North Foreland

Few courses in England carry a setting quite like this one. North Foreland sits on the chalk clifftops of the Isle of Thanet's eastern tip, where the North Sea meets the English Channel — one of the most exposed and elemental pieces of land in the county. Broadstairs itself is a Victorian seaside town of some charm, known for its Dickens connections and bucket-and-spade beaches, but up on the headland the mood is altogether more bracing.

The course plays as a genuine links-style test on open downland turf, where the wind is never a minor consideration — it is the architect. Par 70 signals a layout that leans on precision and course management over raw power, and the firm, fast conditions typical of this coastal ground reward players who keep the ball below the wind and think their way around.

North Foreland has a long, established history as a private members' club and carries the quiet confidence of a place that doesn't need to market itself — the clifftop location tends to do that work on its own.