The South West of England occupies a unique position in the nation's golfing landscape. Stretching from the Atlantic-battered tip of Cornwall through Devon's rolling moorlands, Dorset's heathland ridges, the Somerset Levels, the Cotswold escarpment, and the downland of Wiltshire, no other English region offers such dramatic topographical variety across its golf courses.
Across six counties and more than 220 clubs, the South West has long been recognised as the second strongest golfing region in England. The latest rankings reflect a broader philosophical shift taking hold across Top 100 Golf Courses' assessments, placing architectural integrity at the heart of every evaluation.
The Unchanged Elite
St Enodoc Golf Club (Church), Cornwall, holds firm at the summit of the regional rankings, a position it has occupied without interruption since the inaugural South West Top 20 in 2017. Designed by James Braid in 1907, the Church course is widely regarded as the finest links in England outside the Open Championship rota. Saunton Golf Club (East) in Devon maintains second place, its ranking as rock-solid as the Braunton Burrows dune system that shields it from the Atlantic. Burnham & Berrow Golf Club (Championship) holds third, Somerset's great links on the Bristol Channel coast.
Best Golf Courses in the South West by County
Cornwall supplies the region's undisputed headline act in St Enodoc, alongside two more Top 15 entries in Perranporth and Trevose (Championship). Cornwall and its three Top 15 finishers confirm it as the go-to destination for anyone seeking pure, seaside links golf in the South West.
Devon places five courses in the regional Top 15, the most of any county, with Saunton's twin links at second and seventh representing the finest 36 consecutive links holes in England. Royal North Devon at Westward Ho! brings historical gravitas, while East Devon and Yelverton represent the county's inland quality.
Dorset contributes four Top 15 entries, clustered in and around Poole. Parkstone, Broadstone, and Ferndown (Old) form one of the finest heathland and coastal trios in English golf, all within a few miles of one another.
Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire collectively account for one Top 15 entry — Cleeve Hill in the thirteenth position. Gloucestershire's listings are headlined by the Minchinhampton complex, Somerset offers a cluster of quality parkland and clifftop courses anchored by Burnham & Berrow, and Wiltshire's ranked courses include the fine PGA venue at Bowood and the superb downland layout at Tidworth Garrison.
The Enduring Primacy of Links Golf
Nine of the 15 courses in the regional standings are either true links or coastal heathland layouts, a proportion that speaks to the South West's Atlantic-facing geography. St Enodoc, both Saunton courses, Royal North Devon, Perranporth, Trevose, Burnham & Berrow, and Parkstone are all defined by their coastal character.
Dorset's Heathland Cluster
The Poole basin, taking in Parkstone, Broadstone, and Ferndown within a five-mile radius, represents one of the most concentrated pockets of heathland quality in England. Willie Park Junior laid out Parkstone in 1909, later redesigned by James Braid. Harry Colt reshaped Broadstone from Tom Dunn's original 1898 layout. Harold Hilton, one of England's finest amateur champions, designed Ferndown's Old course just before the First World War. Three Golden Age architects, three outstanding courses, and a shared landscape of pine, heather, and sandy loam.
Minchinhampton and the Gloucestershire Transformation
The biggest story in the inland counties is the rise of Minchinhampton in Gloucestershire. The club operates three 18-hole courses across two sites — Cherington, Old, and Avening — and all three appear in the current county Top 5. The Minchinhampton (Old) course makes the most notable move in the Gloucestershire standings, climbing several places to third, recognition of a layout that has been quietly improving in esteem. Cleeve Hill's presence is also significant: the common land course near Cheltenham, with its sweeping Malvern Hills views, has long been underappreciated.
The Architectural Depth of the South West
Beyond the headline names, the South West's collective 87-course ranking reveals genuine depth. In Devon, courses like Teignmouth and Bovey Castle sit firmly inside the county Top 10. In Wiltshire, the double-figure depth of the county chart includes Manor House Golf Club and Tidworth Garrison, two of the more characterful inland layouts in southern England.
The South West as a region divides naturally into distinct golfing bases, each with a different character.
The Cornwall Circuit — Basing yourself in north Cornwall around Rock or Padstow puts you within easy reach of St Enodoc, Trevose, and Perranporth, three courses with entirely distinct personalities that together represent some of the finest links golf in England. Bude & North Cornwall and West Cornwall add further options for a week-long visit, and the peninsula's coastal scenery between rounds is among the most dramatic in the British Isles.
North Devon and Exmoor — Saunton's twin links are the centrepiece of any North Devon golf trip. Adding Royal North Devon at Westward Ho! makes a natural and historically rich trilogy. Yelverton to the south gives access to Dartmoor for a change of scene, and East Devon near Budleigh Salterton, a Herbert Fowler and Harry Colt collaboration 400 feet above Lyme Bay, rewards those willing to venture off the well-trodden North Devon circuit.
The Dorset Heathland Triangle — Parkstone, Broadstone, and Ferndown can all be played within a single day's drive of central Dorset, making this trio the natural hub of any Dorset golf stay. Isle of Purbeck and Remedy Oak extend the itinerary further east and west, respectively, and the combination of heathland golf with the Jurassic Coast as backdrop is genuinely unique in English golf.
The Cotswolds and Wiltshire — Cleeve Hill is the gateway to Gloucestershire's inland riches, and the Minchinhampton complex offers outstanding value for a single-destination stay. In Wiltshire, Bowood and Tidworth Garrison are logical pairings for anyone visiting the county from the Cotswolds or the New Forest.
For the complete South West England regional rankings across all six counties, visit the Top 100 Golf Courses South West England page.
