Best Cheap Golf Courses UK: 24 affordable courses everyone should play

What defines 'affordable' in golf? As any ardent golfer will tell you, this is a question to which the answer has changed considerably in the last few years.

Playing a ‘Top 100’ course is one of life’s great joys but now more than ever has come to be synonymous with often exorbitant green fees. Among a multitude of reasons for these increases, courses can trade off the fact that they’re part of an elite list, there is obviously a huge slant on where you are located and what your neighbours are pricing their green fees at and, in recent times, green fees at many clubs have seen a huge uplift.

If you don't believe us, consider this: according to UK Golf Guy, the average green fee at a Top 100 course in the UK in 2024 was £237: a rise of 10.7% year on year and, perhaps even more scarily, £70 more than what you would have expected to pay in 2021.

With demand higher than ever, some green fees now approaching the thousand-pound mark (thanks Turnberry) and other top 10 courses now routinely charging in excess of £400 for a round, this doesn't seem like a trend that's set to abate any time soon.

There are, of course plenty of methods to make paying a cheaper green fee possible. The dream is to be invited by a member or you can join a group where you might be able to offer a reciprocal in return. Or just make the most of playing these incredible courses at a non-peak time of year.

If this isn't an option, however, thankfully there are more than 3,100 golf courses dotting the UK, leaving hundreds of courses where you can have serious fun without leaving a considerable dent in your wallet. And here at GolfMagic, we've made it our mission to put together a list of the best places in the UK to play an affordable round, starting with the cheapest highly-rated tracks we can find and topping out at around the £150 mark for those who want to splurge without truly breaking the bank.

For the purposes of providing some form of clarity, we've decided to group this list in a loose order according to price bracket and alphabetical order, giving you a simple one-stop guide to finding great affordable golf. 

All that's left to consider is this: which one are you going to visit first?

The best UK golf courses under £50

Seascale

Location: Seascale, Cumbria

Green fees (weekday): £30-40

An unheralded gem of the Cumbrian coast, our most recent round at Seascale, which cost £40, was as much fun as anywhere we've played recently, with the conditioning of the course particularly phenomenal and the time of year. A traditional links designed by Willie Campbell and George Lowe in the late 1890s, it's a remarkably pure place to play golf and easily one of the best value links experiences in England.

Visit Shiskine Golf Club

Shiskine

Location: Shiskine, Arran, Scotland

Green fees (weekday): £37

What's not to love about a course like Shiskine? A 12-hole gem on one of the beautiful of the Scottish Islands, you can jump on at Shiskine for less than £40 year round, be back in the clubhouse in around two hours and have an absolute whale of a time the entire way. A peaceful links track playing along one of the beautiful stretches of coastline in the UK, this is affordable golf at its purest.

Visit Shiskine Golf Club

Sunningdale Heath

Location: Sunningdale, Surrey

Green fees (weekday): £35-£50

While its next-door neighbour naturally gets all the plaudits, Sunningdale Heath is truly one of the most charming courses in the legendary Surrey sandbelt, beloved as much for its welcoming, inclusive nature as it is incredibly fun layout designed by the legendary Harry Colt. Formerly a ladies-oriented golf club and famously patroned by the Queen herself, Sunningdale Heath is short but remarkably tough, with fourteen par three holes and four par fours configured in a way that'll represent a true challenge to just about any golfer.

Make no mistake, however, Sunningdale Heath still delivers all the hallmarks of idyllic Surrey heathland golf, with an open layout, beautiful flora and devilishly tricky greens – made all the harder by the deluge of long par 3s, many of which play well over 200 yards. If you can play well here, you can play well just about anywhere.

Visit Shiskine Golf Club

The best UK golf courses under £100

Ashburnham

Location: Burry Port, Carmarthenshire, Wales

Green fees (weekday): £55-£75

Another stellar layout in South Wales, less than an hour from Porthcawl, and another elite links. A traditional out-and-back routing which has been laid out by JH Taylor, Fred Hawtree and Ashburnham member Ken Cotton.

We begin with something different in a downhill par 3, from a fraction less than 180 yards, where out of bounds can play an early part if you shove one right. From the 3rd to the 16th it is all links, the beginning and end offer more of a parkland feel.

The 16th is the club's most spectacular hole, with an elevated tee, the Gower Peninsula in the distance and a railway line beyond the putting surface.

There's nothing very stuffy about the world-class Welsh links and this is another where you should make a day of your visit here.

Visit Ashburnham Golf Club

Canterbury Golf Club

Location: Canterbury, Kent

Green fees (weekday): £35-£65

Built on land leased from the War Office, Canterbury is one of the lesser-known works of Harry Colt (of Sunningdale and Portrush fame), and a fitting golfing accoutrement to this most historic of cities.

Adam Lawrence, editor of Golf Course Architecture, said this of the signature hole and another course that features inside England's Top 200 layouts: "Hole 12 is the best on the course, and frankly almost made me fall over with surprise when I saw it. The hole plays along a valley, with a ditch all the way up the favoured left side. But it is the terrain that astonishes. Canterbury was truly the most pleasant surprise I have had on a British golf course in a long time."

Canterbury begins and ends with a par 5 and, in between is 6200 yards of undulating and varied terrain, and there is also a TopTracer range on site.

Visit Canterbury Golf Club

The Manor House

Location: Castle Combe, Wiltshire

Green fees (weekday): £65-£95

Set amidst the truly idyllic surrounds of the Cotswolds village of Castle Combe, The Manor House is known first and foremost for its palatial five-star hotel, but its adjoining golf club is a surprising treat and one of the most underrated courses in this part of England. Starting as a fairly conventional parkland track, The Manor House truly turns it on when you pass the turn, snaking its way through some of the Cotswolds' most dramatic valleys in a scene akin to something you'd find in Middle Earth. 

Add in the charming pubs and rooms that await you down the hill at the other end, and it's fair to say there aren't many more picturesque places in England for a stay and play.

Visit The Manor House

North Foreland

Location: Broadstairs, Kent

Green fees (weekday): £40-£80

Tucked away in the far north east of Kent just north of Ramsgate, Herbert Fowler and Tom Simpson laid out the 18 holes that make up North Foreland and, while the order has changed over the years – the tough 9th is still called 'Home' – it still has the feel of something very natural.

You would be hard pressed to find a course that is perched more on top of the Kent coastline. The clifftop setting makes for a dramatic round in places and the short 5th, right next to the white cliffs, is a spectacular short hole at the far end of the course.

Otherwise it's pleasantly bouncy, the greens can be fiddly if you get in the wrong spots and the downhill par-5 16th is probably the pick of the holes coming home and the par-3 18th, something is often hard to pull off, is a great finish.

Visit North Foreland

Prestbury

Location: Macclesfield, Cheshire

Green fees (weekday): From £80

An unheralded parkland gem sat in the picturesque Cheshire countryside, Prestbury is the work of Harry Colt and is a thing of rare beauty given how little land it uses. Three greens sit alongside one another, four holes depart from one large teeing area but you would hardly spot either in the playing of them. Sat over less than 100 acres, Prestbury nonetheless ranks as one of the best inland courses in England and a great example of affordable golf in an underrated region.

Visit Prestbury Golf Club

Royal North Devon

Location: Westward Ho!, Devon

Green fees (weekday): £90-100

The idea of playing a round on any Royal-titled golf club for less than £100 feels like fantasy in 2025, but at Royal North Devon, England's oldest golf course and the oldest links course anywhere outside of Scotland, this is very much the reality. A remarkably flat, open course that, even by links standards, seems to simply melt into the surrounding land, Royal North Devon stretches across 160 acres of common grazing land in the Northam Burrows AONB, and is a must-play as much for its sense of history as it is the unique, almost eerily natural surroundings.

Visit Royal North Devon Golf Club

Seacroft

Location: Seacroft, Lincolnshire

Green fees (weekday): £60-£90

Rated by Golf World as the best round you can play anywhere in the UK for under £70, Seacroft is a beloved coastal links not all that far from the Lincolnshire home of England Golf, which incidentally has designated Seacroft as a Championship venue. Starting life as a small nine-hole course on the southern tip of the holiday town of Skegness, Seacroft was extended in the '20s to encompass a sprawling links that stretches south over picturesque coastline.

Visit Seacroft Golf Club

Southerndown Golf Club

Location: Ogmore by Sea, Bridgend, Wales

Green fees (weekday): £89-£95

A bit like Pennard in terms of its elevated positioning, not quite as dramatic but equally a very memorable 18 holes.

We probably obsess too much about defining courses and Southerndown is a tricky one to put into a single category. Uniquely the club describes its 18 holes as a 'limestone-heathland-links'. There is a massive limestone outcrop, which rises over 70 metres from the sea, and, like Pennard, this is very different to much else.

Gorse plays its part too and many of the great designers – Willie Fernie, Herbert Fowler, Willie Park, Harry Colt and Donald Steel – have all added to its challenge. The Duncan Putter is a leading 72-hole amateur event and is played here every April – former Walker Cup skipper Nigel Edwards has won this four times.

'The breezes blow cool and fresh here, and on a still and stifling August day, when the golfer is almost too limp to crawl round Porthcawl, he will be wise to refresh himself by a round on the heights of Southerndown," writes Darwin.

Visit Southerndown Golf Club

Tenby

Location: Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales

Green fees (weekday): £85-£100

Wales' oldest course, dating back to 1888, and it remains one of the country’s most charming tests. For a change we open with a par 5, one of only two, and the 1st is a cracking hole, reachable and rising into a distant corner. James Braid was the brains behind Tenby where incredible views, blind shots, neat dunes and great greens all make up a fun and challenging layout.

The 4th is a lovely par 4 while the short 12th is most likely the signature hole, played adjacent to the coast, and the best stuff all comes alongside the water. The view from the 17th tee is where the course opens up before your eyes and you appreciate how brilliantly everything has been fitted in.

Tenby is Wales' party town and makes for a stunning spot if you're lucky to make a few days of a trip here – it takes a bit of getting to but it's well worth it.

Visit Tenby Golf Club

The best UK golf courses under £150

Aberdovey

Location: Aberdovey, Gwynedd, Wales

Green fees (weekday): £85-£125

I’ve long been an admirer of Aberdovey. Again, the journey here plays a huge part and this one is different as hopefully you won’t need your car. This is Bernard Darwin’s one-time playground and it’s a fabulous course and one of the great Welsh jewels.

If anywhere deserves a country membership it’s here, for all manner of reasons. A spectacular part of the world and an even better golf course.

Visit Aberdovey

READ OUR FULL ABERDOVEY GOLF CLUB REVIEW

Chart Hills

Location: Biddenden, Kent

Green fees (weekday): £90-£130

Sir Nick Faldo's first and only design in England, Chart Hills opened in 1993. A grand parkland track land with lots of sand, Chart Hill felt tailor-made for tour stops in the early part of this millennium – indeed the Ladies European Tour visited here several times.

The problem was that the drainage meant that the course struggled for a third of the year. In 2019 it was bought out and is now controlled by the McGuirk family, who also own Prince’s, and it's now back inside England's Top 100 courses.

The fairways are undulating and there is still plenty of sand and water. The 5th, Anaconda, features one of the longest bunkers in Europe and the 17th has an island green though is only a short iron to try and locate it.

More recently a six-hole par-3, dubbed The Loop, was added, while its new luxury Barn sleeps up to eight guests.

Visit Chart Hills

Conwy

Location: Conwy, Caernarvonshire, Wales

Green fees (weekday): £85-£125

Conwy has held many prestigious events and staged the Curtis Cup as recently as 2020 when Great Britain & Ireland claimed a rare victory. It was also the first Welsh club to host qualifying for The Open at Royal Liverpool in 2006.

This is another fantastic Welsh links on the north coast and, while it is consistently flat, the two nines offer something a bit different. It's never boring, there are some very attractive angles to holes and the backdrop of the mountains and Great Orme make for a fabulous backdrop as you begin the back nine after a front nine where the estuary often adds plenty. Here the 7th is an absolute peach of a par 4, one of many on the property.

Another unpretentious club which boasts a course that is special and certainly one of the best five layouts in the Principality.

Visit Conwy Golf Club

Goswick Links

Location: Goswick, Northumberland

Green fees (weekday): £130-£150

Set amidst one of England's most historic and mystical stretches of coastline, Goswick Links is flanked by the ruins of Bamburgh Castle and looks out on the North Sea towards Lindisfarne's Holy Island, making for a truly magical space to play the game. The Links at Goswick, in keeping with this spirit, are excellent, winding their way through hills and dunes towards the sea.

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Knole Park

Location: Sevenoaks, central Kent

Green fees (weekday): £75-£125

Away from the coastal links classic sits Knole Park, which JF Abercromby routed through Kent's only medieval deer park. You can expect fantastic draining soil, generous and undulating fairways, raised greens, half a dozen par 3s and all the better for knowing or playing with a member.

Very highly thought of, James Braid was up against Abercromby in the initial design. Braid chose to lay out the holes in a clockwise direction around the parkland, Abercromby ant-clockwise and they would go with the latter who is known for his work at The Addington, Worplesdon and Coombe Hill.

With a par of 70 there are a host of great and varied par 3s with the 8th touted as one of the most scenic – here the landscape nearby was used by the Beatles to shoot part of their Penny Lane video.

Visit Knole Park

Pennard

Location: Southgate, Swansea, Wales

Green fees (weekday): £70-£110

It’s been far too long since I’ve been to Pennard and, while it is very much on the up, it’s probably still not too well known in some circles. Even so, the so-called The Links In The Sky is a genuine Welsh classic, serenely floating along picturesque clifftop to make for one of the UK's most unique links golf experiences. 

Visit Pennard

READ OUR FULL PENNARD GOLF CLUB REVIEW

Pyle & Kenfig

Location: Kenfig, Bridgend, Wales

Green fees (weekday): £50-£110

If you do take on a golf trip to Wales, then you should absolutely add Pyle & Kenfig in to your itinerary. This is a sprawling and undulating links with towering dunes and interesting valleys. Two very different loops make up this challenge and, while the front nine is more than interesting and is the work of Harry Colt, the back nine is the star of the show.

This is immediately apparent from the testing 10th onwards and these nine holes, designed by P. Mackenzie Ross, really make the most of the dramatic terrain. The views around 13 and 14 are spectacular and you'll hit all kinds of different shots over the closing holes.

The last three make for a fitting finish and first-time visitors will come off the course amazed that they've never considered such a great test before.

Visit Pyle & Kenfig

Annesley Links, Royal County Down

Location: Newcastle, County Down, Northern Ireland

Green fees (weekday): £120

While its sibling gets all the plaudits, it's hard to imagine any golfer worth listening to walk away from Royal County Down's secondary Annesley course and not think they've had one of the best golf experiences money can buy.

Immaculately kept in the same manner as the Championship links and flanked by the same incredible combination of mountains, sea and dunes that separates RCD as such a unique jewel in golf's crown, the only thing holding it back in attaining its own place in the conversation of the world's best courses is its length.

In our opinion, however this makes the Annesley links all the more fun to play. The bounty of par 3s and 4s keep you on your toes, provide variety, and make things a bit more manageable if County Down's notorious winds are proving a little too punishing. And at less than £150 for a round, it's one of the best value golfing propositions in the UK.

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Royal St. David’s

Location: Harlech, Gwynedd, Wales

Green fees (weekday): £80-£145

Sitting underneath the magnificent Harlech Castle, Royal St David's is one of the most enjoyable spots to play golf, as well as maybe the most testing par-69 anywhere. This course is regularly ranked among the best in the UK, and its scenic beauty adds an extra layer of enjoyment to any round.

Known for its traditional links design and stunning views of both the Snowdonia mountains and the Cardigan Bay coastline, this course is a must-play for serious golf enthusiasts.

Royal St. David’s is a challenging, yet fair course that stays true to its traditional links roots. The layout offers a series of strategic holes, with deep bunkers and fast greens that require accurate shot-making. It offers a routing which means the wind comes from all angles and the course really comes to life from the 12th tee.

From here you have five 4s and two 3s, which include 13, a  sweeping two-shotter before a short hole where a par requires a proper long iron. There then follows another fantastic par 4 to complete a run of three holes which will stand up to anything. The stunning views of the mountains and coastline only add to the allure of this incredible course.

You can't really go wrong with a trip to St David's, it offers brilliant value for money and has to be one of the most relaxed and down-to-earth Royal clubs. You can locate both Aberdovey and Royal St David's by train which adds to the romantic nature of two incredible courses.

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Silloth on Solway

Location: Silloth, Cumbria

Green fees (weekday): £70-£110

Another bona fide top 50 UK course that you can play for well under a hundred quid when the time is right, the only thing holding Silloth back from true legendary status is its remote Cumbria location – which might explain why it remains so affordable to play. Even so, it remains one of England's greatest, toughest and most celebrated links, and a course that would be well worth travelling to even if the price were significantly higher.

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Southerness

Location: Southerness, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland

Green fees (weekday): £95-£115

One of Scottish Golf's true underrated gems, Southerness is in a part of the northern nation not routinely singled out for its great golf, but is perhaps all the better for it.

Don’t be fooled by the talk of this being one of the toughest courses in the UK – it’s so playable and it’s sensationally good. The turf, routing and overall experience is so enjoyable, forming an experience we're eager to relive as soon as possible. 

Visit Southerness

READ OUR FULL SOUTHERNESS GOLF CLUB REVIEW

Wildernesse

Location: Sevenoaks, Kent

Green fees (weekday): £100-£150

One of the oldest clubs in the county, dating back as far as 1890, and Wildernesse is also well regarded as being one of the nation's best parkland layouts.

You need to be straight here, with trees lining the fairways, and there are seven par 4s to tackle on the front nine before the back nine begins 3-5-5-3.

“This is a parkland course well-known for its natural beauty. It has many trees, which makes your long shots feel tighter than they really are. There is relief, however, on the 10th and 14th holes, which are more open. There are several short to medium-length par 4s which may yield birdie opportunities, and three of the par 3s, in still air, are no more than mid-iron shots,” explained Peter Alliss.

Another that sits comfortably inside England's Top 200 courses, Wildernesse is a regular host of Regional Open Qualifying which is always a decent gauge of a course's merit.

Visit Wildernesse Golf Club