HAVE YOU PLAYED IN AN OPEN COMPETITION THIS YEAR? PLEASE LEAVE A COURSE REVIEW.
Just because none of these golf courses don't own a bunker that doesn't mean there aren't any hazards.
A number of the venues have grassy hollows or mounds and humps to make shots around the green perhaps even more difficult than from sand. In our opinion slopes and swales can often make much more interesting recoveries.
Golf Empire founder, Ed Battye, has played extenssively throughout the UK and below he gives his personal top bunkerless golf courses of Great Britain. However, we would love to hear your own recommendations so that we can expand the list.
Many of the venues also have an attached golf course review.
"Royal Ashdown Forest is home to two fine golf courses; the Old and the West. It’s a distinguished traditional members club in East Sussex that has been used by the R&A as an Open Championship Regional Qualifying venue as well as hosting several national amateur championships."
"There’s something quite remarkable about Kington. It has what I call the “Double Q” factor; Quirk and Quality. It has a similar eccentric personality to many other hilltop layouts as well as good turf, natural contours, kooky features and plenty of undulation."
"Piltdown, founded in 1904, is a quaint heathland golf course tucked away in a sleepy corner of leafy Sussex. There’s a lovely feeling and atmosphere around the clubhouse and cozy proshop which are situated on the other side of a country round to the actual golf course."
"Located in the very heart of the Lake District, Windermere Golf Club must be one of the most adventurous golf courses I know and I make no apology for loving bamboozling layouts like this."
"The humps, bumps, swales and hollows of Berkhamsted add a real charm and help create an atmosphere for enjoyable golf on fast-running, heathy-style terrain. Couple this with the lovely contouring of the putting surfaces and it elevates this course to one that is well above the norm."
"The guy behind the bar who I handed my £12 twilight green-fee to simply laughed after he asked if I had played the course before and I replied, “No”. I tend to get that quite often due to the nature of courses I visit and I therefore immediately knew I was going to have a fun round."
"Atop a large hill in Mid Wales above the Victorian spa town of Llandrindod Wells lays a topsy-turvy, rough-and-tumble, bags-of-fun golf course. It was originally laid out by six-times Open Champion Harry Vardon then subsequently altered by the prolific course designer James Braid (who only managed to win The Open on five occasions) and gives us a glimpse into how golf was played a century ago."
"London Scottish Golf Club plays over the fast-running, gravel-based course on the busy Wimbledon Common where a blend of heath and woodland converge to provide a delightful and natural golfing experience. The Club was founded in 1865 by members of the London Scottish Volunteer Rifles (now the London Scottish regiment) who were stationed on the common."
"Those familiar with other Gloucestershire oddities; Cleeve Cloud and Painswick, will have a sense of familiarity when they arrive at the charming and bunkerless Minchinhampton Old golf course. Located at more than 500-feet above sea level, close to Stroud, golfers are greeted with that same motley common-land turf, iron-age fortifications, a big sense of spaciousness and lots of interesting ground undulations in proximity to the greens."
"On a recent drive from West Yorkshire to South Wales we decided to jump off the M5 and play a quick round at the highly unusual Painswick Golf Club. It proved to be one of the best decisions we’ve made."
"Charnwood Forest is one the most interesting, natural and best nine-holers I have played."
"I wouldn't necessarily recommend you visit Colonsay specifically for the golf, however, that's not to suggest you shouldn't visit this beyond beautiful island, inhabited by less than 150 people, in the Hebrides and play their truly unique golf course."
We would love to hear if you agree or disagree with our selections. You can do so in the comments box below or tweet us.
