North London parkland, shaped by great hands
Barnet's golf sits on the northern edge of London, where the built-up streets give way to green belt, woodland and the odd pocket of countryside. Eight of the borough's nine courses are parkland, with a single heathland layout at Old Fold Manor breaking the pattern. That mix tells you what to expect: tree-lined fairways, mature trees framing the holes, and greens that most of these clubs are quietly proud of. Green fees start from around £40.
What stands out is the run of famous course architects who left their mark here. James Braid, the five-time Open champion, laid out Finchley Golf Club and designed Arkley with input from Harry Vardon. Willie Park Junior, himself a twice Open winner, was responsible for both North Middlesex and South Herts. Harry Colt shaped Old Fold Manor and redesigned Hendon in 1923. For a borough this size, that concentration of pedigree is unusual.
The championship names
South Herts Golf Club in Totteridge, founded in 1899, has hosted The Open Regional Qualifying on fourteen occasions. Harry Vardon served there for thirty-five years as professional and head greenkeeper, and James Braid advised on the bunkering in the 1930s, so the course carries plenty of history in its shaping. Old Fold Manor, over in Barnet and dating from 1910, was itself a Regional Qualifying venue for The Open between 2006 and 2010, and has staged county and national championships. As the county's only heathland course, its undulating terrain and famously quick, tricky greens give it a different feel from the parkland neighbours.
Hendon Golf Club, founded in 1903, sits in the North London green belt with rolling, tree-lined fairways and small greens that demand accuracy. It was originally laid out by J.H. Taylor and Harry Vardon before Colt reworked it, and it currently ranks fifth in Middlesex on Top100 Golf Courses. In 2025 it hosted the Middlesex Senior Country Championships. North Middlesex, founded in 1905 across 74 acres of parkland, uses water features throughout and finishes with a demanding par three at the 18th that the club rates as one of its finest holes.
Character and setting
Hampstead Golf Club has a claim no other course in the area can match: at 5.5 miles from Central London, it is the closest golf course to the middle of the capital. Founded in 1893 on Hampstead Heath and designed by Tom Dunn, it drew praise from Henry Cotton in its day. The original clubhouse burned down in 1929, and its Arts and Crafts replacement was built the following year.
Finchley, laid out by Braid in 1929, runs through mature parkland near Dollis Brook and the Dollis Valley Greenwalk. Its greens are known for pace and condition, and the club has installed Ability Tees so players of different games can pick a length that suits them. The parkland setting also brings wildlife into play, with muntjac deer, foxes and ring-necked parakeets among the residents. Mill Hill, founded in 1927 in the wooded Scratchwood area, is heavily tree-lined and has put £350,000 into drainage over five years; it holds reciprocal arrangements with Hendon, North Middlesex, Bush Hill Park, Welwyn and Knebworth, which is handy for members looking to play further afield.
Arkley, a nine-hole Braid design set in the North London countryside, offers two sets of tees on each hole to vary the round, with undulating tree-lined ground, slick greens and sweeping fairways. For those wanting practice rather than a full round, the A1 Golf Activity Centre is also in Arkley. It adds up to a compact but genuinely varied stretch of golf, where a good number of courses have hosted qualifying and county events without ever straying far from the capital.