Three clubs, one strong tradition
Kingston upon Thames doesn't offer much in the way of choice, but what it lacks in numbers it makes up for in pedigree. All three clubs here are parkland courses, laid out across the wooded, undulating ground that separates Kingston from New Malden, and each has been in existence for more than ninety years. This is old Surrey golf, shaped by mature trees, gentle contours and greens that have been refined over a century of play rather than bulldozed into shape last decade.
Coombe Hill Golf Club, founded in 1911 and designed by J.F. Abercromby, is the standout for anyone interested in the game's history as much as the golf itself. Four Open Champions — Sandy Herd, Arthur Havers, Henry Cotton and Dick Burton — served as professionals here, and Winston Churchill was an early member, part of a membership that has included British Prime Ministers and other Parliamentary figures over the years. Abercromby's routing rewards accurate ball-striking over raw length, which suits the wooded parkland setting.
Coombe Wood and the art of shot-making
A short distance away, Coombe Wood Golf Club opened in 1904 as a nine-hole course before being extended to a full eighteen in 1922. It has never chased length as its defence; instead, the club has built its identity around small, well-guarded greens that demand precise approach play and careful course management. It's the kind of layout where a player who can flight the ball and judge distances well will consistently outscore someone who simply hits it further, and that emphasis on strategy rather than brute force runs through much of the golf in this part of Surrey.
Malden's long and layered history
Malden Golf Club, in New Malden, has perhaps the most interesting backstory of the three. It began life as Raynes Park Golf Club in 1893 before relocating to its present site in 1926, when Alex Herd designed the new course and Colonel Sir Augustus Fitzgeorge performed the opening. The land itself has a history stretching back centuries, having originally formed part of the Coombe Manor Estate acquired from Queen Elizabeth I in 1579 — a detail that adds some weight to what is otherwise a fairly modern 120-acre stretch of mature parkland ten miles southwest of central London. The club marked its arrival with an exhibition match featuring Abe Mitchell, Harry Vardon, Alex Herd and Ted Ray, four of the biggest names in golf at the time, which says something about the standing Malden held even in its early years.
What to expect on the ground
Because all three courses sit within the parkland tradition, visitors moving between them will notice more similarities than contrasts: tree-lined fairways, well-established greens, and courses that ask for thoughtful club selection rather than sheer power. There's no links golf here and no heathland sand and heather, but what Kingston upon Thames offers instead is a compact, historically rich pocket of golf within easy reach of central London. Coombe Hill and Coombe Wood sit close together in Kingston itself, while Malden lies just over the boundary in New Malden, so a golfer based in this corner of southwest London can realistically sample all three without much travel. Given the professional and political names attached to these clubs over the decades, there's a reasonable case that few areas this size carry quite as much golfing history per hole.