25 Golf Courses You Must Play This Winter

By: Golfshake Editor | Fri 18 Nov 2022

It's starting to feel a lot like winter! But for those of us who are keen to continue playing throughout these challenging months, it helps to know what exactly are the best courses to visit.

Fortunately, that's where our Course Section and Golfshake Community (who have reviewed venues in their tens of thousands) become especially handy to help you discover those winter gems.

Bringing you the first of several feature articles, we have isolated destinations on a strict criteria, based on their Overall Rating from the winter months submitted since 2019, in addition to highlighting those places which excell for their Course Conditions, hopefully bringing you closer to layouts that remain in outstanding fettle for the time of year.

Due to the focused criteria, the vast majority of venues are in England, but if you look closely you may spot a couple of outposts based elsewhere!

St Mellion Estate

Location: Cornwall

Golfshake Rating: 4.63

Winter Golf Rating: 5.00

Course Condition Rating: 5.00

Review Comment: "The perfect two course facility with two excellent courses, the Nicklaus is amazing and will definitely go again and again. Excellent bar, food and spa facilities and rooms very good with picturesque views. Highly recommend for a golf weekend, but make sure you can hit it straight if you play the Nicklaus!"

Churchill & Blakedown Golf Club

Location: Worcestershire

Golfshake Rating: 4.62

Winter Golf Rating: 5.00

Course Condition Rating: 5.00

Review Comment: "CBGC is a hidden gem of a 9-hole course. Friendly members, well maintained course and great pro shop and clubhouse. Worth a visit."

Hadley Wood Golf Club

Location: Hertfordshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.23

Winter Golf Rating: 5.00

Course Condition Rating: 5.00

Review Comment: "Beautiful course, each hole was unique. It was in fantastic condition and the greens were amazing. Very quick and undulating."

Cleveland Golf Club

Location: Yorkshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.44

Winter Golf Rating: 5.00

Course Condition Rating: 5.00

Review Comment: "Cleveland is a fantastic course and a great test of anyone’s game. Greens excellent ran fast and true. Very friendly members and staff."

Corhampton Golf Club

Location: Hampshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.43

Winter Golf Rating: 5.00

Course Condition Rating: 5.00

Review Comment: "Friendly staff and members, quality greens and course maintenance. Will always go back."

Dunstanburgh Castle Golf Club

Location: Northumberland

Golfshake Rating: 4.49

Winter Golf Rating: 5.00

Course Condition Rating: 4.83

Review Comment: "A challenging course which is very well maintained. Exceptional backdrop and views, very fair layout, keep to the fairways and good scoring is possible, rough is a genuine hazard. Hard to fault the course at all and at an amazing price."

Cowdray Park Golf Club

Location: West Sussex

Golfshake Rating: 4.38

Winter Golf Rating: 5.00

Course Condition Rating: 4.83

Review Comment: "Always incredible, can't rate this golf club enough. Such a pleasure to play and always in tip top shape."

St Andrews Links

Location: Fife

Golfshake Rating: 4.96

Winter Golf Rating: 5.00

Course Condition Rating: 4.75

Review Comment: "The Old Course is the ultimate links course. The greatest golf course on the planet."

The Manor House Golf Club

Location: Wiltshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.77

Winter Golf Rating: 5.00

Course Condition Rating: 4.75

Review Comment: "An amazing golfing challenge and spectacular course. Many signature holes with steep inclines and wooded valleys. Bunkers well looked after and lovely greens."

Chartham Park Golf Club

Location: West Sussex

Golfshake Rating: 4.45

Winter Golf Rating: 5.00

Course Condition Rating: 4.75

Review Comment: "Course was in excellent condition, greens were slow but challenging, the setting is lovely. Some very interesting holes, bit of everything for golfers of varying degrees I would say, but lovely clubhouse and plenty of parking."

Seacroft Golf Club

Location: Lincolnshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.10

Winter Golf Rating: 5.00

Course Condition Rating: 4.75

Review Comment: "Seacroft is a beautiful seaside links course that has had considerable investment to restore the course to its early origins, it's everything you'd expect from a quality golf club."

Ogbourne Downs Golf Club

Location: Wiltshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.42

Winter Golf Rating: 5.00

Course Condition Rating: 4.62

Review Comment: "Course in great condition. Bunkers full of good sand which helps when in trouble. Greens immaculate and very difficult to read - challenging. Great views. Pace of play excellent. Clubhouse and pro shop very friendly, with plenty of food options."

Charnwood Forest Golf Club

Location: Leicestershire

Golfshake Rating: 4.66

Winter Golf Rating: 5.00

Course Condition Rating: 4.50

Review Comment: "The course was in excellent condition for the time of year. Will play again!"

Enville Golf Club

Location: Staffordshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.84

Winter Golf Rating: 4.93

Course Condition Rating: 4.96

Review Comment: "We played a four ball this month and were very pleasantly surprised by this little gem, the greens were exceptionally well kept, the play was fast with no hold ups and our favourite hole was the 14th."

Thornbury Golf Centre

Location: Gloucester

Golfshake Rating: 4.14

Winter Golf Rating: 4.86

Course Condition Rating: 4.86

Review Comment: "Well worth a visit. Good greens, fairways not too closed, but still a challenge. Nice water hazards on a couple of holes, but really nice terrain to get the driver out, even if accuracy isn't your top game."

Weybrook Park Golf Club

Location: Hampshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.46

Winter Golf Rating: 4.86

Course Condition Rating: 4.71

Review Comment: "Very nice golf course with a really friendly vibe. You get a warm reception and facilities are really nice."

Sapey Golf & Country Club

Location: Worcestershire

Golfshake Rating: 4.69

Winter Golf Rating: 4.85

Course Condition Rating: 4.92

Review Comment: "Visited midweek and was blown away by how good condition it’s in. From tee to green it is very well presented. The greens were very good and the course played great."

The Grove

Location: Hertfordshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.92

Winter Golf Rating: 4.83

Course Condition Rating: 4.67

Review Comment: "The Grove was in excellent condition and a fantastic course to play. The food was superb and the service brilliant."

Woburn Golf Club

Location: Buckinghamshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.96

Winter Golf Rating: 4.80

Course Condition Rating: 4.80

Review Comment: "Play here every year, never been disappointed, fantastic condition."

Forest Hills Golf Club

Location: Gloucester

Golfshake Rating: 4.23

Winter Golf Rating: 4.80

Course Condition Rating: 4.80

Review Comment: "Great course with plenty of character and beautiful surroundings. So good I recently joined as a member!"

Gainsborough Golf Club

Location: Lincolnshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.19

Winter Golf Rating: 4.80

Course Condition Rating: 4.80

Review Comment: "Thoroughly enjoyed playing at Gainsborough. Quite challenging with some difficult holes. Course was in excellent condition. Facilities excellent."

Thornhurst Park Golf Course

Location: South Yorkshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.03

Winter Golf Rating: 4.80

Course Condition Rating: 4.80

Review Comment: "Love this course, great condition, only downside is lots of others love it too, can get very busy at times!"

Thorpeness Golf Club & Hotel

Location: Suffolk

Golfshake Rating: 4.48

Winter Golf Rating: 4.80

Course Condition Rating: 4.60

Review Comment: "This is a lovely course that I'd happily go back to over and over. Never boring, a great variety of holes. Great clubhouse and bar. Great service and food."

Prince's Golf Club

Location: Kent

Golfshake Rating: 4.60

Winter Golf Rating: 4.79

Course Condition Rating: 4.71

Review Comment: "Excellent course, facilities and very friendly. Good weather helped make our stay memorable. The best links I have played apart from Turnberry."

Westerham Golf Club

Location: Kent

Golfshake Rating: 4.15

Winter Golf Rating: 4.75

Course Condition Rating: 5.00

Review Comment: "A very well kept course. A good variety of holes, some quite difficult. Greens are true and quick. Very nice clubhouse, with good outdoor seating."