Handsworth Golf Club

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.

The city of Cambridge sits close enough to the Gog Magog Hills to claim two outstanding parkland layouts on its doorstep, and within a short drive you will find Royal Worlington and Newmarket Golf Club — ranked #87 in England and widely regarded as the finest nine-hole course in the world. For the business traveller staying in the city centre or the leisure golfer planning a long weekend, this compact corner of East Anglia delivers far more quality per mile than its flat fenland reputation suggests. Top 3 Golf Courses in Cambridge Best Golf Course in Cambridge — Royal Worlington and Newmarket Golf Club #1 in Suffolk | #87 in England | #3 in East England Access: Contact Club Prior to Visit Best Time to Visit: April to October Distance from City Centre: 40 km (25 miles) — approximately 40 minutes via the A14 and A11 Tom Dunn laid out these nine holes on sandy Suffolk soil in 1893, and Harry Colt refined them a generation later. Bernard Darwin, who chose two holes here among the 18 greatest inland holes in Britain, dubbed the layout the Sacred Nine — a name that has stuck for good reason. The home course of Cambridge University Golf Club since its founding, Royal Worlington plays faster and firmer than almost any inland course in England, with green complexes that demand imagination and precision in equal measure. Note that this course sits beyond the standard 30-minute drive from Cambridge city centre, but its national ranking and unique standing in golf history make the extra distance worthwhile. #2 Golf Course in Cambridge — The Gog Magog Golf Club (Old) #1 in Cambridgeshire Access: Contact Club Prior to Visit Best Time to Visit: April to October Distance from City Centre: 8 km (5 miles) — approximately 15 minutes Established in 1901 on the chalk escarpment of the Gog Magog Hills, this centurion layout rises south from the city across terrain that surprised Bernard Darwin when he first played it: undulating, fast-draining downland in one of England's flattest counties. Willie Park Junior, John Abercromby and Martin Hawtree have each shaped the course over more than a hundred years, and the result is 6,398 yards of accuracy-first parkland where rare perennial flax blooms blue in the rough each summer. The par-three 13th, played over a depression to a green with a spinney lurking left, is as good a one-shotter as the region produces. Host of the Lagonda Trophy since 1975, the Old course counts Lee Westwood, Luke Donald and Andy Sullivan among its past winners. #3 Golf Course in Cambridge — The Gog Magog Golf Club (Wandlebury) #2 in Cambridgeshire Access: Contact Club Prior to Visit Best Time to Visit: April to October Distance from City Centre: 8 km (5 miles) — approximately 15 minutes Sharing the same hilltop address as the Old course, the Wandlebury opened in 1997 after Martin Hawtree combined eleven new holes across freshly acquired downland with seven from an earlier nine-hole layout. At 6,735 yards it plays longer than its sibling and carries its own credentials: the R&A selected it for Open Championship Regional Qualifying between 2007 and 2011. The join between old and new holes is softening with time, and some members prefer the Wandlebury's flow to the Old. Stone Age flint tools discovered on the 4th fairway during construction — following a mandatory archaeological survey — add another dimension to a course that already has one of the finest settings in East Anglia. Can't Play the Top 3? Try These Instead The Links Golf Club, Newmarket #4 in Cambridgeshire Access: Visitors Welcome Best Time to Visit: April to October Distance from City Centre: 22 km (14 miles) — approximately 25 minutes Set out in 1902 on the southeast perimeter of Newmarket racecourse. Colonel S.V. Hotchkin — the architect behind Woodhall Spa's Hotchkin course — redesigned the layout in the 1930s and his work remains largely unchanged today. A training track known as the Gallops surrounds the course and at the 7th and 15th, the tee shot must clear the white racecourse rails before reaching the fairway. The bunkers are numerous and classically placed, with a full fairway-width specimen guarding the approach at the left-doglegging 16th that is as old-fashioned and effective as any hazard on the course. Royston Golf Club #28 in Hertfordshire Access: Visitors Welcome Best Time to Visit: April to October Distance from City Centre: 22 km (14 miles) — approximately 20 minutes Laid out by Harry Vardon on chalk heathland straddling the Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire border, Royston is one of the most unusual courses within reach of Cambridge — hilly, exposed and entirely unlike the flat fenland landscape that surrounds it. At 5,910 yards and par 70, the course offers no refuge in length, but the fast-draining chalk base keeps conditions firm and true year-round, and the rough in summer plays as demanding as heather. Nick Faldo won the junior championship here. The first formal golf course was recorded on this ground in 1869, making Royston one of the oldest clubs in England, and the layout has changed little since Andrew Kirkaldy became the club's first professional in 1893. More Golf Courses Near Cambridge Beyond the top five, Cambridge sits within an hour of several other ranked courses worth exploring. In Cambridgeshire itself, Ely City Golf Club — a Henry Cotton design opened in 1973 by Lee Trevino — lies 24 km (15 miles) north of the city, while St Ives (Hunts) Golf Club, Cambridge Country Club (Bourn) and Cambridge Meridian Golf Club each provide solid parkland golf within 30 km to the north and west. Cross into Suffolk and the county's heathland gems open up: the nationally ranked Ipswich Golf Club (Purdis Heath) and Aldeburgh Golf Club (Championship) are further east but reward the drive for golfers building an East Anglian itinerary. For a full ranked and reviewed list of courses across the region, visit top100golfcourses.com. Frequently Asked Questions What is the best golf course in Cambridge? Royal Worlington and Newmarket Golf Club is the highest-ranked course within reach of Cambridge, sitting at #87 in England. Known as the Sacred Nine, this nine-hole Suffolk layout is widely considered the finest nine-hole course in the world and has been the home course of Cambridge University Golf Club since 1893. For golfers wanting the best course within 15 minutes of the city centre, The Gog Magog Golf Club (Old) is ranked #1 in Cambridgeshire and has hosted the Lagonda Trophy since 1975. Is golf in Cambridge open to visitors? The Gog Magog Golf Club requires visitors to contact the club in advance to arrange a tee time. Royal Worlington and Newmarket Golf Club also operates on an advance-booking basis, with visitors required to have an official handicap certificate. The Links Golf Club in Newmarket and Royston Golf Club both welcome visitors and allow direct booking. When is the best time to play golf in Cambridge? April to October offers the most reliable conditions, with longer daylight hours and firmer, faster surfaces as the season progresses. The chalk and sand-based courses — Royal Worlington, the Gog Magog layouts and Royston — drain exceptionally well and remain playable through most of the winter, making Cambridge a viable golf destination outside the peak season. Getting There Cambridge station sits on the Great Northern main line, with direct services to London Kings Cross taking from 49 minutes. The station is approximately 2 km (1 mile) from the city centre. Nearest airport: London Stansted Airport (STN), 48 km (30 miles) south of Cambridge city centre, approximately 35 minutes by road to the Gog Magog Golf Club. For international connections: London Heathrow Airport (LHR), 110 km (68 miles) southwest of Cambridge city centre, approximately 80 minutes by road under normal traffic conditions. Best Time to Play Golf in Cambridge The golf season in Cambridge runs comfortably from April through October, with May, June and September representing the sweet spot of firm ground, reliable weather and manageable course pressure. The chalk and sand-based courses — Royal Worlington, the Gog Magog layouts and Royston — drain exceptionally well and remain playable through most of the winter, making Cambridge a more viable year-round golf destination than much of East England. Summer brings long evenings and the blue flax rough in flower on the Gog Magog hills. Autumn sharpens the light and empties the courses. Spring offers the best green fees for early-season visitors willing to take a chance on the weather. Plan Your Cambridge Golf Trip For full rankings, course reviews and visitor information, visit top100golfcourses.com. Use the site to compare courses across Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Hertfordshire, read panellist reviews and build your East Anglian golf itinerary from one of the most comprehensive golf course databases in the world.

England is perhaps the greatest golfing country in the world. With thirteen courses inside the global Top 100 and 45 featured in the GB&I Top 100, this compact nation punches well above its weight. Links, heathland, moorland, parkland — England has it all, and each of the highest calibre. More than 730,000 golfers are affiliated with England's 1,900 or so golf clubs, and the topographical variation on offer is arguably unique in the world over. England's finest golf courses have been re-examined, re-evaluated, and re-ranked. The 2026 edition of the England Top 100 is the most comprehensively researched in the ranking's twenty-year history, drawing on the expertise of 78 panellists — from county-level specialists with intimate local knowledge to members of the world ranking panel. The result is a ranking of 100 courses that reflects the full breadth and depth of English golf with unprecedented precision. See the England Top 100 Ranking The most compelling stories in the 2026 edition lie deeper in the table, where several courses have made substantial upward moves and five new entries have been recognised for the first time. 2026 England Top 100 - What's New New Entries Five courses enter the England Top 100 for the first time in the 2026 edition, and their variety speaks to the breadth of the ranking's reach. Seascale Golf Club arrives at No. 81, a remarkable links on the Cumbrian coast with views across the Irish Sea towards the Isle of Man. Laid out along dunes and tumbling fairways, Seascale is one of the great undiscovered links courses in the British Isles — and at £42 for a round, it is quite possibly the best-value entry in the entire Top 100. Formby Ladies Golf Club enters at No. 91, a significant and long-overdue recognition for one of the finest ladies' courses in Britain. Set within the same celebrated Merseyside duneland as its neighbour, Formby, the course has genuine architectural quality and a character all of its own. See the England Top 100 Ranking Appleby Golf Club debuts at No. 94 in the Eden Valley, Cumbria — a hidden gem in the English uplands that has been cherished by those who know it for decades. At £35, it is the cheapest round in the entire Top 100 and a testament to the value that persists in English golf away from the recognised circuits. Denham Golf Club enters at No. 98. Designed by Harry Colt in 1910, Denham sits in the Colne Valley on the Buckinghamshire–Middlesex border and has long been admired for its intimate, thoughtful routing. Dunstanburgh Castle Golf Club arrives at No. 99, bringing a spectacular coastal links in Northumberland into national recognition. Set against the dramatic backdrop of the medieval castle ruins, this is one of the most visually arresting courses in England — and at £55, one of the most accessible. Golf by Region: Where to Find England's Best One of the defining features of the 2026 England Top 100 is how thoroughly it maps the country's golf geography. The ranking covers 30 distinct counties, from Northumberland in the north-east to Cornwall in the south-west, and the concentration of quality in certain areas is striking. South East & London — 47 Courses The South East dominates the England Top 100 by sheer weight of numbers, accounting for 47 of the 100 ranked courses. This is the heartland of English golf: the Surrey and Berkshire heathlands, the Kent links coast, the Sussex downlands, and the capital's leafy outskirts. Sunningdale, Swinley Forest, St George's Hill, Walton Heath, West Sussex, Rye, The Berkshire, Woking, Hankley Common — the concentration of great golf within an hour of London is extraordinary by any global standard. See the England Top 100 Ranking The region's dominance reflects both geography and history. The acidic, sandy soils of the Surrey and Berkshire heaths produce the finest inland turf in England, and the Golden Age architects — Colt, Abercromby, Simpson, Park — were drawn here repeatedly. The result is a cluster of courses with genuine architectural pedigree that reward repeated visits in a way that few regions anywhere in the world can match. North West — 14 Courses Merseyside and Lancashire remain England's links heartland. The stretch of coastline from Southport to the Wirral contains one of the greatest concentrations of links golf anywhere in the world, with Birkdale, Royal Liverpool, Lytham, Hillside, Formby, Wallasey, West Lancashire, and Southport & Ainsdale all ranked in the top half of the table. The addition of Formby Ladies at No. 91 brings the region's total to 14, making it the second-strongest golfing area in England by course count. Cumbria also contributes three entries: Silloth on Solway (No. 21), Seascale (No. 81) and Appleby (No. 94). South West — 15 Courses The South West punches well above its weight given its population size and relative distance from the major golfing centres. Cornwall alone contributes three ranked courses — St Enodoc (No. 4), Perranporth (No. 60) and Trevose (No. 62) — and Devon adds five more, including both Saunton courses and the venerable Royal North Devon at Westward Ho!, the oldest links course in England. See the England Top 100 Ranking The Dorset contingent — Parkstone, Broadstone, Ferndown, Isle of Purbeck and Remedy Oak — gives the region a strong parkland and heathland backbone alongside its celebrated links. Average green fees in the South West are the lowest of any major region in England, making this one of the finest and most cost-effective golf destinations in the country. Midlands — 11 Courses Woodhall Spa's Hotchkin course (No. 12) remains the jewel of the Midlands: widely regarded as the finest inland course outside the Home Counties, its towering heather and cavernous bunkers have defined Lincolnshire golf for over a century. Hollinwell (No. 18) and Sherwood Forest (No. 58) provide Nottinghamshire with two outstanding heathland entries, while Cavendish (No. 83) is among the best-kept secrets in English golf at £55 per round. Kington (No. 65), perched on Bradnor Hill in Herefordshire at over 1,000 feet above sea level, is one of the ranking's most idiosyncratic entries: a historic upland course with panoramic views and a green fee of just £39. North East — 7 Courses Yorkshire contributes three entries — Ganton (No. 7), Alwoodley (No. 19) and Moortown (No. 39) — all within reach of Leeds and all among the finest inland courses in England. Alwoodley and Moortown were both designed by Alister MacKenzie before he achieved global fame at Augusta National and Cypress Point, and both retain his characteristic bunkering complexity and deceptive routing. See the England Top 100 Ranking The North East coast yields two remarkable links: Goswick (No. 51) in Northumberland and Seaton Carew (No. 56) in County Durham, both frequently overlooked by golfers who do not venture this far north. They are among the very best-value-ranked courses in the country. East — 6 Courses East Anglia offers a compact but distinguished collection. Royal West Norfolk (No. 14) at Brancaster is one of the great links experiences in England: tide-dependent, architecturally pure, and utterly unlike anywhere else. Aldeburgh (No. 43) and Hunstanton (No. 26) confirm the region's links credentials, while Royal Worlington & Newmarket (No. 87) is routinely cited by visiting golfers as among the most enjoyable rounds in the country. Best Value in the England Top 100 One of the most striking findings in the 2026 data is the exceptional value available at the top of English golf. The median green fee across the 88 courses with published rates is £175, and the average is £186 — but the range runs from £35 to £495, and some of the highest-quality golf in England is available for well under £100. See the England Top 100 Ranking Under £75 — Nine Ranked Courses Nine courses in the Top 100 can be played for under £75, and several are ranked firmly in the top half of the table. Seaton Carew (Micklem) at £65 is ranked No. 56 nationally, making it one of the outstanding green-fee-to-quality propositions in the entire ranking. Goswick Links (No. 51) at £100 and Kington (No. 65) at £39 are similarly extraordinary given their positions in the table. The full list of sub-£75 courses: Appleby (No. 94, £35), Kington (No. 65, £39), Cleeve Hill (No. 88, £40), Seascale (No. 81, £42), Isle of Purbeck — Purbeck (No. 80, £55), Cavendish (No. 83, £55), Dunstanburgh Castle (No. 99, £55), Seaton Carew Micklem (No. 56, £65), Yelverton (No. 92, £70). £75–£149 — Twenty-Two Courses The middle tier offers exceptional depth. Silloth on Solway (No. 21) at £120 is a particular standout: a genuine top-25 course on the remote Solway Firth that most golfers have never considered. Hayling (No. 44) at £145, Aldeburgh (No. 43) at £125, and Beau Desert (No. 47) at £120 all offer top-50 golf at prices well below the national average. The Premium Tier — Links Royalty At the top of the fee scale sit six courses at £400 or above: Royal St George's (£400), Sunningdale Old (£450), Sunningdale New (£450), Royal Lytham (£400), Royal Birkdale (£495), and Royal Liverpool (£400). These are among the most celebrated courses in the world, and the fees reflect both their quality and their position on the Open Championship rota. For most visiting golfers, they represent aspirational bucket-list rounds rather than regular fixtures. Value Hotspots by Region The South West is the most cost-effective major region in England, with an average green fee of £135 across 15 ranked courses. The combination of St Enodoc, both Saunton courses, Royal North Devon, Perranporth and Trevose — all available for £175 or less — makes this region an extraordinary destination for the budget-conscious golfer who refuses to compromise on quality. See the England Top 100 Ranking The North East (excluding Ganton) offers similar value. Seaton Carew, Goswick, Dunstanburgh Castle and Lindrick (£150) can all be played in a long weekend for a combined outlay of under £400 — a figure that would not cover a single round at several courses in the South East. The Midlands provides perhaps the most overlooked value in English golf. Cavendish (£55), Sutton Coldfield (£110), Beau Desert (£120), Blackwell (£140) and Sherwood Forest (£145) together represent a Midlands tour of genuine quality at accessible prices. The England Top 100 Ranking History Since 2006, Top 100 Golf Courses has published a biennial ranking of the best golf courses in England. What began as a pioneering attempt to order the country's finest layouts, the first England-specific Top 100 ever produced, has evolved into one of the most closely watched rankings in British golf. Across eight editions, the chart has tracked the rise of restoration culture, the enduring dominance of the Surrey and Berkshire heathlands, and the shifting philosophy around what makes a great English golf course. Here is the story so far. 2010: The Community-Driven Rankings The earliest edition available on the site was a crowd-sourced ranking based entirely on player reviews submitted since 2008. Birkdale topped the list, with Bearwood Lakes and Woodhall Spa (Hotchkin) completing an unusual top three. The user-driven methodology produced some quirks — Bearwood Lakes at No. 2 raised eyebrows — but it reflected genuine enthusiasm from the travelling golfer community. Notably, Sunningdale Old sat at No. 8 while Sunningdale New languished at No. 55, and The Belfry (Brabazon) held a comfortable No. 13. Only the United States, with a pool of courses ten times larger, could claim greater strength in depth. 2012: A New No. 1 For the first time since the country rankings launched in 2006, England had a new No. 1. Following the successful 2011 Open Championship at Sandwich, Royal St George's moved into pole position, ending Royal Birkdale's long reign at the top. It was a change that would prove remarkably durable. Elsewhere, Swinley Forest jumped back into the top 10 for the first time since 2008, and Sunningdale New continued its steady progression up the table. From the Golden Age, Blackwell and Stoneham moved into the Top 100 for the first time, signalling a growing appreciation for historically significant designs. Luffenham Heath returned to the chart after its centenary, and Tandridge made a comeback as early renovation work began to bear fruit. 2014: Stability and Maturity The 2014 edition confirmed the ranking's growing authority. The top 10 remained largely unchanged, and a striking statistic emerged: since 2006, only around a dozen courses had ever appeared at this elite level. The consistency spoke to both the enduring quality of England's finest and the maturity of the evaluation process. Beneath the surface, the restoration movement was quietly gathering momentum. Courses investing in architectural authenticity — tree management, bunker restoration, heathland regeneration — were beginning to distinguish themselves from those coasting on reputation alone. The seeds of a philosophical shift were being planted. 2016: Depth Beyond the Top Tier Royal St George's held firm for its third consecutive edition at No. 1. Five courses exited the Top 100, including London Club (Heritage), Northamptonshire County, Frilford Heath (Red), Hallamshire, and Royal Cromer, making way for new contenders. The most significant development was the publication of "The Second Hundred Golf Courses of England," a companion piece that shone a light on the extraordinary depth of English golf beyond the elite tier. The message was clear: England's strength extended far deeper than any single Top 100 could capture. The biennial cycle continued to be fed by seven regional listings, ensuring national coverage from Berwick-upon-Tweed in the north-east to Penzance in the south-west. 2018: The Restoration Era Deepens The 7th biennial edition saw minimal movement at the top, with only Ganton (at No. 8) and Woodhall Spa Hotchkin (at No. 9) swapping places. Seven regional charts — East Midlands, West Midlands, North East, North West, South West, East, and South East — fed into the national standings. The ranking had become a well-oiled machine, with confidence growing that it gave due recognition to the very best courses regardless of their remoteness or popularity. The restoration narrative strengthened considerably. Huntercombe, a Willie Park Jnr design in Oxfordshire dating from 1901, entered at No. 94. Royal Worlington & Newmarket, a historic 9-hole course in Suffolk laid out by Tom Dunn in 1893, returned at No. 99 for the first time since 2006. Goswick Links in Northumberland re-entered at No. 86 on a wave of growing admiration for this James Braid-remodelled layout. 2020: JCB and Architectural Investment The 8th edition maintained Royal St George's at No. 1, but the biggest story emerged from Staffordshire. JCB Golf & Country Club, designed by Robin Hiseman of European Golf Design, crashed into the national Top 100 at No. 42 as the highest new entry. A big, ambitious course with tournament aspirations, JCB signalled that modern design could earn its place alongside the Golden Age classics. Prince's in Sandwich made history of a different kind, becoming the first club with three ranked nines appearing as two separate entries in any national ranking — the Shore & Dunes combination rising 12 places to No. 45 following a Mackenzie & Ebert renovation, with the Himalayas nine entering at No. 99. The architectural influence of Mackenzie & Ebert continued to grow, with Liphook (up 13 to No. 32) and Delamere Forest (up 6 to No. 40) both climbing following upgrade work. Hadley Wood, an Alister MacKenzie design from 1922, rose 12 positions to No. 84 as the club announced extensive long-term development plans. 2022: Restoration Rewarded Royal St George's retained No. 1 for the sixth consecutive edition, having hosted the 2021 Open Championship to widespread acclaim. Reviewers described the course as "perpetually interesting and always challenging… the definition of exceptional golf." There was very little movement within the top 15, reinforcing the remarkable stability at the elite level. The real action came further down the table, where Frank Pont's restoration work drove a series of dramatic climbs. New Zealand in Addlestone, a Tom Simpson and Philip Mackenzie Ross design founded in 1895, rose 13 places to No. 41 following Pont's bunker restoration and comprehensive woodland management programme. Tandridge surged 18 places to No. 74 — its highest position since 2008 — after a decade-long restoration by Pont, continued by Tim Lobb's design firm. Rye (Old) gained seven places to reach No. 17, reflecting the enduring charm of this East Sussex gem. In total, four courses made remarkable double-digit upward moves. 2025: The Post-COVID Reset The 2025 edition arrived three years after the previous release, with the disruption of the COVID years firmly in the rear-view mirror. It proved to be the most transformative edition in the ranking's history — a genuine paradigm shift that went far beyond the routine reshuffling of numbers. Top 100 took the opportunity to fundamentally reassess how English golf courses are evaluated. The most visible structural change was the replacement of county-level rankings with eight intuitive regional classifications — London & South East, North West, South West, and others — designed to make trip planning far more practical for the travelling golfer. As the accompanying podcast noted, most visitors couldn't locate Wiltshire on a map, but everyone understands "London and South East." Beneath this reorganisation sat a bolder philosophical statement. Architectural integrity was now explicitly prioritised over conditioning, championship pedigree, and reputation. The most dramatic casualty was The Belfry, dropped from the Top 100 entirely despite its historical significance and Ryder Cup heritage. The ranking panel was unambiguous: this was about golf course architecture, not greenkeeping standards. Royal St George's maintained its No. 1 position, but the top 10 experienced its biggest shake-up in the chart's history. Sunningdale Old and New rose to Nos. 2 and 3, confirming what many had long argued — that Sunningdale's 36 holes represent the finest inland golf in the British Isles. Royal Lytham & St Annes, St Enodoc (Church), and Ganton all climbed above Royal Birkdale, believed to be a first in the ranking's history. The standout mover was The Addington, a J.F. Abercromby design near London that rocketed up. An exceptional restoration programme — involving architect CDP, master shaper Mike DeVries, extensive tree removal, heather regeneration, and the recovery of original green dimensions — had transformed the course. Wallasey made the second-largest leap with a 16-place rise. Other significant climbers included Hayling, Huntercombe, Goswick, Blackmoor, Hadley Wood, Ashridge, Stoneham, Rye (Old), Seaton Carew (Micklem), and Cavendish. Several established names slipped five or more places, including St Mellion (Nicklaus), Woodhall Spa (Hotchkin), Royal Birkdale, Woburn (Marquess), Little Aston, New Zealand, and Wentworth (East). The 2025 edition sent an unmistakable signal: in England, the future belongs to courses investing in architectural authenticity rather than those coasting on reputation or manicured perfection. What Comes Next: The 2026 Revolution If the 2025 edition was transformative, the 2026 ranking promises to be seismic. For the first time in the chart's history, courses will be ranked using geographic boundaries rather than traditional golf union boundaries — a fundamental structural change that has never been attempted at this scale. As seen above, the foundation of the England ranking was crowd-sourced… with this revision, we are tearing it back to the bones and starting from scratch. The panel has drawn on the expertise of 78 individuals, from county-level specialists with deep local knowledge through to members of the world ranking panel. The volume of data compiled is unprecedented, and the result is expected to be the most comprehensive and authoritative England ranking ever produced. After fifteen years of evolution — from crowd-sourced beginnings through the restoration revolution and the post-COVID reset — the England Top 100 is about to enter its most ambitious chapter yet. See the England Top 100 Ranking