50 Must Play Golf Courses You Should Visit
By: Golfshake Editor | Fri 23 May 2025
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Every year thousands of golfers take to the fairways and share their experiences through Golfshake’s extensive course review system. With more than 300,000 reviews submitted by tens of thousand golfers, the Golfshake platform has become a trusted destination for discovering unsung heros, hidden gems and must play courses.
Following the latest updates to the Golfshake Rating System, we have also updated our Golfshake Must Play list, a selection of 500 standout golf courses, that fall outside traditional Top 100 rankings, selected entirely from everyday golfer feedback. For 2025, 50 new venues have earned their place, recognised for consistently high ratings and glowing reviews. This year’s additions represent a diverse mix of celebrated favourites and lesser-known hidden gems.
What makes the Golfshake Golf Course listings stand out is its unique, data-driven system powered by the rating & ranking algorithm, drawing from a powerful combination of user-generated reviews, expert feedback from Golfshake ambassadors, and insight from trusted industry partners.
Many of the featured courses are unsung heroes - venues that may not grab the limelight of other lists but consistently deliver when it comes to everyday golfer expectations on; course condition, layout, hospitality, and value for money. From scenic parklands to rugged coastal links, these are destinations that leave a lasting impression both on and off the course.
Access the full Golfshake Must play listing or read below to see which 50 new golf courses made the list for 2025.
3 Hammers Golf Complex
"If would need to work on your short game chipping and putting there’s no better play to visit. Now only 15 holes but a great test for any golfer. Also a great play to bring people new to golf to get them hooked."
Price: ££
Location: West Midlands, West Midlands
Alnmouth Golf Club
"Great Course in excellent condition with some lovely scenary. Comfortable accommodation, friendly staff and good food/drink."
Price: ££££
Location: Northumberland, North East
Aylesbury Vale Golf Club
"Always a pleasure to play there with great staff managing everything."
Price: £££
Location: Bedfordshire, East
Basingstoke Golf Club (formerly Dummer)
"Course is now into it's first full season since redevelopment and only open to members and their guests. New clubhouse and putting green open, range and short game area opening in 2025. Greens are fast and true."
Price: ££££
Location: Hampshire, South
Blackpool North Shore Golf Club
"Great range of holes, love the par 3s, and what a finishing hole the uphill 18th is, playing back up to the impressive Clubhouse."
Price: ££££
Location: Lancashire, North West
Boavista Golf
"Great course with some very interesting holes and lovely views, valleys to cross and some tight fairways"
Price: ££££
Location: Faro, Algarve
Bridlington Golf Club
"Good layout and range of holes"
Price: ££££
Location: East Yorkshire, North East
Bromsgrove Golf Centre
"The course is playing very good greens are quite tricky as they normally are. Green keepers doing a great job as always"
Price: £££
Location: Worcestershire, West Midlands
Carden Park
"The hotel and the views are stunning, the golf courses are the best resort layouts I have ever played, the facilities are seemingly never-ending, the food is out of this world and the staff are amazing. This venue gets 10/10 from me!"
Price: £££££
Location: Cheshire, North West
Coed-y-Mwstwr Golf Club
"First time at this lovely course, well cared for with excellent greens, albeit some challengingly small. Well recommend you give it a try."
Price: £££
Location: Mid Glamorgan, Wales
Cranham Golf Course
"Have played here 5 times now. Reasonably level course, well laid out . Very enjoyable. Happy to recommend"
Price: ££
Location: Essex, East
Dorset Golf and Country Club
"Great course to play. Been visiting here for a few years and always made welcome. Friendly staff and good food."
Price: ££££
Location: Dorset, South West
Edgbaston Golf Club
"The course was in top conditions, the greens were superb - fast and true. Layout is varied, no 2 holes are alike and requires thought and local knowledge."
Price: £££££
Location: West Midlands, West Midlands
Feldon Valley Golf Club
"A stay at the Lodges and two rounds of golf is a delightful break that we highly recommend. The Lodges is such an excellent facility that it is worth visiting even if you are not playing golf. Feldon Valley is decent course that is being improved each year."
Price: ££££
Location: Oxfordshire, South
Farleigh Golf Club
"27 holes well maintained course, fairways and bunkers in good condition and greens excellent with true lines. Reasonable pace, very friendly staff."
Price: ££££
Location: Surrey, South East
Filey Golf Club
"Lovely course Course in excellent condition. Green staff must work very hard to get the course in such excellent condition."
Price: ££££
Location: North Yorkshire, North East
Flamborough Head Golf Club
"Fabulous Course, great hospitality and wonderful scenery."
Price: ££££
Location: East Yorkshire, North East
Forest of Galtres Golf Club
"Great staff awesome course fun testing and in fantastic conditions. The staff are first class food was awesome and prices are very good, very impressed."
Price: ££££
Location: North Yorkshire, North East
Heacham Manor Golf Club
"We came to answer the question of whether Heacham Manor was now the best destination in Norfolk for a golf break. Given the addition of the magnificent new Pavilion clubhouse, we can confirm, definitively, that it is."
Price: ££££
Location: Norfolf, East
Hockley Golf Club
"If your looking for a testing course to play that is well presented with with excellent greens Hockley is the course. All the staff are very welcoming."
Price: £££££
Location: Hampshire, South
Howley Hall Golf Club
"Very nice course, in really good condition. Not to difficult, which is good for a high handicapper like myself. Would definitely recommend."
Price: ££££
Location: West Yorkshire, North East
Ingestre Park Golf Club
"The whole course is an absolute gem. Tee to green it really is a delight to play. The new holes will only get better as they mature which will make it a venue that really must be on your to play list."
Price: ££££
Location: Staffordshire, West Midlands
Kirkby Lonsdale Golf Club
"The course is probably in the best condition it's ever been in, the fairways and the greens are in great condition. The views are amazing from nearly every tee box, would highly recommend you visit here."
Price: ££££
Location: Cumbria, North West
Maesteg Golf Club
"Played immediately after a competition. We were welcomed by everyone, pointed in the right direction for yellow and red tee boxes. Course is interesting with nice true greens. A couple of blind tee shots, plenty of elevation changes as you’d hope for from a Braid course. Some great views from several tee boxes and fairways. Nice classic clubhouse with a great atmosphere."
Price: ££££
Location: Mid Glamorgan, Wales
Mapperley Golf Club
"Wow what a great place friendly bar staff great bacon cob and the course was amazing greens in great condition and fast."
Price: £££
Location: Nottinghamshire, East Midlands
NAU Morgado Golf & Country Club
"Fantastic course with stunning views and lovely course layout with loads of bunkers strategically placed. Greens were stunning with good pace."
Price: £££££
Location: Faro, Algarve
Pyle & Kenfig Golf Club
"Perfect conditions made this ideal to play in while taking in the fantastic views around. Lots of breaks on the greens making them hard to read but weren’t as fast as expected. Highly recommend if you have the chance to play."
Price: £££££
Location: Mid Glamorgan, Wales
Pedham Place Golf Centre
"Was suitably impressed with the course - although a very open course but the challenging for us higher handicap."
Price: £££
Location: Kent, South East
Redditch Golf Club
"Really enjoyable round of golf - the course is well looked after and greens were in really good condition."
Price: ££££
Location: Worcestershire, West Midlands
Reigate Heath Golf Club
"First time round here. Interesting 9 hole course with 2 tees on each hole, most of which make some difference to first and second 9. Lovely club house peached up high with great views across some of the course and surrounding land. Course itself was very nice, in decent condition and greens rolled well. Would play it again."
Price: £££££
Location: Surrey, South East
Rushmore Golf Club
"Lovely course Everything was perfect. Friendly staff, great greens, lovely views, neat clubhouse."
Price: ££££
Location: Wiltshire, South
Sandford Springs Golf Club
"The course was in great condition and a real challenge. 3 nines, played all three, the Park twice. The Woods nine is very up and down, a physical challenge."
Price: ££££
Location: Hampshire, South
Singing Hills Golf Club
"Good Golf A lovely setting to play golf and quite challenging."
Price: ££££
Location: West Sussex, South East
South Winchester Golf Club
"First time round here. Excellent course in good condition. Interesting place to knock it round. Greens were good. Well looked after by the club on a large society day. Will play again in future."
Price: ££££
Location: Hampshire, South
Stamford Golf Club
"Hidden Gem! Great course in excellent condition and a very welcoming atmosphere!"
Price: £££
Location: Cheshire, North West
Swaffham Golf Club
"Despite being relatively short don't be fooled this is a very tight course where being in the right position off the tee holds more value than blasting it miles out of position."
Price: ££££
Location: Norfolk, East
The Carrick at Cameron House
"Course was great The Course was perfect and very well maintained. I found it very challenging as a new player but would love to revisit."
Price: £££££
Location: Strathclyde, Scotland
The Epping Golf Course
"Very good course. Quite short but fun, no similar holes.lots of left and right dog legs and most holes are either up or downhill.prices are very fair and as a visitor if booking a week in advance can normally get a good tee time. Staff are always cheerful and welcoming."
Price: ££
Location: Essex, East
Three Locks Golf Club
"Great course, picturesque views and welcoming staff. Looking forward to playing there again. Some tricky holes that make you think twice about using the big stick!"
Price: £££
Location: Buckinghamshire, South
Tyrrells Wood Golf Club
"Amazing course great condition very fast greens was a pleasure to play"
Price: ££££
Location: Surrey, South East
Walmersley Golf Club
"Worth visiting Short but not too easy, greens in excellent condition, worth visiting, hospitality great."
Price: ££££
Location: Lancashire, North West
Weald of Kent Golf Club
"2nd visit here and so glad we did in the better weather what a gem and great 2 rounds down here will be back."
Price: ££££
Location: Kent, South East
West Herts Golf Club
"Played here on a Friday twilight as guest of a member. Course was in good nick and seemed they've trimmed the rough back a touch. Greens were good. Made very welcome in the clubhouse and pro-shop and pace of play was good."
Price: £££££
Location: Hertfordshire, East
Whitefield Golf Club
"A great little gem of a course! Very good service and in great condition."
Price: £££
Location: Lancashire, North West
Woldingham Golf Club
"Testing in different ways This is such a well maintained and interesting course. Sloped fairways, raised greens and tees a real mix of holes in stunning surroundings."
Price: ££££
Location: Surrey, South East
Woodlands Golf & Country Club
"A open course but with water in a few places. Challenging holes too, well worth the money. A good afternoon we'll spent."
Price: ££
Location: Gloucester, West Midlands
Worksop Golf Club
"WOW, what a fantastic day, can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done, everyone loved it. The course was fantastic, the weather was brilliant, the food was absolutely lovely."
Price: £££££
Location: Nottinghamshire, East Midlands
Worsley Golf Club
"Having played Worsley before was looking forward to trying it again, this time in one of their open events. Friendly welcome all round. Course in great condition."
Price: ££££
Location: Lancashire, North West
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