Old

Few stretches of English golfing turf carry as much history as Epsom Golf Club's Old course. The club dates to 1889, making it one of Surrey's elder statesmen, and the course sits on the open downland above the town — the same chalk hills that give the famous Epsom Downs racecourse its character. Up here, the turf is firm and fast, the fairways exposed to the wind, and the views across the North Downs reward even the most frustrating of rounds.

Surrey is, of course, one of the great counties for golf. Within a reasonable radius sit Sunningdale, Wentworth, and Walton Heath, but Epsom's Old course occupies a different tradition — less manicured heathland, more honest downland golf, where ground game matters and bump-and-run is a legitimate weapon rather than a concession.

As a members' club layout on public-feeling downland, it rewards local knowledge. The par-72 demands patience over power, and the breezy, open terrain means conditions shift considerably through the seasons.