Walton Heath Golf Club Old Course: Review, Tee Times and Key Info

A classic heathland golf course with a great heritage, firm fairways and smooth greens, the Old Course at Walton Heath is ranked 35th on our Top 100 UK&I courses ranking in association with Peter Millar

Overhead view of the 4th on the Old Course at Walton Heath

(Image credit: Getty Images)

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By Fergus Bisset

last updated 9 April 2025

Walton Heath Golf Club Key Information

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Address	Deans Lane, Walton-on-the-Hill, Tadworth KT20 7TP
Phone Number	01737 812060
Website	https://www.waltonheath.com
Email	reception@waltonheath.com
Visitor Times	Mon to Fri from 9.30am, Weekends and Bank Holidays from midday
Par	72
Slope Rating	135 (Championship), 131 (White), 126 (Green), 119 (Red), 135 (Women's Red)
Opened	1904
Designed by	Herbert Fowler

Golf Monthly Verdict

An open heathland setting, offering mile upon glorious mile of expansive golfing vistas from every hole. Superb heathland golf in a beautiful setting and a club with a great heritage. It’s a sandy and firm track protected by heather, an eclectic selection of trees and the notorious, swirling winds. The greens are famously excellent and feature subtle borrows. A delicate touch is essential.

REASONS TO PLAY WALTON HEATH GOLF CLUB OLD COURSE

– Classic heathland course with springy turf and sandy soil

– A club with a great competitive heritage

– Picturesque and peaceful settting

RANKINGS
UK & Ireland Top 100 Golf Courses 2025/26 - 35

The Old Course at Walton Heath is one of the most famous heathland tracks in our Top 100 golf courses UK&I rankings. It was opened in 1904 with a match between the great triumvirate: JH Taylor, Harry Vardon and James Braid. The Scot was already the club’s professional and he continued to hold the position right up to his death in 1950.

Walton Heath is one of the best golf courses in Surrey and it has an illustrious history and Braid is by no means the only famous figure to have an association with the club. Prior to the First World War no fewer than 24 MPs were members, including Winston Churchill and David Lloyd George. Legendary cricketer W.G Grace was also a member, it used to be said he compiled as many hundred’s around the Heath as he did at Lords.

Over the years, the club has been the location for numerous competitions both amateur and professional. The Old Course was used for five European Opens and 23 World Matchplay Championships, but perhaps the most spectacular contest hosted at Walton Heath was the Ryder Cup of 1981 when a majestic US side steamrollered GB&I 18.5 - 9.5.

Since 2005 Walton Heath has been used as a venue for the European qualifier for the US Open and, in 2018, it played host to the British Masters won by Eddie Pepperell, where a composite course including two holes from the New Course was used.

Out on the Herbert Fowler designed Old Course, mature pines and silver birches line sandy fairways that become extremely fast running through the summer months. With the protection of heather, gorse and the ever-changeable wind, excellent ball striking is required throughout the round if you’re to score well. The greens are large and many appear flat. But I am always fooled by some subtle borrows that confuse and perplex.

From the very back tees, I think the course is dauntingly long but the daily tees offer a more reasonable prospect for the average golfer.

What's new for 2025/26? What our panellists said…

John Slater

Much improved since 2022, with the course having been prepared for the AIG Women’s Open. It’s classic heathland and you get impressive, expansive views across the course at several places.

Matt Weavers

Playing more like St Andrews than Sunningdale, Walton Heath Old is a championship ‘links’ course inside the M25! Greeens, fairways and heather/rough have been improved. The interior décor has been improved in the main bar area and there is a new astro turf chipping area.

Walton Heath Golf Club location

Walton Heath Golf Club Old Course scorecard

Best Courses Near to Walton Heath Golf Club Old Course

For all the best courses near to Walton Heath, check out our best courses in Surrey.

Best Places To Stay near Walton Heath Golf Club

Holiday Inn Express Epsom Downs - Book now at Booking.com
In the grounds of Epsom Downs Racecourse, Holiday Inn Express London Epsom is a convenient and comfortable option - just a couple of miles from Walton Heath.

The Running Horses Inn - Book now at Booking.com
On the outskirts of Dorking just a few miles from Walton Heath, the Running Horses wasonce a coach house servicing the main route from London to the South and has been a traditional English hostelry for some 400 years. It's characterful and cosy.

Walton Heath Golf Club Old Course Gallery

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Walton Heath Golf Club Historical Top 100 Ranking UK&I

2025/26 - 35
2023/24 - 33
2021/22 - 29
2019/20 – 27
2017/18 - 29
2015/16 - 27
2013/14 - 27
2011/12 - 28
2009/10 - 34

Frequently Asked Questions

Who designed Walton Heath?

The courses designer was Herbert Fowler. He liked to test the extent of the golfer’s repertoire of shots so the layout requires versatility. Fowler designed both the Old and New courses at Walton Heath.

Where did Winston Churchill play golf?

Winston Churchill played regularly at Walton Heath. King George VI, King Edward VIII, A.J. Balfour, David Lloyd George and Andrew Bonar Law also played at Walton Heath

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He has also worked with Golf Monthly to produce a podcast series. Called 18 Majors: The Golf History Show it offers new and in-depth perspectives on some of the most important moments in golf's long history. You can find all the details about it here.

He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly.

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?

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