Swinley Forest Golf Club
Ascot, Berkshire. A Harry Colt heathland masterpiece among pines and heather, and one of the most private clubs in Britain.
Swinley Forest Golf Club is one of the most exclusive and admired heathland courses in England, set among pines, heather and rhododendrons near Ascot in Berkshire. Founded in 1909 and opened in 1910, it was designed by Harry Colt, who modestly called it his “least bad course”. Golf Monthly ranks it 33rd in its Top 100 courses in Great Britain and Ireland for 2025/26.
The course is a par 69 of just over 6,000 yards, and it proves that strategy matters more than brute force. It has only two par fives but five short holes, including the 4th, a brilliant par three with a Redan-style green. The 12th is an S-shaped double dogleg and the closing 18th sweeps down over a stream and up to the clubhouse. National Club Golfer calls it a quintessentially British equivalent of Augusta National for its firm, springy turf and immaculate conditioning.
Swinley remains one of the most private golf clubs in the United Kingdom. It welcomes a limited number of golfing groups and visitors on weekdays throughout the year, strictly by prior arrangement, and it has no reciprocal arrangements with other clubs. Golf Tours London can arrange visits where available and organise transport from your hotel, but tee times cannot be guaranteed.
It sits off Coronation Road just outside Ascot, within easy reach of Sunningdale, The Berkshire, West Hill and hotels such as Macdonald Berystede, the Royal Berkshire and Coworth Park.
