Hindhead – Golf Course Review

Location: Hindhead, Surrey
Played: September 2026
Course Type: Heathland
Key Words: Valleys | Elevation | Rugged

Golfer View Rating: 78%

“Top 100” Ranking: 39th (England), 99th (GB &I)

Summary

A beautiful and highly distinctive heathland course which takes you through dramatic glacial valleys on a spectacular and physically demanding front nine, with superb elevation changes, memorable holes and some outstanding par threes. The more conventional back nine cannot quite match the visual impact or variety of the opening holes, but Hindhead remains a fascinating and highly enjoyable course that is well worth experiencing.

Golfer’s Tips

The relatively rustic driving range is a long walk from the clubhouse and one that is a steady incline on the return. Do consider the proximity to your tee time before making the decision to hit a few!
Picking a starting line for your tee shot on the short yet unique par five second hole is not an easy task, so do consider this carefully – left (and perhaps short) of what you think is invariably going to be the play.

Signature Holes

3rd – an excellent and picturesque heathland par three. Playing around 180 yards, the entrance feels narrow between two heathered bunkers, and the green itself undulates and runs to a sharp drop off to the rear.
6th – another par three, but quite different to the third. A beautiful short downhill hole descending to a green that is nestled among mature trees, guarded by bunkers left and a drop-off right.

Review:

Very much a course of two nines, Hindhead is a varied and rugged heathland test that traverses two glacial valleys with dramatic elevation changes before rising up to a more classical heathland plateau for the returning nine.

The round starts with a relatively simple heathland part four, playing downhill and away from the traditional clubhouse, it is from the second tee that the special journey through the heathland and pine valley really hits you.

The second itself is a very unique par five, measuring only around 400 yards but a valley that twists left to right and up a narrow entrance to a raised green with a sharp drop off to the right. Longer hitters can probably reach with two irons, but precision around starting line

Hindhead is a beautiful walk, one that could easily be enjoyed even without the golf, but that is not to say that it is an easy one – when you have made the last climb up from the ninth green after a spectacular yet tough front nine, you can certainly feel the effects of the elevation changes that you have just navigated.

The par threes at Hindhead are absolutely superb – the third is stunning, playing to a relatively small target guarded by two front bunkers and a steep drop off to the rear, and the sixth is much shorter but descends significantly below the tiered tea box, with three treacherous bunkers guarding the left-hand side.

Amongst the short holes are some fine par fours that dogleg either way, with superb sight lines from raised tee boxes. The shape of the valley makes fairways wider than they seem, but hit too high up on the heathery mounds and a tough combination of gnarly lies and awkward stances await.

The back nine is by no means as strong, the holes are more traditional heathland in manner, and lack the visual impact and interest of the front. Eleven and twelve mirror the first in their direction and styling, straighter, flatter heathland holes on a fairway that descends to subtly undulating greens, the latter longer with a carry across unkempt heathered mounds. Thirteen also deserves mention as a short, driveable par four with a decent risk-reward decision for those that can turn the ball from left to right.

The finishing duo is a back and forth that does perhaps feel a little isolated, but the eighteenth is a fine crescendo in its own right – a long rising par four that turns gently from right to left, with the grand old clubhouse in view throughout.

Finishing a round at Hindhead and you might feel a pleasant blend of exhaustion, wonder at the unique and stunningly beautiful front nine, and perhaps a tinge of some melancholy at the relative banality of the back nine, which simply does not match up to some of its neighbouring compatriots. Top 40 in the country? Perhaps generous, but well worth a visit all the same.