Golf in Somerset & Bath
Elevated downland above England’s finest spa city, dune links on the Bristol Channel and a county that combines serious golf with serious recovery options.
Somerset makes an unusual case in British golf. On one hand it offers Burnham & Berrow — ranked consistently among the finest links courses in England south of Lancashire, its dune ridges and seaside turf the equal of anything the Bristol Channel produces. On the other, it provides Bath — one of England’s great cities for recovery, wellness and exceptional hospitality — accessible from golf at Lansdown in under fifteen minutes.
The combination is persuasive. Bath’s thermal spa history — the Romans understood the recovery value of hot mineral water two thousand years before the concept of wellness tourism — means the city’s spa infrastructure is among the finest in England. The Thermae Bath Spa and Gainsborough Bath Spa between them offer experiences that no purpose-built golf resort can replicate, and both are available to golfers staying in Bath’s outstanding hotel stock after a round at Lansdown, Mendip or Long Ashton.
The Courses
Burnham & Berrow Golf Club
Burnham & Berrow is England’s finest links course south of Lancashire — ranked in the Top 100 globally and consistently underappreciated compared to its Northern equivalents. Herbert Fowler’s 1914 routing through massive natural dune ridges produces a championship course that plays entirely differently depending on wind direction, and the International Course provides an excellent supporting option. This is a pilgrimage course for any serious golfer based in or visiting the South West.
Lansdown Golf Club
Lansdown occupies elevated chalk downland above Bath on one of the most historically significant pieces of ground in the West of England — the site of the 1643 Civil War battle, with the Lansdown Monument visible from several holes. The course is open, exposed to wind and plays entirely differently from the parkland and resort golf that most Bath visitors encounter. The views across Bath and the Avon Valley from the upper holes are exceptional, and the course’s proximity to the city makes it the ideal morning option before an afternoon in the thermal baths.
Mendip Golf Club
Mendip Golf Club sits on the ridge of the Mendip Hills south of Bath — a course of considerable character on ground that provides views in every direction across Somerset, the Bristol Channel and the Severn estuary. The turf conditions on the Mendip limestone are excellent for much of the year, and the course rewards the patient, positional player who understands how the wind moves across an exposed ridge.
Long Ashton Golf Club
Long Ashton is one of the most respected members’ clubs in the Bristol area — a mature parkland that has been developing character since 1893. Well-maintained, consistently well-conditioned, and welcoming to visitors on weekdays. A natural companion for a Bristol or Bath-based golf break seeking parkland contrast to the downland and links options further south and east.
Stay · Play · Recover
The Gainsborough Bath Spa
Bath’s only hotel with direct access to natural thermal spa waters — a five-star property in the heart of the city that combines Georgian grandeur with genuinely exceptional spa facilities. The outstanding Stay · Play · Recover base for Lansdown Golf Club and the wider Somerset circuit, with the Roman Baths and city’s finest restaurants on the doorstep.
Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa
A Relais & Châteaux country house hotel near Chippenham with a full spa and equestrian centre — one of the finest country house hotel experiences in the South West, well-positioned for both Bath and the Wiltshire/Somerset golf circuit.
Practical Information
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