Best time to play golf in England

For the links — Birkdale, Lytham, Royal St George's, Deal — May to Septemberis the season, with May, June and September the pick. But England has a second answer the other golf countries don't: the sandy heathland around Surrey and Berkshire drains so superbly that it plays beautifully year-round— a crisp winter heathland round is one of golf's underrated pleasures.

England is milder and, in the south and east, drier than Scotland or Wales — East Anglia is one of the driest regions in Britain. So the “best time” depends on which England you are playing: the coast follows the classic links season, the heaths barely have an off-season.

Either side of the summer peak, May and September give the firmest turf, the best light and the easiest booking, on the coast and inland alike.

May

Often the driest, most settled month, with daylight running to around sixteen hours and temperatures around 14–18°C. The links are firming up, the heathland heather is greening, and rates and tee sheets are gentler than mid-summer. The connoisseur's month.

September

Early September often extends the summer: warm, settled and quieter once the school holidays end, with beautiful low light and the first flush of autumn colour on the heaths. Green fees begin rolling back. The safer weather is in the first three weeks before the autumn Atlantic systems become more assertive.

The warmest and busiest months. Daylight is long (rounds until 9pm are easy around the June solstice), temperatures reach 20–25°C on good days, and southern England can see genuinely hot, settled spells. The coastal links and the famous heaths are at their busiest, and green fees at their annual high — the Open venues especially need booking months ahead.

Two English quirks to plan around: several of the greatest heaths are private members' clubs with limited visitor days, so summer availability is tight; and the sandy heathland can bake and brown in a dry spell, which the purists rather enjoy. If summer is your window, book early — the long evenings and settled weather are worth it.

April

Cool (10–15°C) but often bright and dry in the south, with daylight past fourteen hours and the courses quiet and keenly priced. The heaths are already in fine order thanks to their free-draining sand — a lovely, low-cost month for an inland trip.

October

One of the best months to see the heathland, when the heather and birch turn and the light is glorious. Early October holds good conditions before the clocks change; the links are quieter and cheaper, with more wind and the chance of rain.

This is where England is different. The Surrey and Berkshire heaths — Sunningdale, Wentworth, Walton Heath, The Berkshire — sit on sand that drains almost instantly, so they play firm and true through the winter when heavier courses are waterlogged or on temporary greens. Days are short (around eight hours of light in December) and cold, but a bright winter round over frosted heather, at a fraction of the summer green fee, is a genuine pleasure. The exposed coastal links are a tougher winter proposition — raw, windy and prone to closure.

On the coast, links golf means wind and the chance of a shower — proper waterproofs, layers and a warm hat even in summer. Inland the heaths are more sheltered, but a winter round still calls for serious warmth. England uses pounds sterling, cards accepted everywhere. See how to play heathland golf and what a trip costs.