Sandy Lodge

Few courses in the Home Counties carry the historical weight of Sandy Lodge. Founded in 1910 and designed by Harry Vardon — one of the game's all-time greats and a 6-time Open Champion — the club occupies a rare stretch of genuine heathland in Hertfordshire, just north of London. The sandy, free-draining soil that gave the course its name allows play year-round in conditions that many inland clubs can only envy, and the heather, silver birch, and Scots pine frame holes in a way that feels more Surrey Hills than suburban Middlesex.

The course sits beside Moor Park and close to the Rickmansworth reservoirs, a corner of the commuter belt that quietly punches well above its weight for golf. Sandy Lodge has long been regarded as one of the better heathland tests outside the celebrated Surrey belt, with a layout that rewards precise shotmaking over raw power.

A par 70 signals a design that leans on quality rather than length — expect demanding, well-bunkered par 4s where position off the tee matters enormously.