12 great stay-and-play venues

From Kent to Lincolnshire and Surrey to the Borders, there’s something here for you

There a lot of brilliant stay-and-play venues across the UK which offer wonderful deals for you to enjoy both a hotel stay and round of golf- at a varying range of prices. 

We’ve picked out nine deals in various parts of the country, and we assure they won’t disappoint.

Under £100: Forest Pines, North Lincolnshire

This classy venue has gone from strength to strength, on and off the course, since opening just over two decades ago. The flagship resort of the Q Hotels group has it all, with the comprehensive golf on offer at the top of the list.

Nestling in 190 acres of majestic woodland and referred to as the ‘Woburn of the North’, it offers 27 holes of quality golf with not a weak one among the three loops of nine (Forest, Pines and Beeches).

The handiwork of former European Senior Tour star John Morgan, the holes weave in between towering mature trees and you really have to be accurate with every club in your bag otherwise you run the risk of regularly having to produce Seve-style escape shots from among the assorted timber.

The main layout is the Forest and Pines nines and you have to give the latter’s long par-3 7th over water and the Forest’s challenging par-4 stroke index 1 finale special respect and attention. With a trio of par 3s at the 1st, 7th and 9th, the Beeches is the shortest layout but still deserves plenty of respect – none more so than the 472-yard par-4 8th.

The impressive hotel provides excellent accommodation with 188 spacious rooms and facilities including an outstanding health club and spa plus a choice of three contrasting restaurants that cater for all tastes and budgets.

Contact: 01652 650756, qhotels.co.uk
Deal: One night, dinner, B&B with 36 holes, costs from £99 per person.

Under £200: Hever Castle, Kent

History lovers can’t stay away, and neither should you. Hever Castle may be famed for being the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, but there’s far more to the 13th Century estate than history, tours and idyllic gardens.

For a start, there’s the option of staying overnight in the castle’s exclusive Edwardian Wing, where luxury awaits at every turn. The five-star rooms are lavished with oak furnishings and ornate replaces, while the Tudor Suite dining room offers a breakfast buffet t for a King or Queen.

A two-minute drive from the wing lies the golf club, which nestles among gently undulating countryside next to the castle’s lake. Once there, you can take your pick from three nine-hole layouts, aptly known as the Princes, Queens and Kings. The latter two make up the championship course, which measures 7,002 yards off the tips. Water plays a prominent part, with ponds featuring on every par 3 and the 644- yard 17th – one of Britain’s longest par 5s.

The real highlight, however, is reserved for the stretch between holes 11 and 13, Hever’s version of Amen Corner. The par-3 12th is the Michelangelo of golf holes and plays over water to a small table top green enclosed by bunkers, woodland and bluebells.

The views get even better on the next, with overhanging trees framing a fairway that runs adjacent to a lake on the left. It’s not quite Augusta, but it’s more than worthy of its status as one of the Garden of England’s top inland layouts.

Contact: 01732 865224, hevercastle.co.uk
Deal: One night’s B&B in deluxe double room, 18 holes on Championship course, entrance to Hever Castle and Gardens, costs from £241.50 (for 2 sharing) Mon-Thurs.

Around £300 Budock Vean, Cornwall

There are undoubtedly more prestigious venues in the south west, but few possess the charm and personality – along with the breathtaking location – of Budock Vean. The four-star country house retreat offers much more than the lovely little nine-holer originally that was originally designed by James Braid.

There are 18 different tees to play from, giving the mature gently undulating layout more interest and variety. If you’re staying on site you can experience it for free while a number of courses, including Falmouth, Truro and Mullion, are short drives away. Known as ‘The Hotel on the River’, Budock Vean is majestically plotted within 65 acres of glorious gardens and woodland in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the south- facing bank of the Helford river on the south Cornish coast close to Falmouth.

The historic harbour town is well worth a visit, as are the stunning nearby gardens of Trebah and Glendurgan, both within walking distance. However, there is so much happening at Budock Vean you’ll be reluctant to leave, taking advantage of the Natural Health Spa with its range of treatments on offer along with a 15m indoor pool, sauna and outdoor hot tub.

You can also walk down the wooded valley to the river, where you can mess about in a complimentary kayak or take a delightful cruise aboard the hotel’s own boat, HannahMolly, exploring coves and creeks and checking out the stunning homes of Tim Rice and Queen’s Roger Taylor. Oh, and the accommodation is pretty tasty too – we stayed in one of the signature rooms overlooking the 1st tee – as is the main restaurant, well worthy of its AA Rosette Award with dinner enjoyed to the accompaniment of a local pianist.

Contact: 01326 252100, budockvean.co.uk
Stay & play deal: Summer Special – Three nights DBB stay including free golf at the hotel and a complimentary game at one other local course, costs £417pp (standard room) until Sept 23.

Other brilliant stay and play resorts

Whittlebury Hall, N’hants
Sits next to Silverstone and has 27 mature parkland holes along with a four-star hotel with facilities including a spa.
Contact: 0800 043 6644, yourgolftravel.com
Deal: Sunday Special – One night’s dinner, B&B and two rounds, costs from £69pp.

Boston West, Lincs
A small but comfortable hotel with 24 spacious en-suite rooms plus a parkland, all plotted within 200 acres of Lincolnshire countryside.
Contact: 01205 290670, bostonwest.co.uk
Deal: Overnight dinner, B&B & 18 holes, £80pp ’til Oct 31.

Bells Hotel & Forest of Dean GC 
Glos Modern venue within ancient Forest of Dean countryside. Recent refurb of 53 rooms and cottages plus fun course.
Contact: 01594 832583, bells-hotel.co.uk
Deal: DB&B & two rounds, £64pp (on two sharing).

Coulsdon Manor, Surrey
Historic venue 15 miles from central London. A Harry Colt parkland is overlooked by a 19th century Manor house.
Contact: 0843 178 7149, bespokehotels.com/ coulsdonmanorandgolf
Deal: A night’s DB&B and two rounds costs £230 per room.

Five Lakes, Essex
Contrasting Lakes and Links courses plus accommodation and facilities including a spa, tennis courts and nightclub.
Contact: 01621 862444, cpcolchester.co.uk
Deal: One night’s (Sat) DB&B, two rounds and use of leisure club, is £149pp until Oct 31.

Barnham Broom, Norfolk
Two 18-holers (Hill & Valley) and on-site hotel with gym and spa with indoor pool. Contact: 01603 759393, barnham-broom.co.uk
Deal: DB&B (Fri or Sat), unlimited golf, £10 drinks voucher per player from £152pp (sharing) til Sept 30.

The Roxburghe, Borders
One of Scotland’s nest layouts by Dave Thomas plus a luxury mansion house overlooking the river Teviot and rural land.
Contact: 01573 450331, roxburghe-hotel.net
Deal: Until Oct 31 (Mon-Fri) – Dinner, B&B and a round of golf costs from £299 per room per night.

Saunton Sands, Devon
Art deco Saunton Sands hotel overlooks Saunton’s East and West links layouts, which unfurl across the wild 1000-acre linksland of Braunton Burrow.
Contact: 01271 890212, sauntonsands.co.uk
Deal: Two nights’ B&B (in Sept) and two rounds at Saunton (both courses), costs £335pp.

The Oxfordshire, Oxon
A former European Tour venue and home of a challenging Rees Jones layout plus a hotel with 46 executive rooms, four suites and a Spa with pool.
Contact: 01844 278300, theoxfordshire.com
Deal: Until Oct – Two nights (Mon-Wed) and three rounds, costs £289pp.