The Best Pay and Play Golf Courses in the UK

As the late summer’s clement weather kicks in, the golfing season is in full swing, and the easing of various lockdown restrictions means we’re free to delight in the good old game once again. However with membership prices reportedly through the roof right now, pay and play courses are a more attractive option than ever. Maybe you don’t want to tie yourself down to one club, or maybe you’re looking to try out various greens before making the commitment. Whatever the reason, there’s no need to pay big annual fees at these top clubs, which welcome all golfers at just about any time of the year.

The Grove, Watford, Hertfordshire

Set among the 200-acres of Hertfordshire countryside The Grove calls home, this sprawling 18-hole golf course is perhaps best known as host of the 2006 Amex World Golf Championships, when Tiger Woods easily dominated the field to claim the illustrious title. Just a short drive from London, the 7,152 yard course caters to all golfing standards with its four large teeing areas on each and every hole, plus a number of appealing short holes and a particularly testing 3rd with its approach over ‘Hell’s Lake’. The surrounding picturesque Hertfordshire countryside makes for a serene backdrop, too.

From £155 off peak, thegrove.co.uk/golf

London Golf Club, Ash, Kent

A popular 36-hole club near the Brands Hatch race circuit, London Golf Club offers pay and play on its International Course, an equally-impressive sister to the club’s Jack Nicklaus-designed members’ only Heritage Course. While beginners may want to look elsewhere – the rolling Kent countryside provides challenging elevation changes for all but the very best golfers – a peaceful terrain and beautiful view make London Golf Club one of the most well-regarded in the south. Need more convincing? Its designer Ron Kirby describes the 532-yard 4th, which features a fairway split in half by a huge bunker, as “the best par 5 hole I have ever created”, and its regulars would most certainly agree.

From £130, londongolf.co.uk

The Belfry, Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire

The Belfry is a name that needs no introduction – its Brabazon course has played host to more Ryder Cups than any other on the planet, after all. Offering a taste of world-class golfing in a resort-style setting, expect a mire of perilous bunkers, lakes, strategically placed sand-traps and immaculate greens that are a pleasure to navigate. Both the PGA National and Brabazon courses are currently open for business, and if you enjoy a round at either you’ll be in good company, too – The Belfry is a place that has put the likes of Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods well and truly put through their paces.

£175 for the Brabazon course, £95 for PGA National and £45 for the Derby course; thebelfry.com/golf/

Blackmoor Golf Club, Whitehill, Hampshire

A regular feature in the top 100 courses in the UK, this timeless English club that often falls under the radar. Short but tough, what it lacks in size it makes up for in surroundings – the course lies on an idyllic tract of purple headland where birch and fir trees abound. As for the game, the layout is configured in two loops (the front nine being the outer loop and the back nine the inner loop) with five par threes and only two par fives against a par of 69. Sandwiched between the North and South Downs, with easy access from Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire, Blackmoor most certainly defines hidden gem status. Green fee rates for both County Card Holders and casual visitors.

From £55, blackmoorgolf.co.uk

Written by Naomi Chadderton