The Cotswolds is England’s largest designated National Landscape and formerly an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, covering roughly 790 square miles across five counties. Defined by rolling limestone hills, open commons and honey-stone houses, it offers some of the most distinctive inland golf in the country.
Courses here range from exposed hilltop layouts with links-like playing characteristics to traditional parkland designs set among ancient pasture and woodland. Natural drainage, firm turf and long views are common themes, while many of the region’s leading courses carry significant architectural pedigree, with contributions from figures such as Old Tom Morris, James Braid and Alister MacKenzie.
Below, we profile five of the best golf courses in the Cotswolds.
Broadway Golf Club
Established in 1895, Broadway Golf Club is one of the Cotswolds’ most elevated and scenic members’ courses, set on Willersey Hill, at nearly 900 feet above sea level. From its exposed position, the course provides expansive views across the Vale of Evesham to the Malvern Hills and Black Mountains. The club relocated to its current site in 1910 and developed steadily throughout the 20th century, evolving from an improvised nine-hole layout into a full 18-hole course by 1962. Despite its Worcestershire address, Broadway is affiliated with the Gloucestershire Golf Union and remains a founder member of the 1895 Club, offering reciprocal playing opportunities with other historic clubs in the UK and overseas.
The course itself is best known for its strong front nine, shaped in part by some of golf’s most influential architects. Alister MacKenzie contributed a number of greens in the late 1920s, including the elevated par-three fifth, which is widely regarded as the club’s signature hole. Subsequent refinements by Tom Simpson and James Braid further defined the layout, particularly through strategic green complexes and short holes. While the back nine plays over gentler terrain, Broadway is recognised for its variety, year-round playability and exceptionally well-drained course.
Stinchcombe Hill Golf Club
Set on the southern edge of the Cotswold Escarpment above the Severn Valley, Stinchcombe Hill Golf Club is widely regarded as one of the most scenic courses in England. Founded in 1889, the club occupies an exposed downland site with far-reaching views across the River Severn.
The original nine-hole course was laid out by the club’s first captain, Arthur Hoare, before being extended to 18 holes in 1906 and golf writer Henry Longhurst described Stinchcombe Hill as among the most beautiful courses in Europe.
The course has evolved through the influence of several leading figures in golf course design. Fred Hawtree and J.H. Taylor undertook a significant redesign in 1922, introducing strategic bunkering, before James Braid advised on further refinements between 1929 and 1936. Downland in character and relatively compact by modern standards, the course places emphasis on turf quality, green complexes and positioning. Its elevated, free-draining setting ensures year-round playability, while areas of protected rough support wildlife and enhance the surrounding landscape.
Cotswold Edge Golf Club
Cotswold Edge Golf Club sits on the Cotswold escarpment above Wotton-under-Edge, with long views across Gloucestershire and the Severn Valley towards the Brecon Beacons and Malvern Hills. First opened in 1980, it is a par-71 course measuring 6,170 yards, designed as a fair test for a wide range of handicaps. It remains privately owned and family-run by the Newman family and the course is entirely on private land with no public footpaths.
The land was originally farmland deemed too steep for grazing, then converted into a golf course. The formal opening took place on 9 February 1980, with an exhibition match staged on 31 May 1981 featuring Sir Henry Cooper, Tom Graveney, Brian Huggett and the club professional, Ian Watts. On the course, the front nine is the more open, traditional parkland stretch with opportunities to hit driver, while the back nine is shorter but puts greater emphasis on iron play and visitors are welcomed year-round with no handicap restriction.
Minchinhampton Golf Club (Avening)
Founded in 1889, Minchinhampton Golf Club is one of England’s few clubs to offer three full-length 18-hole courses. The original Old Course sits on Minchinhampton Common, where a natural and links-style layout was established on a rolling plateau donated to the public by local wool merchants. The club expanded in the 1970s with the acquisition of farmland east of Minchinhampton, leading to the creation of the Avening Course in 1975 and, later, the Cherington Course in 1995.
The Avening and Cherington courses form the club’s two championship layouts and were shaped through the combined work of Fred W. Hawtree and his son, Martin Hawtree. While similar in overall quality, the two courses differ subtly in style, with the older Hawtree greens tending to be smaller and more restrained and the later additions offering larger surfaces with greater movement and pin variety. Both courses are known for strong drainage and consistent presentation, enabling year-round play and have regularly hosted national and county events. Notably, the club served as a South West venue for Open Championship Regional Qualifying between 2002 and 2007, with a composite layout returning to host qualifying again from 2018 to 2024.
Cleeve Hill Golf Club
Cleeve Hill Golf Club occupies the highest point in the Cotswolds, set on open common land above Cheltenham at around 330 metres and was founded in 1891. The course was originally laid out by Old Tom Morris, who regarded the site as one of the finest inland links in England. As equipment advanced, the course was lengthened in 1905 following exhibition matches involving James Braid and Harry Vardon, while further refinements were made during the 1920s. Alister MacKenzie remodelled several greens between 1923 and 1926, with Tom Simpson later contributing additional work.
The par-71 layout now stretches just over 6,400 yards across limestone-drained common land, producing firm, fast conditions more commonly associated with coastal golf. Quarry hazards, blind shots marked by posts and pronounced natural contours define the playing experience, with several holes routed alongside ancient limestone workings. One of the course’s most distinctive features is the short par-5 13th, where the green sits within the earthworks of an Iron Age hill fort dating back more than 2,000 years alongside panoramic views that extend across the Severn Vale towards Wales and the Malvern Hills.
Across the region, courses are shaped by the same landscapes that define the National Landscape itself. The result is inland golf that often plays firm and fast, rewards thoughtful shot-making and offers views that change subtly with light, weather and season.
