Hennerton

Par 65 courses get unfairly pigeonholed as warm-up venues, but Hennerton, perched in the Berkshire hills just outside Reading, earns genuine respect as a test of precision and course management. The layout leans heavily on par 3s and short par 4s, which means wayward irons are punished far more than a missing driver — the kind of card that rewards ball-strikers who can actually shape a shot rather than those who simply overpower a layout.

Berkshire is serious golf country. The county is home to some of England's most celebrated heathland and parkland courses, and the rolling Thames Valley countryside that frames this part of the home counties provides a backdrop of mature woodland and open meadow that makes a round feel like a genuine escape from the Reading commuter belt, even when the town is only minutes away.

The course suits a wide range of abilities — high handicappers find the shorter holes approachable, while single-figure players discover that scoring well demands a sharper short game than the yardage might suggest.