Fairlop Waters Golf Club

Fairlop Waters sits on the eastern fringe of Greater London in Barkingside, part of the London Borough of Redbridge, where the city gradually gives way to the open spaces of Hainault Forest Country Park. The course occupies reclaimed land around a large sailing and watersports lake, which means the landscape here is unusually flat and open for this part of England — wide skies, exposed fairways, and the glint of water making for a setting that feels markedly different from the leafy heathland layouts that dominate the London golf scene.

As a publicly owned facility managed by the local authority, Fairlop Waters has long served as an accessible, affordable entry point into the game for east Londoners, and that democratic spirit shapes the atmosphere. It's a well-trafficked, community-rooted course where you're as likely to find a junior taking their first swings as a seasoned club golfer grinding out a weekend round.

The exposure to wind off the lake is the course's most meaningful challenge — conditions can shift dramatically, turning a straightforward layout into something that demands real shot management and course awareness.