Surrey & Berkshire Heathland Golf

South-west of London, on a belt of free-draining, pine-and-heather country, lies the greatest concentration of heathland golf in the world — the courses that defined an entire style of design, and where the likes of Harry Colt and Herbert Fowler perfected it. It is also the easiest great golf in England to reach: everything sits within 45 minutes of Heathrow, and the sandy soil means it plays firm and true almost year-round.

Sunningdale's Old Course is the archetype — Willie Park Jr and Harry Colt over springy moorland, the scene of Bobby Jones's near-perfect 66 in 1926, and half of one of the finest 36-hole days in golf. Nearby, Wentworth's West Course— the famous "Burma Road" — is home of the BMW PGA Championship and the birthplace of the Ryder Cup, though visitor access is limited. Walton Heath, higher and more exposed, plays almost like a links in the wind and has hosted the Ryder Cup and the AIG Women's Open.

The riches run deep. Around Ascot, The Berkshire offers 36 holes of Herbert Fowler heathland, and hidden away nearby is Swinley Forest — the most private and, many say, most beautiful of all, the course Harry Colt called his own favourite. Toward Weybridge, St George's Hill is Colt at his most dramatic, while the "Three W's" near Woking — Woking (the cradle of strategic design), West Hill and Worplesdon — make a superb, keenly-priced day of classic heathland.

Ascot, Sunningdale and Virginia Water sit at the centre of it all, with excellent country-house hotels, and everything is within 45 minutes of Heathrow — the easiest great golf in England to reach from an international flight. It also makes a natural bolt-on to a few days in London.

Coworth Park — a Dorchester Collection country-house hotel and spa in parkland between Ascot and Sunningdale — is the luxury choice; nearby Pennyhill Park at Bagshot (with its vast spa) and The Berystede at Ascot are excellent alternatives. Toward Egham, the Tudor Great Fosters is a characterful, historic base.

Dinner at Coworth Park or the fine-dining room at Pennyhill Park is the treat after a round. For something simpler, the Thatched Tavern at Cheapside near Ascot is a classic country pub, and the villages of Sunningdale and Virginia Water have plenty of good places to eat within a few minutes of the first tees.

Ascot Racecourse is on the doorstep — time a trip for Royal Ascot in June for one of the great occasions of the English summer. Windsor Castle, the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world, is 20 minutes away, with Legoland Windsor next door for families and the Savill Garden and Windsor Great Park for a walk. And central London is under an hour by train for a city evening.

Combine it with the Kent links to the east, or read the best courses in England.