Golfshake 2018 Highly Recommended Golf Courses
By: Golfshake Editor | Tue 08 Jan 2019
Golfers continue to use online reviews as an important part of their research and booking process when researching new golf courses to play and and planning golf trips. Following on from previous Golfshake research the 2018 survey highlights this importance even further with only 12.7% of golfers stating that online reviews are not important when researching a new golf course.
In comparision 70% of golfers are likely to read reviews when planning where to play. The 2018 survey also highlighted that independent online reviews from the likes of Golfshake and other review sites are more important then online feature reviews and equally as useful as the clubs own website. As expected word of mouth and peer reviews continue to be the most important factor with over 54% stating that this is very/extremely important.
2018 saw over 16,000+ new golf course reviews added to the Golfshake system for over 3,000 golf courses and below we take a look at the UK courses who continue to excel in terms of golfer expectations. 2018 also saw The Belfry become the first golf course to receive over 1,000 reviews, Pine Ridge was the most reviewed course, Cranham was the stand out course in terms of recommendations and Goring & Streatley was the most highly rated popular course.
Outstanding Courses 2018
To meet this level all the clubs below must have had over 25 independent reviews with a recommendation rating of 100% - 76 golf clubs achieved during the last 15 months.
| Golf Club | Price Range | County | Region |
| Stockwood Park Golf Club | ££ | Bedfordshire | East |
| Lakeside Lodge Golf Club (Huntingdon) | ££ | Cambridgeshire | East |
| Abridge Golf Club | £££££ | Essex | East |
| Brentwood Golf Club | £££ | Essex | East |
| Cranham Golf Course | ££ | Essex | East |
| Garon Park Golf Complex | £££ | Essex | East |
| Risebridge Golf Centre | £££ | Essex | East |
| Three Rivers Golf & Country Club | £££ | Essex | East |
| Toot Hill Golf Club | ££££ | Essex | East |
| Aldwickbury Park Golf Club | £££££ | Hertfordshire | East |
| Essendon Country Club (Hatfield London) | ££££ | Hertfordshire | East |
| Panshanger Golf Complex | ££££ | Hertfordshire | East |
| Radlett Park (Elstree) Golf Club | £££ | Hertfordshire | East |
| Redbourn Golf Club | ££££ | Hertfordshire | East |
| Stevenage Golf Centre | ££££ | Hertfordshire | East |
| The Grove | £££££ | Hertfordshire | East |
| The Shire London | £££££ | Hertfordshire | East |
| Whitehill Golf Club | ££££ | Hertfordshire | East |
| Brett Vale Golf Club | £££ | Suffolk | East |
| Horsley Lodge Golf Club | ££££ | Derbyshire | East Midlands |
| Marriott Breadsall Priory Golf Club | £££££ | Derbyshire | East Midlands |
| Tapton Park Golf Club | ££ | Derbyshire | East Midlands |
| Greetham Valley Hotel, Golf & Conference Centre | ££££ | Leicestershire | East Midlands |
| Kilworth Springs Golf Club | £££ | Leicestershire | East Midlands |
| Bondhay Golf Club | £££ | Nottinghamshire | East Midlands |
| College Pines Golf Club | £££ | Nottinghamshire | East Midlands |
| Ramsdale Park Golf Centre | £££ | Nottinghamshire | East Midlands |
| Rufford Park Golf & Country Club | ££££ | Nottinghamshire | East Midlands |
| Sharpley Golf Centre | £££ | County Durham | North |
| Marriott Worsley Park Golf Club | ££ | Lancashire | North |
| Allerton Manor Golf Club | ££ | Merseyside | North |
| Longhirst Hall Golf Club | £££ | Northumberland | North |
| Tinsley Park Golf Club | ££ | South Yorkshire | North |
| Bradley Park Golf Club | ££ | West Yorkshire | North |
| Gullane Golf Club | £££££ | Lothian | Scotland |
| Donnington Valley Golf Club | ££££ | Berkshire | South |
| Wexham Park Golf Club | £££ | Berkshire | South |
| Harleyford Golf Club | £££££ | Buckinghamshire | South |
| Blacknest Golf Club | ££££ | Hampshire | South |
| Cams Hall Estate Golf Club | ££££ | Hampshire | South |
| Dummer Golf Club | £££ | Hampshire | South |
| Old Thorns Golf Club | £££££ | Hampshire | South |
| Paultons Golf Centre | £££ | Hampshire | South |
| Sherfield Oaks Golf Club | ££££ | Hampshire | South |
| Test Valley Golf Club | £££ | Hampshire | South |
| The Hampshire Golf Club | £££ | Hampshire | South |
| Drayton Park Golf Club | £££ | Oxfordshire | South |
| Studley Wood Golf Club | ££££ | Oxfordshire | South |
| The Oxfordshire Golf, Hotel & Spa | £££££ | Oxfordshire | South |
| Seaford Head Golf Club | £££ | East Sussex | South East |
| Trent Park Golf Club | £££ | Greater London | South East |
| Etchinghill Golf Club | ££££ | Kent | South East |
| Hever Castle Golf Club | £££ | Kent | South East |
| Poult Wood Golf Club | £££ | Kent | South East |
| Princes Golf Club | £££££ | Kent | South East |
| Sweetwoods Park Golf Club | £££££ | Kent | South East |
| Westerham Golf Club | £££££ | Kent | South East |
| Clandon Golf | £££ | Surrey | South East |
| Farleigh Golf Club | ££££ | Surrey | South East |
| Foxhills Club & Resort | £££££ | Surrey | South East |
| Hersham Village Golf Club | ££ | Surrey | South East |
| Hurtmore Golf Club | ££ | Surrey | South East |
| Merrist Wood Golf Club | ££££ | Surrey | South East |
| Surrey National Golf Club | ££££ | Surrey | South East |
| Chichester Golf Club | £££ | West Sussex | South East |
| Goodwood Golf Club | £££££ | West Sussex | South East |
| Hill Barn Golf Club | ££££ | West Sussex | South East |
| Rookwood Golf Course | £££ | West Sussex | South East |
| Tilgate Forest Golf Club | £££ | West Sussex | South East |
| Moors Valley Golf Centre | ££ | Dorset | South West |
| Patshull Park Hotel and Golf Club | £££ | Shropshire | West Midlands |
| The Shropshire | ££££ | Shropshire | West Midlands |
| Enville Golf Club | £££££ | Staffordshire | West Midlands |
| The Staffordshire Golf Club | £££ | Staffordshire | West Midlands |
| Bromsgrove Golf Centre | £££ | Worcestershire | West Midlands |
| Ombersley Golf Club | £££ | Worcestershire | West Midlands |
Highly Recommended 2018
An additional 296 clubs where rated 'Highly Recommended' in 2018 from the Golfshake reviews. To meet this level all the clubs must have had over 15 independent reviews with a recommendation rating above 90% during the last 15 months.
2018 Highly Recommended Golf Course List
If you are looking for inspiration on where to play then check out the Golfshake golf course directory: www.golfshake.com/course/
For more information on the Golfshake reviews and ratings system visit: www.golfshake.com/ratings/
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- Insights and analysis of golf course reviews
What do you think? post your thoughts and feedback on the Golfshake Forum: https://forum.golfshake.com/
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