Top 10 Best Golf Courses in Bexley

Why Bexley Is Quietly One of London's Best Golfing Boroughs

Bexley occupies an unusual position in the London golfing landscape. Far enough from the centre to retain genuine green belt, yet close enough that a round can be squeezed in before or after a working day in the City, the borough and its immediate surroundings hold a remarkable density of courses. The chalk and clay soils of the Cray and Darent valleys drain reasonably well, meaning many local layouts stay playable through the wetter months when heavier inland clay courses become unplayable. Add mature oak, chestnut and beech parkland, rolling contours inherited from old estate land, and a strong tradition of member-run clubs, and it becomes clear why golfers travel into Bexley rather than out of it.

The borough also serves a broad range of players. There are private members' clubs with long waiting lists and championship pedigree, municipal and proprietary courses that welcome visitors without a handicap certificate, floodlit driving ranges for winter practice, and academy courses designed specifically for juniors and beginners. Whether the goal is competitive club golf, a relaxed weekend fourball, or a first ever nine holes, there is a suitable option nearby.

What to Look For When Choosing a Course

Course quality is about more than yardage. Drainage and winter playability matter enormously in south east London, where a course that closes for weeks each January quickly loses value. Greenkeeping standards, the consistency of putting surfaces, and the maturity of tree lines all shape the experience. Practice facilities are another differentiator: a short game area and a covered range transform how much improvement a golfer can realistically make. Finally, the social infrastructure — clubhouse catering, competition calendars, junior sections, and society packages — determines whether a club becomes a genuine part of someone's week or simply a place to hit a ball.

The Ten Best Golf Courses in and Around Bexley

1. Bexleyheath Golf Club. One of the oldest clubs in the area, Bexleyheath is a compact, hilly nine-hole parkland course played twice for a full round. Its elevated position gives genuine views across the borough, and the tight, sloping fairways reward accuracy far more than raw length. The clubhouse has a traditional, sociable atmosphere and the club has a reputation for being unusually welcoming to newcomers and to visiting societies.

2. Sidcup Golf Club. Founded in the Victorian era, Sidcup is a mature nine-hole parkland layout crossed by water hazards that come into play more often than the scorecard suggests. It is a strategic course rather than a brutal one, valued for excellent greens and for a friendly membership culture. Its central location makes it a practical choice for players who want regular midweek golf without a long drive.

3. Barnehurst Golf Club. A well-established nine-hole course on the eastern side of the borough, Barnehurst combines accessible green fees with genuine variety, including a short but memorable set of par threes. It has long functioned as an entry point into the game for local players, with a strong pay-and-play tradition and a relaxed clubhouse.

4. Dartford Golf Club. Just beyond the borough boundary, Dartford is a heathland-influenced eighteen-hole course laid out on sandy, free-draining ground — a rarity in this part of the south east. Heather, gorse and silver birch frame the fairways, giving it a character closer to the Surrey sandbelt than to typical London parkland. Winter playability is a major selling point.

5. Sundridge Park Golf Club. With two contrasting eighteen-hole courses set around a Regency mansion clubhouse, Sundridge Park is one of the most respected clubs in south east London. The East and West courses share dramatic elevation changes and superb conditioning but ask very different questions of the golfer. It is a serious club with a full competition programme and a strong coaching set-up.

6. Birchwood Park Golf and Country Club. A modern, proprietary complex offering a championship eighteen, a shorter academy course, extensive practice ground and a floodlit range. Birchwood Park is arguably the most complete facility in the area for players who want to combine playing with structured improvement, and its corporate and society packages are well organised.

7. Chislehurst Golf Club. A short but characterful parkland course threaded through ancient woodland and past Victorian architecture, Chislehurst places a premium on precision iron play. Its greens are consistently among the best conditioned in the region, and the club has a strong sense of history that appeals to traditionalists.

8. Langley Park Golf Club. A classic mature parkland eighteen with tree-lined avenues, subtle green complexes and an understated but high-quality clubhouse. Langley Park has a long-standing reputation for course presentation and for a competitive but sociable men's, women's and junior section structure.

9. Bromley Golf Centre. A no-frills, high-value municipal facility built around a nine-hole course and a busy driving range. What it lacks in grandeur it makes up for in accessibility: no membership required, straightforward booking, and a genuinely useful practice environment for players building a swing from scratch.

10. Orpington Golf Centre. A multi-course pay-and-play venue offering several loops of differing difficulty alongside a large range and short game area. It is particularly well suited to families, mixed-ability groups and beginners who want the freedom to play without the commitment of a members' club.

Trends Shaping Local Golf

Golf participation across the borough has grown noticeably in recent years, driven partly by a broader post-pandemic appetite for outdoor sport and partly by the rise of shorter formats. Nine-hole rounds, twilight rates and flexible memberships have made the game far more compatible with modern working patterns, and Bexley's abundance of nine-hole layouts positions it perfectly for that shift. Simulator bays and indoor teaching studios have also extended the season, allowing local players to work on technique through winter rather than losing months of progress.

Sustainability has become a second major theme. Clubs across the area are reducing irrigation demand, converting rough into managed wildflower and meadow habitat, and using data-led greenkeeping to cut chemical inputs. These changes have improved biodiversity while often making courses firmer and more interesting to play.

Getting the Most From a Round in Bexley

Local knowledge counts for a great deal on these courses. Many were routed decades ago across natural contours, so approach shots frequently need to account for run-off and false fronts rather than simply flying to a yardage. Booking early is advisable at weekends, particularly at the proprietary venues, and midweek mornings remain the best value across the board. For newcomers, starting at a pay-and-play centre before committing to membership is a sensible route, and most of the borough's member clubs offer trial or flexible categories that allow a season of play before a full commitment.

Final Thoughts

The strength of golf in Bexley lies in its variety. Within a short radius a player can move from a friendly hilltop nine to a championship parkland eighteen, from a floodlit range to a heathland layout that plays well in February. That range is what makes the borough genuinely rewarding for golfers at every stage, and it explains why so many local clubs maintain healthy, engaged memberships year after year.