Purbeck

Few settings in English golf match the drama of the Purbeck Hills. Perched on the Isle of Purbeck — a peninsula of chalk downland, limestone ridges, and sweeping views toward the Jurassic Coast — this heathland layout asks you to play golf and take in one of the most visually arresting landscapes in southern England simultaneously. Swanage itself is a small seaside town at the peninsula's eastern tip, reached by a famously winding road or, for the committed, the heritage steam railway from Wareham.

Purbeck Golf Club has occupied its hillside position for well over a century, and the course carries all the character that implies: firm, fast fairways shaped by the chalk beneath, short rough that rewards accuracy, and elevation changes that both punish and delight. A par of 70 suits a layout where length rarely matters as much as positioning and course management.

The club operates as a traditional members' course, but visitors are welcomed, and the clubhouse views alone make the detour worthwhile whether or not the scorecard cooperates.