Chart Hills

Few golf courses in England carry the fingerprints of Nick Faldo quite as distinctly as Chart Hills. Designed by Faldo and architect Steve Smyers and opened in 1993, it was built with serious intent — Faldo wanted a course that could stand alongside the great heathland and parkland layouts of the Home Counties, and the result earned immediate respect on the UK rankings. The routing across the Weald of Kent uses the natural roll and elevation of the land to dramatic effect, with wide fairways that invite aggressive play off the tee before tightening up considerably around greens that are bold, contoured, and unforgiving of imprecision.

Kent's landscape does a lot of the heavy lifting here. The Weald is ancient, wooded country — oak and sweet chestnut framing holes that feel properly rooted in the English countryside rather than imposed upon it.

Chart Hills remains a members' club with a genuine championship pedigree, the kind of course where the design rewards patience and course management over raw power. It plays longer and harder than a casual visitor might expect.