I've not played any golf around London, but if you're staying in the heart of the city I recommend London Walks. Guided walking tours of historical sights lead by entertaining and knowledgeable folks.

Depends whereabouts in London you are, but I’d fully recommend Hadley Wood. It’s one of my favourite courses and will certainly test all aspects of your game

Hi Alex, it depends on where about's you are going to be and what sort of price you are looking at.

Venues such as Sunningdale are about 30 miles from central London but will set you back over £200 if you can get a tee time. There are some top courses in Surrey (www.top100golfcourses.com/.../surrey) which is just outside of London.

Thanks everyone. I'm staying in Central London for a few days and Windsor for a few days. Sunningdale was my initial pick, but unfortunately they don't open until the week after I leave. Has anyone ever played St. Georges Hill, Walton Heath, or Hankley Common?

If you fancy playing one of the most exclusive courses around,you could try Swinley Forest Golf Club. I believe it now welcomes visitors and would likely be almost empty as it is legendary for being so exclusive..the golfing home of royalty and the aristocracy. It does have odd habits,like dressing quite formally for lunch etc.

It's literally 5 or six miles from Windsor. I've never played it but some of my friends have,and had a great time.

I believe they have entered the 21st Century and you can now contact them by e-mail...admin@swinleyfgc.co.uk

Is wentworth not near Windsor?
Prob private though.

Wentworth is near Windsor. They do not allow visitors unfortunately.

I've played and stayed at the Hanbury Manor Marriott resort north of London (in Ware). It is the site of a senior tour tournament. Celtic Manor near Cardiff has 3 courses, including the 2010 course/Ryder Cup. It looked impressive but I only played The Roman Road. Both rent Titleist sets. There is transportation to Ware from London, Cardiff would be a little more complicated. St. Pierre is another Marriott golf resort about a 5 minute drive from Celtic Manor.

Wentworth is now completely private...unless you know a member, you aren’t getting on.

I’ve played Hankley Common and Walton Heath...both were excellent. Walton Heath has 2 courses, so would be good if you can get a day ticket and play both in a day. The old course is fantastic, and obviously hosted the British Masters recently too, so has championship pedigree.

Hi
As the others have said, Surrey is probably your closest bet for top quality courses but they are not cheap.

Sunningdale
West Hill
Woking
New Zealand
Hankley Common
Walton Heath
The Berkshire
St Georges Hill - one of my favourites

To name a few. All are similar in that they are largely heathland but all are great courses in my opinion.