Designed by Willie Park Jr., Sunningdale’s oak-lined Old Course served as a qualifying venue for the Open Championship in 1926. During that tournament, Bobby Jones shot one of the best competitive rounds of his career. “I wish I could take this course home with me,” Jones exclaimed after he had finished. Harry Colt designed Sunningdale’s New Course, which offers more expansive driving areas, though long carries are needed to reach the course’s narrow fairways.

Only a front nine’s distance away, Swinley Forest Golf Club will charm visitors with its relaxed atmosphere—the private club does not post handicaps or host medal competitions; it only encourages golf with friends. The course was designed by revered architect Harry Colt, and its appearance has changed little over the last century, even as holes have been lengthened to accommodate the modern game.

Within an hour’s drive, three more exceptional golf courses await.

Due south of the center of London, Walton Heath is home to Old and New courses of its own, the former of which was designed by Herbert Fowler and hosted the 1981 Ryder Cup. Featuring large firm greens that always roll fast, Walton Heath’s Old Course stretches to more than 7,400 yards and often rewards the types of shots and strategies that golfers need to implement on Scottish courses.

At Worplesdon Golf Club, a classic heathland layout with bunkers and greens built by Willie Park Jr. (who also created Sunningdale’s Old Course), golfers will meander through picturesque woodlands and they’ll encounter only one water hazard, at the signature 10th hole, a short par 3 played over Bridley Pond to a quick-rolling, three-tiered green.