Best Golf Courses In Middlesex

With its proximity to central London and the consequent demand for housing, offices and land, Middlesex is physically one of the smallest counties in England. There is consequently a relatively small acreage devoted to golf with fewer than 30 clubs attached to the county union. Nonetheless, there is still plenty of extremely enjoyable golf to be found, and often at a price that is hugely favourable compared to many of the best golf courses in Surrey. As you might expect, parkland golf is the dominant force here, but within that genre, there is still plenty of variety and it includes a number of the best golf courses in London.

Best Golf Courses in Middlesex

Fulwell

• Location Hampton Hill
• Founded 1904
• Architect John Morrison, Tom Mackenzie
• GF Round £70 Mon-Fri, £90 Weekend (after 14:30)
• Par 71, 6,475 yards
• Contact Fulwell Golf Club

JH Taylor designed both men’s and ladies’ 18-hole courses at Fulwell in 1904, five years before the opening of nearby Twickenham Stadium. Following WWII, John Morrison took 8 holes from one and 10 from the other to create today’s testing, tree-lined challenge. There are several tough, long par 4s, dog-legs that call for careful placement of the drive, and a ditch which comes into play and opens out into an attractive pond that sits between tee and green on the very pretty 9th. The relatively recent Tom Mackenzie revamp of all the bunkering has greatly improved both its strategic and its visual impact, and this is now undoubtedly one of the best golf courses in London.

Northwood

• Location Northwood
• Founded 1891
• Architect Tom Dunn, JH Taylor
• GF Round £60 - Mon, Tue and Thu
• Par 71, 6,473 yards
• Contact Northwood Golf Club

From the slightly raised, bright and airy clubhouse, there are fine views over the course at Northwood that get the adrenalin pumping on arrival. Opening with a short par 4, you then play the longest hole on the course, one of just two par 5s. There are also just three short holes, so its strength lies very much in a number of very fine par 4s such as the 4th, 5th, 12th and 16th. Away from the clubhouse area, it covers a large acreage, frequently changing direction, and the holes are generally very well separated by dense woodland.

Read full Northwood Golf Club course review

Ashford Manor

• Location Ashford
• Founded 1902
• Architect Tom Hogg
• GF Round £75 Mon-Fri, Weekend (after 14:00)
• Par 70, 6,406 yards
• Contact Ashford Manor Golf Club

Running over an easy-walking and compact plot of land not far from Heathrow, this free-draining and tree-lined par-70 course dates back to 1902. Positioning from the tee is key, and there are some particularly strong two-shotters. Unusually, three of the par 3s come in the space of four holes on the back nine. In 1905, Harold Hilton, two-time Open champion joined the club. He was a member for 10 years, and it was during this time, in 1911, that he become the founding editor of Golf Monthly.

Bush Hill Park

• Location Enfield
• Founded 1895
• Architect Harry Vardon, James Braid
• GF Round £30-£40 Mon-Fri, £40-£50 Weekend
• Par 70, 5,776 yards
• Contact Bush Hill Park Golf Club

As with many London clubs, the first thing that impresses at Bush Hill Park is the stylish and very distinctive mansion that has been its clubhouse for the last century. There is, of course, far more on offer here, with its short but very pretty parkland course boasting four par 5s and no fewer than six short holes. It also has strong pedigree with James Braid making some substantial improvements. Variety is therefore very much the name of the game, and the gentle undulations step up a gear towards the end with an exciting finish comprising back-to-back par 3s, a drive and pitch par-4 over water, and an uphill long hole to a two-tier green.

Crews Hill

• Location Enfield
• Founded 1913
• Architect Harry Colt
• GF Round £25-£32 Mon-Fri
• Par 70, 6,281
• Contact Crews Hill Golf Club

Crews Hill is another fine parkland course benefitting from the design genius of the great Harry Colt. The course opens with three holes that run due south away from the clubhouse, and its strongest and most distinctive section is probably the holes from ten to thirteen. Of these, the 12th is the most memorable with Turkey Brook crossing at about 170 yards from the tee before hugging the right-hand side and then crossing again at the base of the slope up to the green. Despite its close proximity to the M25 and the main King’s Cross railway line, this is a delightfully peaceful and rural course with plenty to enjoy all the way.

Read full Crews Hill Golf Club course review

Ealing

• Location Ealing
• Founded 1912
• Architect James Braid, Harry Colt
• GF Round £55 Mon-Tue, Thu-Fri
• Par 70, 6,201 yards
• Contact Ealing Golf Club

Running over easy-walking land with the River Brent coming into play at frequent intervals, the course at Ealing was originally laid out by James Braid before a major redesign by Harry Colt in the mid-1920s. The river is a key element of Ealing’s character, coming in to play for the first time at the 4th where your tee shot must stay right before a pitch to a green that is almost completely surrounded by it. There are five short holes, albeit three of them over 200 yards from the back tees, and three par 5s which provide realistic birdie opportunities. The 6th is extremely tough, a long par 4 where most will need to lay up short of the river and rely on a pitch and putt for par. There is an element of crossover in one or two places, but this is more than compensated for by the consistently excellent greens.

Enfield

• Location Enfield
• Founded 1893
• Architect James Braid
• GF Round £40-£45 Mon-Thu, £45-£50 Fri
• Par 72, 6,154 yards
• Contact Enfield Golf Club

Occupying almost every usable golfing inch of a fairly compact site, the engaging course at Enfield is a tree-lined James Braid design that holds plenty of interest. Keep it straight, and there is every chance of scoring well. Wander off the straight and narrow, and you will be hard-pushed to recover. Salmon’s Brook runs through the heart of the course and comes into play on several holes, while an ancient moat waits ominously behind the penultimate hole. Three drive-and-pitch par 4s in the last six holes offer the chance of redemption, while the recently refurbished clubhouse is now a very welcoming place to relax before or after a round.

Finchley

• Location Mill Hill
• Founded 1929
• Architect James Braid
• GF Round £40 Mon-Fri afternoons, £55 Weekend from 15:00
• Par 72, 6,302 yards
• Contact Finchley Golf Club

The course at Finchley runs round the stylish Nether Court Victorian mansion that serves as the clubhouse, and almost evenly on either side of the delightfully-named Lovers Lane. It was designed by the great James Braid, and is lined by mature, attractive and very varied trees. It is also a course with plenty of risk-reward with driveable par 4s and reachable par 5s. The key to scoring here is in placement from the tee and accurate approaches to the relatively small greens. The green fee is also very welcoming for somewhere so central, and the club prides itself on its friendly atmosphere and warm welcome for all.

Highgate

• Location Highgate
• Founded 1904
• Architect Cuthbert Butchart
• GF Round £95 Mon-Fri
• Par 69, 6,033 yards
• Contact Highgate Golf Club

Highgate was founded in 1904 and its course is a delightful golfing oasis in an affluent area midway between the Thames and the M25. It is one of several golf courses near tube stations. With a number of narrow fairways, the course is not long but instead requires careful placement all the way with many of the greens offering a relatively small target. It was designed by Cuthbert Butchart of West Hill fame, and is quite undulating in places, the upside of which is plenty of character and definition. Back-to-back super-strong par 4s at the 15th and 16th offer a real sting in the tail.

Mill Hill

• Location Mill Hill
• Founded 1925
• Architect JF Abercromby, Harry Colt
• GF Round £36 Mon-Thu, £40 Fri, £45 Weekend
• Par 70, 6,346 yards
• Contact Mill Hill Golf Club

It would be easy to expect a course sandwiched between the M1 and the A1 to be somewhat urban and noisy. Happily, thanks to its densely tree-lined periphery and gently undulating landscape, Mill Hill is surprisingly peaceful and rural. While playing, the closest you get to being aware of the traffic is on the par-3 2nd, a lovely short hole over water. Thereafter, you work your way up and down the course on both nines, each of which has plenty of interesting and challenging holes. A round here represents very good value.

Muswell Hill

• Location Muswell Hill
• Founded 1893
• Architect James Braid
• GF Round £45 Mon, Wed and Fri - £60 Tue & Thu before 11, then £45
• Par 71, 6,383 yards
• Contact Muswell Hill Golf Club

After a back-and-forth opening three holes, this gently undulating parkland course really takes off from the 4th where a fairway bunker prompts you to play right. The next is a strong par 3 played from a slightly elevated tee, and the 6th is a characterful par 5 played down into a valley where a hedge and a ditch await. On the back nine, the long 11th sweeps down into the valley before climbing the other side, and the 12th is a pretty par 3 where a burn and stately trees provide all the protection it needs. The closing four holes are all strong two-shotters.

North Middlesex

• Location North Finchley
• Founded 1905
• Architect Willie Park Junior
• GF Round £45 Mon-Thu, £50 Fri, £55 Sat-Sun
• Par 69, 5,691 yards
• Contact North Middlesex Golf Club

The short but tricky course at North Middlesex is great fun and can yield a flattering score if you manage to keep it straight. It is less than 5,700 yards despite back-to-back par 5s on the front nine, and there is an excellent climax to the round with a really tough but cracking par 3 of 224 yards. It is also an extremely friendly and lively club, and is the home of popular Tour professional Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston.

Read full North Middlesex Golf Club course review

Stanmore

• Location Stanmore
• Founded 1893
• Architect Alister MacKenzie
• GF Round £27-£50, check website for details
• Par 69, 6,025 yards
• Contact Stanmore Golf Club

Stanmore offers a tree-lined examination of shot-making where accurate driving is rewarded and is of prime importance. There are five short holes, all of modest length barring the 17th, and a pair of par 5s, both on the back nine. The course was redesigned just over a century ago by Alister MacKenzie of Augusta fame, and its undulations add both to the strategic test and to its visual appeal, particularly when the many trees are in leaf. MacKenzie was noted for his green complexes, several of which at Stanmore have a false front, generally suggesting that it is safer to take one club more.

Sudbury

• Location Wembley
• Founded 1896
• Architect Harry Colt
• GF Round £40 Mon, £50 Tue-Fri, £60 Weekend
• Par 70, 6,307 yards
• Contact Sudbury Golf Club

This Harry Colt creation is an enjoyable and fair test of golf with the bright and welcoming clubhouse looking down over the entire layout. Bordered to the south by the Grand Union Canal, there is fine variety throughout and the course opens with three strong par 4s where most of us would happily take a 5. The most exciting holes are probably those on the back nine. The 11th is played down to a wonderful green site on an old Roman burial mound, and the club rightly prides itself on its friendly membership and staff.

Read full Sudbury Golf Club course review

With no premier league names on its rollcall, golf in Middlesex often offers excellent value. This is all the more so when you consider the high quality on offer at some of its less well-known clubs.