Hankley Common Golf Club: Course Review, Tee Times and Key Info
A tremendous free-draining course in a peaceful and expansive setting, Hankley Common is is ranked 31st in our Top 100 UK&I Course Rankings in association with Peter Millar



Hankley Common Golf Club Key Information
Row 0 - Cell 0 | Row 0 - Cell 1 |
Address | The Clubhouse, Tilford, Farnham, Surrey, GU10 2DD |
Phone Number | 01252 797717 |
Website | |
ed@hankley.co.uk | |
Visitor Times | Midweek and then after 2pm Saturday and midday Sunday |
Par | 72 |
Slope Rating | 134 (Purple), 126 (White), 122 (Yellow), 115 (Red), 105 (Black), 132 (Women's Yellow), 126 (Women's Red), 108 (Women's Black) |
Opened | 1897 |
Designed by | James Braid, Harry Colt |
Golf Monthly Verdict
The layout at Hankley Common was designed by James Braid and Harry Colt and it has long been cherished as one of the most beautiful golf courses in the country. It's a superb design over incredible turf and terrain in a simply beautiful setting. The course is maintained brilliantly and sympathetically with free-draining soil and excellent playing surfaces. Hankley Common is a club that is constantly looking to improve upon what is already a high-quality offering.
REASONS TO PLAY HANKLEY COMMON GOLF CLUB
– Simply stunning swathe of protected heathland
– Tremendous layout by James Braid and Harry Colt
– Incredible springy, sandy turf is a joy to play from
RANKINGS
UK & Ireland Top 100 Golf Courses 2025/26 - 31
Hankley Common Golf Club, which has made good progress in our Top 100 Golf Courses UK & Ireland rankings over the years, began life in 1897. Play was originally over nine holes across this fabulous stretch of Surrey countryside. In 1922 James Braid advised on the addition of a second nine and Harry Colt made further alterations in the early 1930s.
Hankley is, without question, one of our very finest inland courses and one of Surrey's very best – a superb design over excellent terrain. Springy yet firm turf with sandy subsoil, greens that are slick and true, fairways lined with heather, rowans, oaks, pines and birches – the layout delivers classic heathland golf of the highest order.
From the high points across the course at Hankley Common, it’s amazing to view the holes stretching in all directions across the huge swathe of land over which the layout sits. Both course and surrounding area are classed as a “Site of Special Scientific Interest,” and are home to many interesting species of flora and fauna. The club takes pains to ensure the course is maintained superbly but sympathetically.
The excellent, free-draining turf at Hankley gives a real links-like playing quality and the surfaces are of the very highest standard.
A game at Hankley is always a treat and on my most recent visit I got to see some of the latest improvement works, with the changes to the par-3 2nd hole transforming what was perhaps one of the less strong holes visually into an absolute picture.
What I particularly like about Hankley is that although many holes are lined by heather and trees, it rarely feel overly claustrophobic and is happy to overlook minor miscues in many places, choosing to punish only really poor shots.
And however you're playing, reaching the raised tee on the par-3 7th is always a thrill as is the shot back down to the lower ground from the 8th tee, a par 5 you always feel offers a great chance to get one back on the card.
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That stretch of holes from the 6th to the 8th is particularly memorable, with another par 5 preceding that climb to the 7th tee. The high point you then reach affords stunning views of the common and the vast expanse of land which Hankley occupies.
Indeed, there’s enough space to build another couple of golf courses on the land that it occupies, but why would you when you have such an amazing masterpiece already?
Hankley Common Golf Club never rests on its laurels and continues to make improvements and alterations if and where appropriate.
7th at Hankley Common
What's new for 2025/26? What our panellists said…

My visit was in the early season after a poor/wet winter/early spring and conditioning was impressive considering the lead-in. Set within an extensive SSSI, the course is draped over this wonderful terrain but has to exist and sympathetically operate without impacting this very special, protected landscape. There is an open feel; the trees and gorse heather and shrubs have large natural spaces running between them; and the elevation changes do wonders to frame the holes and offer some lovely views. Where else can you enjoy such a wonderful, beautiful course and wander through an SSSI of such natural significance?

There are 12 holes that are as good-looking as a heathland can get. The first four are delightful, as is the closing stretch. The vast heathland is a wonderful context and the pines that intersperse the heather give most holes definition and visual complexity. It is a truly beautiful inland course. While being reasonably level, the changes in terrain are used well and holes move left and right to test line and shot-making.
Hankley Common Golf Club Location
For more information on visiting Hankley Common see the club's website
Hankley Common Golf Club Scorecard
Best Courses Near To Hankley Common
The new holes designed by Tom Mackenzie for the club’s recent centenary to improve the routing and make for a safer crossing of the busy Portsmouth road have bedded in very well. They have enhanced what was already a very fine heathland design which is beautifully maintained and a joy to play at any time of the year.
It’s a classic heathland layout delivering a great strategic test and a real sense of seclusion when out on the springy fairways. It's an ambitious club with great history plus a high-quality heathland course
Best Places to Stay Near Hankley Common Golf Club
Tilford Woods - Book now at Booking.com
Excellent log cabin self-catering lodge retreat. It's in a perfect location for Hankley Common - basically right next door. It's always well reviewed and is known for offering comfortable and spacious accommodation.
Harbour Hotel Guildford - Book now at Booking.com
Set in a contemporary glass-fronted building, this 4-star hotel is a one minute walk from the cobbled High Street of Guildford. Guests can enjoy the hotel's spa facilities, which features a gymnasium, indoor swimming pool, stone oven sauna, aromatic crystal steam room and relaxation room. Good restaurant.
Hankley Common Golf Club Course Gallery







Hankley Common Golf Club Historical Top 100 Ranking UK&I
- 2025/26 - 31
- 2023/24 - 30
- 2021/22 - 32
- 2019/20 - 33
- 2017/18 - 34
- 2015/16 - 41
- 2013/14 - 44
- 2011/12 - 50
- 2009/10 - 64
Frequently Asked Questions
How big is Hankley Common?
The whole common is 560 hectares or 1,400 acres. The site is part of the Thursley, Hankley and Frensham Commons Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area and Site of
What movies were filmed at Hankley Common?
Hankley Common has been used for plenty of productions over the years including the James Bond films The World Is Not Enough, Die Another Day and Skyfall. It was also used for the Oscar-winning 1917 where it doubled as a French battlefield.

Jeremy Ellwood has worked in the golf industry since 1993 and for Golf Monthly since 2002 when he started out as equipment editor. He is now a freelance journalist writing mainly for Golf Monthly. He is an expert on the Rules of Golf having qualified through an R&A course to become a golf referee. He is a senior panelist for Golf Monthly's Top 100 UK & Ireland Course Rankings and has played all of the Top 100 plus 91 of the Next 100, making him well-qualified when it comes to assessing and comparing our premier golf courses. He has now played 1,000 golf courses worldwide in 35 countries, from the humblest of nine-holers in the Scottish Highlands to the very grandest of international golf resorts. He reached the 1,000 mark on his 60th birthday in October 2023 on Vale do Lobo's Ocean course. Put him on a links course anywhere and he will be blissfully content.
Jezz can be contacted via Twitter - @JezzEllwoodGolf
Jeremy is currently playing...
Driver: Ping G425 LST 10.5˚ (draw setting), Mitsubishi Tensei AV Orange 55 S shaft
3 wood: Srixon ZX, EvenFlow Riptide 6.0 S 50g shaft
Hybrid: Ping G425 17˚, Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro Orange 80 S shaft
Irons 3- to 8-iron: Ping i525, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts
Irons 9-iron and PW: Honma TWorld TW747Vx, Nippon NS Pro regular shaft
Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 50˚ and 54˚, 12˚ bounce, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts
Putter: Kramski HPP 325
Ball: Any premium ball I can find in a charity shop or similar (or out on the course!)
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