Swinley Forest

• Location: Ascot, England
• Open: 1909
• Designer: H.S. Colt
• Major Course Updates: Frank Pont
• Events Hosted: N/A
• Key Rankings: 4th best golf course in England, Top 100 Golf Courses (2022), 50th best golf course in the world, Golf Magazine (2021)

 
Golf architect H.S. Colt, responsible for Muirfield, Hamilton, Pine Valley and more, once claimed that Swinley Forest was his “least bad course,” playfully mentioning his satisfaction with his own layout here. Over 100 years later, it is not Colt’s highest ranked course, but it is one of the highest ranked courses, usually a staple in every world top 100 list. With a par of 69, some might view the routing as unusual to not try and get another par 5 in, while others might see the beauty of Colt’s ability to get 18 holes in on this heathland property.