Lymington Golf Courses

A three-course delight

Lymington Golf Centre is a great place to start; as the name suggests, it’s more than just one offer, but includes a range of courses, including Walhampton Golf Club (members only), a nine-hole course, practice range and Adventure Golf (more of which later). You can’t book for the last two, but you can for ‘pay and play’ the nine-hole course.

Charming but challenging

About 25 minutes’ drive from Lymington and open to visitors, Highcliffe Castle Golf Club prides itself on being “in superb condition throughout the year. A challenging test of golf requiring accurate tee shots and a good short game.”

It may be compact and pretty flat, but that doesn’t mean this is an easy course; the late, great Peter Allis wrote: “for a course with such a small acreage it has a great deal of charm and you need to have quite a bit of skill to get round in a decent score”.

Double delight

Pay a visit to Bramshaw Golf Club (just over half an hour from Lymington by car) and you get not one but two fantastic courses to test your driving, chipping and putting skills; The Forest, the original course, and The Manor.

Priding itself as Hampshire’s oldest golf course, Bramshaw is open to visitors as well as members – they just ask visitors to observe club dress codes, show consideration for other players and, naturally, care for the course itself… so please replace those divots, rake bunkers and repair pitch marks where you can.

Terrific triple

Just a quarter of an hour from Lymington, three nine-hole courses are on offer at Barton-on-Sea Golf Club – The Stroller, Becton and Needles courses, which are a combination of the original Harry Colt design from 1932 and newer holes designed by the well-known J. Hamilton Stutt, which were completed in 1992.

Visitors are very welcome, but are asked to follow the dress code – all golfers need to wear a high standard of smart ‘golf clothing’ – which means men may wear tailored shorts (not cargo shorts) with either long socks, predominantly white short socks or trainer socks. Ladies can’t wear leggings or jeggings, unless with skorts or shorts.

Famous fairways

A little further away (just under an hour’s drive) is Ferndown Golf Club – but it’s well worth it.
Rated by Golf Monthly as one of the Top 100 courses in the country (and apparently one of Peter Alliss’s favourites too), you can walk the fairways and follow in the footsteps of the likes of Faldo, Jacklin, Langer, Lyle and Norman who have graced Ferndown since the course was established in 1913. Visitors are welcome to play either of the two courses which offer 27 holes in total.

Warm welcome

One of the closest golf courses to Lymington (just under 15 minutes away), Brockenhurst Manor Golf Club prides itself on being a warm and friendly environment for all golfers; the beautiful 18-hole course is complemented by the Colt Brasserie, where you can relax and refresh after a wonderful day’s golf.

Short but testing

Last but not least is Stoneham Golf Club, just north of Southampton. Founded in 1908 and designed by Willie Park Junior, the man behind the charms of Sunningdale. While it’s short by championship standards – just 6,400 yards in total – it requires a fair amount of know-how and skills to navigate this undulating healthland course under par.

Lymington crazy golf

It’s a mini adventure

Part of Lymington Golf Centre, New Forest Adventure Golf is a high spec 18 holes of fun for everyone – not just children. Designed and built to mirror the New Forest, the 18 holes lead you from The Isle of Wight to Lymington by moving ferry. In Lymington mini golf, you’ll see the Lymington River and Beaulieu River, plenty of New Forest towns and villages authentically represented, including Bucklers Hard and Exbury Gardens to name just two.
Best of all, visit between May and August and you can pick some strawberries or take in a cream tea while you’re there.