Help a Yank hillbilly plan his transport to golf around London

[Jason Thurman]

I hope to play some golf on my trip to England later this year. For the first portion of the itinerary, I'll be staying in London and would like to play a few rounds in the general area. Still not sure where exactly and the answers in this thread could help shape options there.


I don't really expect to hire a car while in London - it's not part of the plan at this point anyway. From some browsing, it looks like a few courses are reasonably accessible by train/bus, but I want to validate whether that's a reasonable way to go. For example, Sunningdale looks like a pretty easy train ride over from downtown London.


Of course, taking the train to a golf course is uncommon here in the States. And a player walking from a bus stop through the gates of a prestigious US course risks appearing somewhere on the spectrum between "odd" and "total hillbilly who should not be admitted onto the grounds." So I just want to make sure I understand:

• What courses would you recommend traversing to via public transit from London?
• What courses (if any) should be avoided, not so much because the travel will be very difficult (I can account for that part easily enough), but because a guy walking through the gate carrying his bag may ruffle sensibilities of club members?
• What courses should be avoided, or not, for other reasons? For instance, I wasn't sure whether taking transit to The Addington is a great move since it would mean transferring from train to bus in Corydon, which has a somewhat sketchy reputation. Is that a valid concern? I live in the inner city myself and I probably have a higher tolerance for "grit" than the average GCAer, but I still try to follow the "Don't be an idiot" rule.
• What alternative forms of transit might be considered? For example, Enterprise and ZipCar are both able to do hourly rental in London, which would make more sense for the logistics of this trip than a more traditional multi-day rental. Any experience using those types of services, particularly as an American abroad?

I appreciate any wisdom you can offer.

[Brian Finn]

You are correct that Sunningdale is among the easiest to reach via train.  It is a very short walk from the station to the club.  Probably no more than an average par 5. 

Swinley Forest is also quite simple.  I believe I took the train to Ascot and then a <5-minute taxi ride from there.  I think the Berkshire can be reached via this route as well. 

If you venture further from London, trains to/from Sandwich or Deal are pretty easy. 

[Scott Warren]

What courses (if any) should be avoided, not so much because the travel will be very difficult (I can account for that part easily enough), but because a guy walking through the gate carrying his bag may ruffle sensibilities of club members?

None of them.

What courses should be avoided, or not, for other reasons? For instance, I wasn't sure whether taking transit to The Addington is a great move since it would mean transferring from train to bus in Corydon, which has a somewhat sketchy reputation. Is that a valid concern? I live in the inner city myself and I probably have a higher tolerance for "grit" than the average GCAer, but I still try to follow the "Don't be an idiot" rule.

I caught the tram from Wimbledon to Gravel Hill/Addington Village and walked up the hill to the club 6-8 times and barely saw another person let alone felt uncomfortable.

What alternative forms of transit might be considered? For example, Enterprise and ZipCar are both able to do hourly rental in London, which would make more sense for the logistics of this trip than a more traditional multi-day rental. Any experience using those types of services, particularly as an American abroad?

Not sure ehat a car will cost as above, but for comparison, I was tight on time my last visit, so the train wasn't going to work. I caught an Uber from Kensington to Sunningdale and it was GBP70 one-way.

[Thomas Dai]

As to car hire in and around London, and some other metropolitan areas, be aware of congestion charges. For example, I believe The Addington is within a congestion charge zone.
Atb

[Scott Warren]

As to car hire in and around London, and some other metropolitan areas, be aware of congestion charges. For example, I believe The Addington is within a congestion charge zone.
Atb

No, it isn't. The congestion zone only runs from the city side of Hyde Park to Tower Bridge and then St Pancras down to Elephant & Castle.

[Thomas Dai]

As to car hire in and around London, and some other metropolitan areas, be aware of congestion charges. For example, I believe The Addington is within a congestion charge zone.
Atb

No, it isn't. The congestion zone only runs from the city side of Hyde Park to Tower Bridge and then St Pancras down to Elephant & Castle.

See - [size=78%]https://lruc.content.tfl.gov.uk/ulezdetailedmap.pdf[/size]
Emission standards zone. Can still cost extra ££. Forewarned is forearmed.
Atb

[Sean_A]

I hope to play some golf on my trip to England later this year. For the first portion of the itinerary, I'll be staying in London and would like to play a few rounds in the general area. Still not sure where exactly and the answers in this thread could help shape options there.


I don't really expect to hire a car while in London - it's not part of the plan at this point anyway. From some browsing, it looks like a few courses are reasonably accessible by train/bus, but I want to validate whether that's a reasonable way to go. For example, Sunningdale looks like a pretty easy train ride over from downtown London.


Of course, taking the train to a golf course is uncommon here in the States. And a player walking from a bus stop through the gates of a prestigious US course risks appearing somewhere on the spectrum between "odd" and "total hillbilly who should not be admitted onto the grounds." So I just want to make sure I understand:

• What courses would you recommend traversing to via public transit from London?
• What courses (if any) should be avoided, not so much because the travel will be very difficult (I can account for that part easily enough), but because a guy walking through the gate carrying his bag may ruffle sensibilities of club members?
• What courses should be avoided, or not, for other reasons? For instance, I wasn't sure whether taking transit to The Addington is a great move since it would mean transferring from train to bus in Corydon, which has a somewhat sketchy reputation. Is that a valid concern? I live in the inner city myself and I probably have a higher tolerance for "grit" than the average GCAer, but I still try to follow the "Don't be an idiot" rule.
• What alternative forms of transit might be considered? For example, Enterprise and ZipCar are both able to do hourly rental in London, which would make more sense for the logistics of this trip than a more traditional multi-day rental. Any experience using those types of services, particularly as an American abroad?

I appreciate any wisdom you can offer.

Woking, Worpy, West Hill and New Zealand aren’t that hard to get to.

Ciao

[Brett Meyer]

I lived in London from 2015-2018 and made it my ~bimonthly treat to visit a new course that I had heard good things about (often from people on this website). I did all of them by train. Most are pretty easy. With some, you can walk from the train stations but with others, you'll need to take a cab. But there wasn't a course that I wanted to see that I couldn't. And I had the same experience as Scott--there's no issue with a guy walking through the gate with his clubs (or getting out of a taxi). But with several of these clubs--especially Rye, West Sussex, and Swinley Forest--I had made advanced arrangements and I think that was important. I don't think you could just show up and get on.

The toughest from both an access and logistics standpoint was Rye. It took a few phone calls, a few trains, and a bus to get there. But it isn't a London area course and unless you're spending several weeks in London, I wouldn't recommend it--there are too many great places that are easier to get to. If you want to do one longer journey, you might try Royal St. George's/Deal/Prince's.

Most courses will require a taxi from the train station. But many of the train stations are big and it's very easy to get one. Woking and Worplesdon are easily accessible from the Woking station, which is one of the biggest in the London suburbs and is one stop on the express train from Victoria. Same for the Addington, which is near the major East Croydon stop. Although there's a tram from the station that goes in the direction of the course, I'd just take a cab. St. George's Hill is easy--near Weybridge station, which is one of the closest to the city among the big courses and just a few stops from Victoria. Walton Heath and Royal Ashdown Forest are easy to get to from London Bridge station.

Two much longer cab rides from their respective stations are Hindhead and Hankley Common. Both because the courses aren't as good and they're more difficult than the above to get to, I'd recommend skipping them unless you plan to play more than 8 or 10 courses. West Sussex and Swinley Forest are also a bit further out, but are absolutely worth the extra effort.

If you don't mind going a bit outside of London, I'd highly recommend Stoneham near Southampton. To me, this course is on the level of Woking and is near the Southampton airport station, which is an express stop on one of the trains from Victoria, so it's only 4 stops and takes about as much time to get to as several of the London area courses.

There are also several courses where you can walk from the train station. You'll definitely walk from Sunningdale, which is just a few hundred yards up a hill from Sunningdale station. You can also walk to West Hill from Brookwood station (~10-15 min) and Liphook from Liphook station. The latter is probably at least a 20 minute walk but Liphook station is very small and there were no cabs. Uber wasn't such a common thing back when I went and you might be able to arrange that now. But if you're going to walk all day, what's an extra 20 minutes?

[Cort Sylvester]

I was just in London a week+ ago, staying at St. Pancras, and played two rounds.  Walton Heath was about a 15 minute walk from Tadworth rail station (and there is a nice pub about halfway between them that made a good lunch stop on my return).  Nobody raised an eyebrow about me walking in or out of the club. 


Getting to The Berkshire that Saturday was a little more complicated because the trains weren’t running further out than Staines.  I just had to get an Uber from and then back to the station.  (It was actually kind of a zoo at Staines on the way out, and I had the impression it might have been because they were racing at Ascot that day.).

[John Handley]

Sunningdale is brilliant but at this point, might be difficult to get on.  Worth a try for sure, as is Swinley Forest and St George's Hill.  The Berkshire (Red and Blue courses) are quite good and in the whole Berkshire/Ascot area of Surrey.  Those will be the easiest.


West Sussex, Hankley Common, Rye, etc are wonderful but further away.  As is RSG, Prince's and Deal.


Woking, Worplesdon, and West Hill are all good options and pretty easy to get to.  But with almost all of them, your options are Mon-Fri.

[Craig Disher]

Rye GC is an easy outing from London. The town has attracted a lot of commuters since the express Ashford-London train began running. One way St Pancras to Rye is a little over an hour; the golf club is a 5 minute taxi ride from Rye station. Trains to Woking from London take less than an hour, some less than a half hour.

[David_Tepper]

The Wimbledon/Richmond area southwest of London is easy to reach by train or tube and is densely packed with golf clubs.

London Scottish - https://www.londonscottishgolfclub.com/
Wimbledon Common - https://www.wcgc.co.uk/
Royal Wimbledon -  https://www.wcgc.co.uk/
Coombe Hill - https://www.coombehillgolfclub.com/
Richmond Park (36 holes) - https://www.glendalegolf.co.uk/richmond-park-golf-course/

These are not Top 50 courses, but the green fees should be quite reasonable compared to the ranked courses on that list. You may have to take a short cab ride from the local train/tube stations to these courses.

[John Foley]

As a side question, I'm in the Rye / Sandwich area for a trip at the end of April w/ all of the usual suspects (Rye, Littlestown, Princes, Deal Sandwich). Is there any reason to rent a car? I can get down to the hotel via the rail, but how easy is it to move around via taxi's in the area?


Thanks for the guidance.

[Scott Warren]

Where is your hotel?


Rye to Sandwich is the best part of 90mins drive and longer by train.

[Mark Pearce]

Since when did Croydon have a "sketchy" reputation?  Not my favourite town around London but safe as houses.  One of my sons works there and we're completely comfortable with that.


In fact, forget what you hear from the lunatics currently running your country, London generally is safe and I can't think of any part of it, or its surrounds, with a golf course that I wouldn't feel completely safe walking around.  I might avoid the more deprived parts of the centre of town, in the same way as there are parts of DC and NYC that you'd probably advise me to avoid.

[Ira Fishman]

Jason,


I cannot help on transportation because we stayed in Weybridge and took taxis. But I can allay any concerns about courses welcoming an American with clubs over the shoulder. I had similar concerns. We played Swinley Forest, St. George’s Hill, and Woking. The members could not have been more welcoming. And the courses deserve their reputations for excellence. I highly recommend if you have the time to grab a bite and/or a drink. The patios at all three are special.


Ira

[John Foley]

Where is your hotel?


Rye to Sandwich is the best part of 90mins drive and longer by train.

Hotel not secured - based on the long transit from Rye to Sandwich I'm most likely going w/ the rental - thanks

[Dan Boerger]

My wife and I are visiting a longtime friend in Dorking this Spring. After that, some fellow golfers are coming over and we are playing Sunningdale, Walton Heath (both old), Berkshire (red), Hankley Common and St. George's Hill. We are staying in Ripley (at a pub in the center of town). While we have starting times for golf, we remain flexible for post golf socializing so we are going to Uber to/from. Will let you know how that works out as you continue to research transportation options.

[Charlie Goerges]

visiting a longtime friend in Dorking

I call shenanigans! Dorking?!

[Will Lozier]

Since when did Croydon have a "sketchy" reputation?  Not my favourite town around London but safe as houses.  One of my sons works there and we're completely comfortable with that.

In fact, forget what you hear from the lunatics currently running your country, London generally is safe and I can't think of any part of it, or its surrounds, with a golf course that I wouldn't feel completely safe walking around.  I might avoid the more deprived parts of the centre of town, in the same way as there are parts of DC and NYC that you'd probably advise me to avoid.

I was wondering the same thing about "Corydon"?!?

[Mark Pearce]

Ah, yes.  Corydon is dodgy.  Possibly even sketchy.

[John Mayhugh]

Jason,
I suggest you figure out where you most want to play and find out if there is even availability. True, some courses are more quickly accessed than others from central London, but do you skip seeing Swinley so you can save an hour of travel time out of your day? If you're only going to visit 2-3 courses, might as well make the most of it.

[Michael Moore]

Regarding Croydon, I used it as headquarters for my 2017 raid on the Surrey heathland, and I would do so again in a heartbeat. It was as diverse and energetic as downtown Manhattan.
 
On the first evening at the hotel bar I met a father and son team who were in town teaching kids about everyday life in Britannia and the ways of the Roman Empire. We had a few more meetings there, shutting it down after discussing history and pedagogy all night.

[Carl Nichols]

Jason:


I know this does not exactly answer your question, but FWIW, I was in London last spring primarily to play golf [at Sunningdale (2 days), Swinley, and Walton Heath] and we decided to rent a car for the whole trip.   I don't disagree that taking the train to Sunningdale and Swinley is completely doable (somewhat less so, I think, to Walton Heath) and from what I saw it wouldn't be weird to just walk into the clubs.  But while we did hit traffic some days, it seemed pretty clear that we saved a lot of time overall, once you factor in getting to and from the train stations four times per day--not to mention having to try to time the train schedule.  And once we decided to rent a car, that freed us up to stay somewhere less convenient to the tube/train.  We ended up staying near Ravenscourt Park (though several blocks from a tube stop) for various reasons. 


Also, Sunningdale and Swinley were absolutely fantastic and I would definitely run the trip back in a heartbeat.   

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