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4 Best Isle of Wight Golf Courses (2024)

There are eight golf courses on the Isle of Wight but I've picked out four that I think stand out because they excel in a particular area. Anyone who suggests that I chose four golf courses because of the possibility of a golf-related pun is telling a flat lie (Ed: really?)

Here's the summary for those of you who don't have time for my waffle:

Freshwater Bay Golf Course has the best sea views.
Osborne Golf Course has good sea views and the most interesting history.
Shanklin and Sandown Golf Course is the County Championship course.
Westridge Golf Centre is best for expert lessons as well as having a good golf shop and a floodlit driving range.

Before we begin I will point out that I am not an expert golfer. I occasionally thwack a few balls at the driving range without much success. However, I can hopefully offer some advice on which Isle of Wight golf courses are in the best locations, how much it will cost you to play and where you should stay nearby. I've also come up with some ideas of what non-golfers might like to do nearby so you can play guilt-free.

These Isle of Wight golf clubs and golf courses aren't ranked in order, so please don't complain that your course isn't at the top.

This isn't the finest photo but it gives you an idea of the views at Freshwater Bay Golf Club

1. Freshwater Bay Golf Club, West Wight (best views)

I reckon that the 18-hole course at Freshwater Bay Golf Club has the most impressive views of all the Isle of Wight's golf courses.

It sits in the West Wight, which is the quieter and less developed part of the Island. It's also very hilly so there are excellent views out to sea and towards Tennyson Down and The Needles.

Of course, a hilly location near to the coast is also pretty windy. I would suggest that you will spend a lot of time figuring out the best way to adjust your shots for the wind. Take a look at the weather forecast and pick a calm day if possible.

Visitors are allowed to use Freshwater Bay Golf Course every day, but there are some limits on times, which are explained on their website. The day rate is about £45 or it's about half price if you are the guest of a member.

The clubhouse has got a bar and a very small shop. It's not particularly flashy or massive but it's a nice location for half a shandy.

Overall, Freshwater Bay Golf Course club scores 4.6/5 on Google Reviews or 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor.

Things to do near Freshwater Bay Golf Course:

If you are visiting with a spouse who is less keen on golf, I would send them off towards Freshwater Bay where they can either sit on the beach or walk up to the Tennyson Monument. They might enjoy a latte at either the Dimbola café or the Piano café. The walk up to the Tennyson Monument is one of my favourites on the Isle of Wight, as is the walk from Freshwater towards Compton Bay (see our circular walks guide).

Freshwater Bay is a nice way to waste a couple of hours

Accommodation near to Freshwater Bay Golf Course

The West Wight is an excellent place to stay on the Isle of Wight if you like coastal walks and quiet, unspoilt beaches. If you want chips served in cones and amusement arcades, I would avoid the West Wight. Places to stay in the West Wight include:

hotels - Warner Leisure's Norton Grange Holiday Village and The George Hotel
cottages - try HolidayCottages.co.uk which has 10 self catering cottages in Yarmouth and 20 self catering cottages in Freshwater. We also have a lovely apartment in Freshwater Bay which you might like to consider (Ed: subtle plug...). The National Trust also has some historic holiday homes including former coastguard cottages and seaside farmhouses
lodge parks and holiday resorts - The Bay, Colwell which has hot tubs or West Bay Cottages

Norton Grange is a popular Warner Leisure hotel in the West Wight

2. Osborne Golf Club, East Cowes (best history)

I'm going to stick my neck out and say that Osborne Golf Club probably has the UK's only golf course with a bath for elephants.

The course is within the grounds of Osborne, where Queen Victoria spent a lot of time bathing her pet elephant, staring out to sea and demanding imported ice to keep her cool.

For that reason, it's probably the golf course to head for if you want a bit of history and prestige.

Osborne Golf Course is another one with good sea views towards the Solent, although it's not quite as elevated and spectacular as Freshwater Bay Golf Course.

There are only nine holes at Osborne Golf Course but the original course in 1892 only had two holes so count yourself lucky. The course has changed a bit over the years, but most of it dates back to 1904 - three years after Queen Victoria died.

Prices for visiting golfers range from about £20-£40 depending on when you visit and how many holes you complete. The more astute amongst you will have realised that if you choose the 18 hole option then you will be doing the same course twice.

The clubhouse is a good size and has got a bar and 'catering'.

Google reviews gives Osborne Golf Club a score of 4.6/5, which is similar to Freshwater Bay Golf Club.

Things to do near to Osborne Golf Course

I would suggest that the course's proximity to the house, gardens and beach at Osborne will work very nicely for many couples. You might even like to suggest a trip to Osborne and then casually say "Oh, I see there's a golf course next door" whilst thumbing through a brochure. I would then leave a long pause to see if your spouse proposes that you play golf whilst they explore the house and gardens without your sarcastic remarks and yawning.

Osborne is big enough to keep non-golfers busy for at least 18 holes

Accommodation near to Osborne Golf Course

Osborne is in East Cowes. The town isn't a particularly popular spot for holiday accommodation, mostly because it doesn't really have a beach. There's an esplanade, a scrubby bit of beach and a caravan park but you aren't likely to see many families unpacking deckchairs for a day out at East Cowes beach.

If you want to stay near to Osborne Golf Club, I would take a look at:

hotels - Albert Cottage Hotel also has royal links, as it was part of the Osborne estate. Alternatively, Lakeside Park Hotel and Spa is on the way towards Ryde and has a swimming pool.
cottages - HolidayCottages.co.uk has about 20 properties in and around East Cowes. Take note that some of them are in (West) Cowes which is on the other side of the River Medina. There is a 'floating bridge' which connects the two sides but it's a pretty unreliable vessel. To confuse visitors, road signs refer to the east side of the river as 'East Cowes' but just refer to the west side of the river as 'Cowes'.

Albert Cottage Hotel on the Isle of Wight

Albert Cottage Hotel is near to Osborne House

3. Shanklin and Sandown Golf Club, East WIght ('Best course')

Some say that Shanklin and Sandown Golf Club has the 'best course on the Island'.

More specifically, a guy named Luke on Google Reviews said it was the best golf course on the Isle of Wight. He sounded like he knew what he was talking about though.

Overall, Shanklin and Sandown Golf Club gets impressive review scores of 4.6/5 on Google reviews. Google maps seems to think it is called 'Shanklin and Dandown Golf Club', which caused me to chuckle at my desk for at least three minutes.

Perhaps of more relevance is the fact that Shanklin and Sandown Golf Course (Ed: I think you mean Dandown) is the only County Championship course on the Isle of Wight. Its history dates back to 1900.

The clubhouse is large and does meals throughout the day.

Views from the course are nice and you'll get glimpses of the cliffs at Culver. However, it is about a mile inland so don't expect sweeping coastal vistas.

I get the vibe that this course is the one to head for if you are a serious golfer rather than someone who just likes to potter about and look at the views.

Current prices for visitors are about £55-£65 depending on what day of the week you visit.

things to do near Shanklin and Sandown Golf Course:

Your spouse/other half could theoretically walk from the golf course to Sandown seafront in about 25 minutes. It's a sandy beach but it's not the prettiest walk in the world. My preference would be to drive or get a bus or train to Shanklin. You can then explore either the tea rooms and twee thatched cottages of the old village or head for Shanklin esplanade. The seafront at Shanklin is busy and has some nice places to eat and drink.

Shanklin has a deckchair-hiring sort of beach

Accommodation near to Shanklin and Sandown Golf Course:

Sandown and Shanklin have an abundance of places to stay. I prefer Shanklin to Sandown but both have their good points. Options include:

Hotels and guesthouses are plentiful but hotels with sea views in Shanklin include the posh Haven Hall Hotel or the aptly titled Ocean View Hotel and Channel View Hotel. In Sandown Trouville Hotel and The Wight are both popular. There's a very well located Premier Inn on the seafront for those who those who prefer chain hotels.
Holiday cottages are also easy to find in Shanklin or Sandown. Here's our pick of holiday cottages with a sea view.
Lodges with hot tubs and a swimming pool are available at Lower Hyde Holiday Park. It's worth pointing out that it is a busy holiday resort that is popular with families rather than somewhere I would suggest for a couples' break.

Luccombe Hall Hotel on the Isle of Wight

Luccombe Hall Hotel in Shanklin is one of many hotels in the area

4. Westridge Golf Centre, Ryde

Westridge Golf Centre is the place to go on the Isle of Wight if you have your sights set on the professional game - or at least improving your golf enough so that you can beat an irritating brother-in-law.

It is more of a golf training centre rather than somewhere aimed at holidaymakers who fancy a sea view and a couple of pints in a clubhouse.

The facilities are impressive so it will appeal to people who take their golf seriously.

Westridge has a floodlit course, a golf simulator, the Isle of Wight's only floodlit driving range, tuition from PGA Professionals and 'the largest shop on the Isle of Wight' (presumably they mean the largest golf shop, as I'm pretty sure Asda is bigger).

The course itself is a nine hole course and it's on the outskirts of Ryde, near to a massive Tesco. It's a couple of miles inland so I wouldn't say it's as pretty an area as the courses at Freshwater Bay or Osborne.

Reviews are excellent at 4.8/5 on Google reviews or 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor. As far as I can tell, there isn't a clubhouse.

Prices range from about £12-£22 depending on whether you play 9 or 18 holes.

Things to do near Westridge Golf Course

Hmm, bit of a trickier one. The location is near to one of the Isle of Wight's out of town retail areas so hardly what you would feature in the tourism brochures. There's a McDonalds and a Tesco but that may not cut it. Your saving grace is probably the large Busy Bee Garden Centre and café, which is a five minute walk away. Otherwise, get on a bus or drive to Ryde seafront where there are plenty more things to see and do. Quarr Abbey is a nice free place to visit and is about 10 minutes' drive away.

Quarr Abbey is a working monastery which is open to the public

Accommodation near to Westridge GOlf Course

Ryde has a reasonable range of places to stay but not as many as Shanklin and Sandown. It's a traditional seaside town with some hotels and self catering but a greater number of people stay in Shanklin and Sandown.

Places to stay in and around Ryde:

Hotels in Ryde itself include Royal Esplanade Hotel, Travelodge in Ryde and Ryde Castle Hotel. Lakeside Park Hotel and Spa is just outside Ryde but is a bit posher.
Self catering cottages in the Ryde area are fairly easy to find. There are about 40 on Hoseasons.
Lodge resorts with hot tubs in the East Wight area include Woodside Bay Lodge Retreat and St Helens Holiday Resort.

St Helens Holiday Resort is about seven minutes drive from Westridge Golf Centre

Other golf courses on the Isle of Wight

These four aren't your only options for a golf holiday on the Isle of Wight. Other locations include:

Ryde Golf Club actually has nine holes by my count but thanks to a bit of clever design you can do 18 holes without too much repetition (take a look at the course map to see what I mean). Visitors will pay about £12-£30 depending on what time of day you arrive and whether you complete a full round. It scores an average of 4.4/5 on Google reviews. It's near to a very quiet beach called Player's Beach which many Islanders never get round to visiting.
Newport Golf Club can be found on the southern outskirts of the town, near to Blackwater. It's an inland nine hole course with a clubhouse. A round of 18 holes costs about £20-£25.
Cowes Golf Club is another nine hole course with a clubhouse which serves food. It's a pleasant spot between Cowes and Gurnard which are famous for sailing.
Ventnor Golf Club has excellent views of the South Wight and claims to have the oldest course on the Isle of Wight. There are 12 holes, so you repeat six of the holes for a full 18. It describes itself as a small and friendly club and costs about £25 per round or less if you play late in the evening. The South Wight is the hilliest part of the Isle of Wight.
Browns Golf Course is a long-established pitch and putt golf course. It has opened and closed a bit in recent years.

Also worth a brief mention is the former golf course in St Helens which is now a nature reserve. It was called the Royal Isle of Wight Golf Club. If you're really keen you can stay in the Old Club House, which is now a National Trust holiday home.