The Best UK Golf Courses To Play On a Budget

By: Golfshake Editor | Fri 31 Mar 2023

There has been much talk lately about how green fee costs are rising, placing greater pressure on nomadic golfers and those who like to travel around to play different courses during the season.

However, despite the extortionate pricing at the most famous venues, there is still fabulous value for money available throughout the United Kingdom for keen golfers to benefit from.

We have analysed review data from the Golfshake Course Section across recent years to uncover some of the very best layouts that you can play for a bargain price - each of them Highly Recommended by the Golfshake Community.

South of England
South West of England
South East of England
West Midlands
East Midlands
North West of England
North East of England
East of England
Scotland
Wales
Northern Ireland

(Orton Meadows Golf Course in Peterborough)

Whether you live in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland - or just love to travel - then why not take a look through our comprehensive guide to The Best UK Golf Courses To Play On a Budget in 2023!

South of England

Billingbear Park Golf Course

Location: Berkshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.29

Green Fee: From £14.50

Review Comment: "Great course, greens in good shape considering recent weather conditions. Really enjoyable round."

Ampfield Par Three Golf Club

Location: Hampshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.15

Green Fee: From £12.00

Review Comment: "Played Ampfield on visit to Hampshire and really enjoyed the club atmosphere. Staff and members were friendly. Course in good condition. A real test of accuracy to small greens."

Swanmore Golf Centre

Location: Hampshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.10

Green Fee: From £11.50

Review Comment: "Fantastic course worth visiting, friendly staff, good value for money. Would recommend to any level golfer."

Basset Down Golf Complex

Location: Wiltshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.04

Green Fee: From £15.00

Review Comment: "The course is always in excellent condition. Staff are helpful, friendly and polite. New bar and restaurant is fantastic, being tastefully furnished and with a good range of tasty food, service is excellent too. I really enjoy playing here, even if my scores don't match my level of enjoyment."

Tournerbury Golf Centre

Location: Hampshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.01

Green Fee: From £11.00

Review Comment: "Brilliant, challenging, great condition, well maintained, very scenic, friendly people, good coaching and high tech equipment. I love this course. You have to be on form to post a good score."

South West of England

Treloy Golf Club

Location: Cornwall

Golfshake Rating: 4.22

Green Fee: From £16.00

Review Comment: "An excellent course which is a mixture of par 3 and par 4 holes. Very well maintained. Not crowded. A pleasure to play. I will return."

Tickenham Golf Club

Location: Somerset

Golfshake Rating: 4.07

Green Fee: From £14.00

Review Comment: "Great for sharpening up your short game - lots of tricky par 3s of varying lengths and a few testing par 4s too."

Mortehoe & Woolacombe Golf Club

Location: Devon

Golfshake Rating: 3.99

Green Fee: From £15.00

Review Comment: "Great fun for a holiday round. As it's on the top of a cliff it is rather windy to say the least. A 9 hole course with 18 tees makes it quite an interesting course to play. Easy to navigate, but has some very steep hills. Good fun and challenging."

Holywell Bay Golf Club

Location: Cornwall

Golfshake Rating: 3.90

Green Fee: From £14.00

Review Comment: "Nice course in beautiful setting. Some challenging holes, particularly the 18th hole. Short distance holes so great for golfers at all abilities. Can play the full 18 hole or the 18 hole pitch and putt course."

St Kew Golf Club

Location: Cornwall

Golfshake Rating: 3.88

Green Fee: From £10.00

Review Comment: "One of, if not the best 9-hole course you'll find in the South West. With 18 tees, the second nine take on a very different perspective. Course always in good condition, reception and catering very good. I'd prefer to play this parkland layout sooner than some of the 18-hole links courses in the area."

South East of England

Villa Golf Club

Location: Kent

Golfshake Rating: 4.37

Green Fee: From £16.00

Review Comment: "I'm a mid to high handicapper and taming this course is more about course management and good approach play than distance. I enjoyed it."

Horne Park Golf Club

Location: Surrey

Golfshake Rating: 4.34

Green Fee: From £15.00

Review Comment: "Have played here numerous times, I like the course, it has a great variety of holes. This time however we played from the back 9 tee boxes, puts a totally different perspective on the course, enjoyed it even more! Great value and great amenities!"

Hillingdon Golf Club

Location: Greater London

Golfshake Rating: 4.33

Green Fee: From £20.00

Review Comment: "Lovely course in beautiful surroundings with friendly staff and a great clubhouse, always a joy to play here."

Chiddingfold Golf Club

Location: Surrey

Golfshake Rating: 4.29

Green Fee: From £20.00

Review Comment: "This course is awesome! It's well-maintained and has reasonable fees. It's also my home club, so I may be a bit biased. But seriously, it's a great value for money and it's in great condition. It's also pretty short but still challenging."

Lottbridge Golf Club

Location: East Sussex

Golfshake Rating: 4.07

Green Fee: From £15.00

Review Comment: "I had limited expectations of this 9-hole course, but I really enjoyed it, staff were friendly and helpful, and course in good condition."

West Midlands

3 Hammers Golf Complex

Location: Staffordshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.47

Green Fee: From £11.50

Review Comment: "We were going to the excellent restaurant for our golf Christmas meal, so spent a couple of hours beforehand having a quick game. Nice little par 3 course with 18 holes. Most under 100 yards but not easy. Bit damp underfoot this time of year but still enjoyed it."

Atherstone Golf Club

Location: Warwickshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.40

Green Fee: From £25.00

Review Comment: "This course was an excellent 9-hole course but extending it to 18 holes was a challenge. I think they have done a great job. All the holes are well thought out and fair."

Cotswold Edge Golf Club

Location: Gloucestershire

Golfshake Rating: 4.33

Green Fee: From £15.00

Review Comment: "Variety of holes with different challenges and great views on some of them. Greens fast and true. Fairways still running well, even with the rain. Pace of play very good. Excellent value for money."

Cleeve Hill Golf Club

Location: Gloucestershire

Golfshake Rating: 4.29

Green Fee: From £20.00

Review Comment: "Cleeve Hill is a great experience, and the club have improved the conditioning significantly in recent times. 100% recommend."

Nailcote Hall Golf Club

Location: Warwickshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.23

Green Fee: From £17.50

Review Comment: "The course is in excellent condition, the greens are lush and well maintained. Very challenging holes and course layout. The bunkers really catch you out!"

East Midlands

Pottergate Golf Club

Location: Lincolnshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.28

Green Fee: From £18.00

Review Comment: "An absolute gem of a course which is maturing nicely, greens are a challenge and immaculate. Staff were very polite on arrival signing in the visitors book, would strongly recommend a round."

Normanby Hall Golf Club

Location: Lincolnshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.27

Green Fee: From £17.50

Review Comment: "A great course with many challenges, very friendly atmosphere! Would highly recommend."

Sudbrook Moor Golf Club

Location: Lincolnshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.27

Green Fee: From £11.00

Review Comment: "This golf course is in very good condition, well maintained with very good greens."

Ormonde Fields Golf Club

Location: Derbyshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.18

Green Fee: From £15.00

Review Comment: "Course really well maintained. Fairways and semi-rough great. Greens challenging and well-manicured. Definitely worth playing."

Sutton Bridge Golf Club

Location: Lincolnshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.15

Green Fee: From £15.00

Review Comment: "Great little course. Excellent value on twilight for a sociable game after work. If you think it looks easy you'll be mistaken."

North West of England

Hartford Golf Club

Location: Cheshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.50

Green Fee: From £12.50

Review Comment: "Nice round at Hartford. Even though it had rained the day before the course was still relatively dry. Greenkeepers do a great job at maintaining the course!"

Aldersey Green Golf Club

Location: Cheshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.46

Green Fee: From £15.00

Review Comment: "Nice course. Greens are lovely and true. Some complained about the sand being compacted, but I found it OK. A very nice course to play."

Disley Golf Club

Location: Cheshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.41

Green Fee: From £25.00

Review Comment: "Course in excellent condition, greens not easy to read and some hills to cope with. Outstanding views."

St Bees Golf Club

Location: Cumbria

Golfshake Rating: 4.40

Green Fee: From £20.00

Review Comment: "An excellent little course with stunning scenery. Greens as good as anywhere. Well maintained fairways and bunkers."

Lowes Park Golf Club

Location: Lancashire

Golfshake Rating: 4.38

Green Fee: From £20.00

Review Comment: "This is a nine-hole parkland course with a several alternative tees. Very well laid out with several challenging holes and some pleasant flower planting."

North East of England

Rothbury Golf Club

Location: Northumberland

Golfshake Rating: 4.52

Green Fee: From £23.00

Review Comment: "Play here loads of times, never disappointed, really friendly, course in fantastic condition, greens really fast, superb experience and also new caterer on board so sandwiches available too."

Serlby Park Golf Club

Location: South Yorkshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.49

Green Fee: From £25.00

Review Comment: "Game was certainly not to par but this fairly local course that I hadn't played previous was a delight. Small greens and trees are its main defence whilst the bunkering was well placed and very well presented. 9 holes, 12 greens, 18 tees; at some point will definitely be back."

Bradley Park Golf Club

Location: West Yorkshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.28

Green Fee: From £18.00

Review Comment: "Well manicured course, greens superb and consistent, enjoyed the layout and views."

Crow Nest Park Golf Club

Location: West Yorkshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.26

Green Fee: From £20.00

Review Comment: "The greens were in great condition and really enjoyable to play. The course length was just right - not too long or too short."

Roseberry Grange Golf Club

Location: County Durham

Golfshake Rating: 4.17

Green Fee: From £20.00

Review Comment: "Anyone not visited for a while will see a marked improvement due to the new greenkeeper. A fair test for all golfers."

East of England

Clare Park Lake Golf Course

Location: Suffolk

Golfshake Rating: 4.35

Green Fee: From £10.00

Review Comment: "Great little 9-hole with stunning views. Challenging course that requires shot management rather than distance."

Cranham Golf Course

Location: Essex

Golfshake Rating: 4.13

Green Fee: From £15.50

Review Comment: "Great course for beginners. You don't spend hours looking for your ball in the rough. Just a bit of water to get over."

Top Meadow Golf Club

Location: Essex

Golfshake Rating: 4.13

Green Fee: From £19.50

Review Comment: "Top Meadow is a lovely course in the summer when the ground is firm. There are several challenging holes and spectacular views from the high points, especially the 3rd tee box."

Mattishall Golf Club

Location: Norfolk

Golfshake Rating: 4.08

Green Fee: From £18

Review Comment: "Such a nice 9-hole course which has a lot of new and updated features. It's in really great condition and some extra problems added on the course."

Orton Meadows Golf Club

Location: Cambridgeshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.02

Green Fee: From £14.50

Review Comment: "This is a short course with excellent course conditions and an amazing 12th hole (par 3 with the green in a bowl). The staff in the shop are friendly and the greens are kept in extremely good condition."

Scotland

Strathtay Golf Club

Location: Perthshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.57

Green Fee: From £15.00

Review Comment: "Really enjoyed playing 9 holes around a course that's completely different from the normal standard layout. Great variety of holes that you play from all kind of angles and elevations testing out your skills."

Innerleithen Golf Club

Location: Scottish Borders

Golfshake Rating: 4.50

Green Fee: From £15.00

Review Comment: "A little gem. We played the course on a spring evening, with sunshine and no wind. The course was presented in good condition."

North Inch Golf Course

Location: Perthshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.21

Green Fee: From £21.00

Review Comment: "An interesting course with plenty of variety of length and shape of holes and a variety of hazards, both trees and water."

Kinghorn Golf Club

Location: Fife

Golfshake Rating: 4.12

Green Fee: From £15.00

Review Comment: "The course is very well looked after. The greens are immaculate but very fast. In windy conditions some greens are extremely difficult. It is a short, challenging course with a good number of interesting holes. Terrific views over the Forth on a sunny day. Well worth a visit."

Paul Lawrie Golf Centre

Location: Aberdeen

Golfshake Rating: 4.10

Green Fee: From £15.00

Review Comment: "Excellent practice facilities for beginners and accomplished golfers alike. Professional teaching staff are among if not the best in the North East of Scotland and the golf shop staff are very professional and courteous and offer top golf equipment at competitive prices. The coffee shop is also worth a visit."

Wales

St Idloes Golf Club

Location: Powys

Golfshake Rating: 4.46

Green Fee: From £20.00

Review Comment: "It's only nine holes but you need the second nine to work out which clubs to use on the elevated greens and get the speed of them. I will be back, the locals were really friendly as well."

Tredegar Park Golf Club

Location: Gwent

Golfshake Rating: 4.35

Green Fee: From £25.00

Review Comment: "Nice course, great value for money. Greens in great condition along with fairways. Nice course for mid to big handicapper."

West Monmouthshire Golf Club

Location: Gwent

Golfshake Rating: 4.31

Green Fee: From £20.00

Review Comment: "The views from this course are just incredible - and you're playing the highest tee in the UK. I am bowled over by the friendliness and hospitality shown by ALL each time I come here - I travel 90 minutes to play here at least twice annually - and I think I will do so until I can't no longer play - and then I'd still probably venture up here just to see the staff and catch up with them."

Green Meadow Golf Club

Location: Gwent

Golfshake Rating: 4.22

Green Fee: From £15.00

Review Comment: "Fantastic course in great condition well worth visiting. Very forgiving for the average golfer."

Earlswood Golf Club

Location: West Glamorgan

Golfshake Rating: 4.05

Green Fee: From £12.00

Review Comment: "First trip to Earlswood yesterday and tremendously impressed by the excellent state of the greens and the tricky layout of the fairways, particularly on the back 9. Pity that the weather was poor, but even so, the views were fabulous. Can't wait to play again!"

Northern Ireland

Dungannon Golf Club

Location: County Tyrone

Golfshake Rating: 4.30

Green Fee: From £25.00

Review Comment: "Greens in good condition for the time of year. A wide variety of holes requires accurate approach shots. One of the best parkland courses in Ireland. The Claret Jug Restaurant has lovely views over the course and features local produce. Everyone very friendly."

Strabane Golf Club

Location: County Tyrone

Golfshake Rating: 4.23

Green Fee: From £15.00

Review Comment: "Every time I have played the greens have been in excellent condition, considering the amount of rain the course gets. Plenty of slopes to test all golfing abilities."