the Kent coast to some of the finest heathland golf in Surrey and Berkshire, plus a spectacular links course in Cornwall, these are the five highest-ranked courses in England that welcome visiting golfers. Royal St. George’s Golf Club (Kent) World Ranking: 19th | England ranking: 1st | Green fee: £430 Royal St George’s offers the chance to play one of England’s most historic and challenging links courses. Founded in 1887, it was the first English course to host the Open and has staged the championship 15 times, including the most recent edition in 2021. Routed through towering dunes in a loose figure of eight, Royal St George’s has undulating fairways, uneven lies and plenty of elevation changes that can make even seemingly straightforward shots difficult. The fourth hole is particularly memorable, with a huge bunker carved into a towering dune guarding the fairway. Despite its reputation as a demanding championship test, the course is as enjoyable to explore as it is difficult to score on. Wildflowers and dune grasses line the fairways, while views stretch across Pegwell Bay towards the white cliffs beyond. Add in distinctive features such as the thatched shelters and St George’s flags, and there is plenty to keep you entertained between the inevitable moments of frustration. Sunningdale Golf Club - Old Course (Surrey) World Ranking: 22nd | England ranking: 2nd | Green fee: £485 The Old course at Sunningdale is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful inland courses in the British Isles. Opened in 1901 by Willie Park Jr, it was one of the first great courses to emerge from the Surrey and Berkshire sand-belt, with Harry Colt later reshaping the layout and giving it the intimate, tree-lined character it has today. Pine, birch, oak and heather frame the fairways, while the firm heathland turf makes Sunningdale a joy to walk and play. The course has hosted plenty of memorable golf, too, including Bobby Jones’ remarkable 66 in Open qualifying in 1926 and Nick Faldo’s 62 at the 1986 European Open. The 10th is a particular highlight, with its elevated tee offering a spectacular view before the halfway hut provides one of golf’s more welcome rewards. The 15th, a 226-yard par three, is another standout. For golfers visiting England, Sunningdale Old offers a classic heathland experience in one of the country's finest golfing regions. Sunningdale Golf Club - New Course (Surrey) World Ranking: 41st | England ranking: 3rd | Green fee: £485 The New course at Sunningdale provides a rather different experience to its famous older sibling. Opened in 1923 and designed by Harry Colt, it is more open and rugged than the Old, with elevated tees, heathery terrain and long carries placing a greater emphasis on driving. At 6,700 yards and par 70, the New is no pushover, with narrow fairways and plenty of undulation making it a particularly demanding test from the back tees. Even the professionals have struggled to make it look easy: Jack Nicklaus once held the course record with a 67 before Graeme Storm carded a remarkable 62 during Open qualifying in 2009. The course has also benefited from an ongoing tree-management programme, allowing more heather to return and restoring views across Chobham Common. The fifth, a picturesque par three played across the heath, is one of the highlights. The result is a course that rewards good driving without becoming a purely distance-based test, with the heathland setting providing plenty of visual interest along the way. St Enodoc Golf Club - Church Course (Cornwall) World Ranking: 49th | England ranking: 4th | Green fee: £190 St Enodoc is unlike almost any other links course in England. Overlooking the Camel Estuary in Rock, with views across to Padstow, the Church Course takes its name from the 13th-century church that sits beside the 10th green. Remarkably, the building was completely buried by sand in the 19th century before being excavated in 1863. Founded in 1891 and redesigned by James Braid in 1907, St Enodoc is defined by its towering dunes and constantly changing terrain, where no two holes feel quite the same. The sixth is the course's signature hole, demanding two blind shots over the towering 'Himalayas' dune to reach the hidden green. The 10th, played across a natural valley to a narrow fairway below, is another memorable challenge. If your ball strays towards the churchyard, you'll also find the grave of Poet Laureate John Betjeman, whose poem Seaside Golf was inspired by the course. The combination of huge dunes, unusual holes and views across the Camel Estuary makes St Enodoc a particularly distinctive addition to any English golf trip. Swinley Forest Golf Club (Berkshire) World Ranking: 52nd | England ranking: 5th Swinley Forest offers a quieter, more understated version of heathland golf on the Surrey and Berkshire sand-belt. Set among mature pines and heather, it has a wonderfully quiet atmosphere and an old-fashioned character that is increasingly difficult to find. The firm, fast-running fairways and purple heather in summer give it all the hallmarks of classic heathland golf. Designed by Harry Colt and opened in 1909, Swinley measures around 6,400 yards and plays to a par of 69. The short holes are particularly strong, with a varied collection of one-shotters that require careful club selection. Around the greens, false fronts, run-offs and subtle slopes provide plenty of opportunities for a good round to unravel. For much of its history, Swinley was an intensely private club where visitors were few and far between. It now welcomes green-fee golfers, although the club retains much of its distinctive character. The result is a course that feels removed from the modern world, with little of the glamour associated with some of its better-known neighbours. For golfers who enjoy traditional heathland golf, that simplicity is a large part of Swinley's appeal. Green fees quoted are summer 2027 rates where available.
