The Grove

A Georgian estate, a tour course and no dress code.

The Grove is a hotel and golf course on the former estate of the Earls of Clarendon, beside the M25 at Chandler’s Cross, about 18 miles from central London. The course is open to everyone, and you book online on any day the tee sheet allows. There is no handicap rule and no dress code, which makes it the easiest of the London-area top courses for a mixed-ability group. Tiger Woods won the 2006 WGC-American Express Championship here, and Alex Noren won the 2016 British Masters.

The Grove green fees and tee times.

Tee times are booked online through Chronogolf, with full payment or voucher details taken at the time of booking; you can also call the golf team on 01923 296010. The Grove says reservations cannot be guaranteed until 30 days before play, so book early but expect confirmation closer to the date. Cancellations less than 14 days out are not refunded, and dropping players counts as a cancellation. With at least 48 hours’ notice, a prepayment can be moved to another date within three months. No handicap is needed and there is no dress code, but metal spikes are banned. The club works to a 4½-hour pace for a four-ball and may pair smaller groups.

The round, in perspective.

Kyle Phillips, the architect of Kingsbarns, designed the course for the hotel, which opened in 2003. It is par 72 and plays to more than 7,100 yards from the back, through a 300-acre park beside the River Gade and the Grand Union Canal. NCG panellists call the 3rd, a drive towards a stream and trees, the hardest hole. The back nine opens with a tough par four through a funnel of trees, the 13th is a 244-yard par three, and the 14th hides most of its fairway behind one big bunker. The 18th is a long par four with two greenside bunkers.

Know before you go.

Handicap

Not required

Dress code

None; no metal spikes

Buggies

£70 hire

Cancellation

Non-refundable inside 14 days

Pace of play

4½ hours for a four-ball

Make the trip work.

Prices change with demand, and online rates are the best available at the time of booking, so the earlier you look the more choice you get. Mondays to Wednesdays are the cheaper off-peak days in every season. Buggies cost £70, electric trolleys £30, and a TaylorMade rental set £70; email tee.time@thegrove.co.uk ahead to reserve hire. The Winter Warmer package, at £165 on Monday to Wednesday, adds breakfast and lunch to the round. Juniors under 18 must be with an adult, and one junior plays free with a paying adult at twilight. A new driving range and short-game area are part of The Kingdom development on the estate.

Heathrow is about 20 miles south, around 30 minutes round the M25, and Luton is a similar distance north. Watford Junction station, with fast trains from London Euston in under 20 minutes, is about three miles from the estate entrance; take a taxi. By car, the resort is a few minutes from the M25 at Chandler’s Cross.

Where it is.

Nearby: 1. Sunningdale Golf Club (35 km) · 2. St George’s Hill Golf Club (37 km) · 3. The Addington Golf Club (45 km) · 4. Walton Heath Golf Club (46 km) · 5. Hindhead Golf Club (66 km) · Compare all London & Surrey Heathland tee times

Somewhere to settle in.

The hotel has 214 rooms, a spa and several restaurants around the restored mansion. Staying in pays off on the tee: resident green fees are £130 off-peak and £150 peak in winter, against £140 and £170 for non-residents. The hotel also sells golf packages, listed on its offers page. If you are not staying on the estate, Watford and Rickmansworth have cheaper chain hotels, and central London is under 40 minutes by train.

Make a trip of it.

Sunningdale is about 35 minutes south-west round the M25, and Walton Heath about 50 minutes, so The Grove works as the parkland day in a heathland trip. St George’s Hill is around 35 minutes away. Off the course, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London, where the Harry Potter films were made, is a short drive away at Leavesden. The towpath of the Grand Union Canal runs along the edge of the estate for an easy walk.

Find your season.

The Grove publishes three rate seasons: summer from May to October, winter from November to February and spring in March and April. The course stays open through the year. It hosts tournaments listed on its events calendar, which can close the course to public tee times on those dates.