4 Bury Road / Forest Approach,
Chingford, London E4 7AZ
Office
+44 (0)208 529 2085 (Chingford GC)Pro shop
+44 (0)208 529 2195 (Royal Epping Forest)Website
Visit websiteThe Course:
18 holes. Tree-lined & open parkland. Undulating terrain - a few slopes to climb.
Surroundings:
Woodland.
Designer:
Original 1888 design by Willie Dunn Jr; later modified by James Braid.
Above distances are for the Chingford Golf Course, also the home course of the Royal Epping Forest Golf Club.
51.634982
0.011918
o.2 mi NE of Chingford Railway Stn / 12 mi N of central London.
Leave the M25 motorway at exit 26, and follow the A121 direction Loughton. After 1 mile turn right at roundabout onto the A104 direction Woodford / London. After 2.8 mls turn right into Rangers Road (A1069) direction Chingford. After 1 mile turn right into Bury Road. After 100 yards golf is on your right.
Chingford Golf Course / Royal Epping Forest Golf Club: as is the case with the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, Royal Epping Forest's home course is a municipal layout, shared with other golf clubs. Whereas the R&A has use of the legendary Old Course, Royal Epping Forest's members ply their golfing skills on Chingford Golf Course, one of many layouts in Britain designed by legendary golfer and course architect James Braid.
Bordering the largest of London's ancient forests, it's easy to feel transported back to an earlier golfing era here at Chingford. The course is laid out on an area of common land that's not just busy with golfers. Here you'll also find walkers, runners, cyclists and horse riders all enjoying the pleasant parkland setting.
Chingford's front-nine is relatively flat, open and quite compact. You'll need to be alert to the possibility of balls appearing from other holes. The back-nine is played over more interesting and undulating terrain, where Braid made excellent use of a small hill that skirts alongside the forest itself.
In the mid-section of the closing-nine you'll encounter several tree-lined holes and the tightest section of the Chingford layout. To preserve the natural appearance of the landscape, bunkers are only found away from the public gaze, on the "upper" holes in the forest.
For such a busy municipal parkland course, the overall conditioning is generally good, although signs of the constant wear and tear it receives can show through. If possible, it's better to play during the week, rather than at the very busy weekends.
Visitors welcome on weekdays and weekends.
Must book in advance. No handicap required.
Contact club for full details, discounts, packages, etc. [Last updated: 2024].
Up until March 2014 all golfers on the Chingford Golf Course had to wear a prominent item of red clothing. This ensured golfers were cleary visible to other members of the public using the paths around the course. The "red rule" was abolished in March 2014, and golfers can now wear appropriate golf clothing of any colour.
Limited
The Chingford Golf Course is laid out on the edge of Epping Forest, an area of ancient woodland that straddles the border between north-east London and Essex. The forest was formed some 10,000 years ago after the last ice age, and now stretches 12 miles from north to south, and 3 miles at its widest point. It was used at one time by Henry VIII and Elizabeth I as hunting grounds, and is reputed to be where the infamous highwayman Dick Turpin roamed in the 1730s. It was also here that golf was first played in Essex on an officially recognised layout. The course is now operated by the City of London Corporation.
Royal Epping Forest is one of three golf clubs (together with Chingford GC and Chingford Ladies' GC) to play on the Chingford Golf Course. It is one of only four Royal clubs in the UK that plays on a public course shared by other golf clubs, the other three are the Royal & Ancient Golf (St Andrews), Royal Montrose and Royal Perth.
The only golf club in Essex with a 'Royal' prefix, Queen Victoria conferred this title on the Epping Forest Golf Club in its founding year (1888). Its patron was Victoria's third eldest son Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught. By royal prerogative, 19 English golf clubs use the "Royal" title, namely: Ascot, Ashdown Forest, Birkdale, Blackheath, Cinque Ports, Cromer, Eastbourne, Epping Forest, Household (Windsor Castle), Liverpool (Hoylake), Lytham & St Annes, Mid-Surrey, North Devon (Westward Ho!), Norwich, St George's, West Norfolk (Brancaster), Wimbledon, Winchester, Worlington & Newmarket.
5 Walthamstow Ave, London E4 8ST
+44 (0)870 444 2789
Visit websiteThe Express by Holiday Inn London Chingford is situated just off the North Circular Road near the Crooked Billet roundabout in Chingford, within easy reach of Walthamstow, Woodford & Ilford.
No
Chingford (Royal Epping Forest)
Thorndon Park; Abridge; Hanbury Manor; The Hertfordshire; Finchley; Hadley Wood; Old Fold Manor; Porters Park; Mill Hill; Royal Blackheath.
Old Shire Lane, Waltham Abbey, Essex EN9 3LX
+44 (0)1992 717 170
Visit websiteBordering the ancient woodlands of Epping Forest, the Waltham Abbey Marriott Hotel offers an ideal setting for business and leisure travellers alike. Located near the M25, M11 and M1 motorways, and the London Tube, this contemporary hotel is 30 minutes from central London.
No
Chingford (Royal Epping Forest)
Thorndon Park; Abridge; Hanbury Manor; The Hertfordshire; Brocket Hall; Finchley; Hadley Wood; Old Fold Manor; Porters Park; Mill Hill.
The Sentry: known for many years as the Tournament of Champions, the PGA Tour’s 2025 season-opener gets underway on Kapalua’s Plantation course (Jan 2-5). Chris Kirk defends.
Tournament of Champions: the LPGA Tour’s 2025 season is launched at Lake Nona with the their Tournament of Champions (Jan 30-Feb 2). The 2024 edition gave Lydia Ko her 20th LPGA Tour title.
Attahya Thitikul: also known as “Jeeno”, the Thai golfer won the LPGA Tour’s 2024 CME Group Tour Championship … and an eye-watering $4 million, the richest first-prize in women’s golf.
Rory McIlroy: scooped the 2024 European (DP World) Tour season-long Order of Merit title, joining Seve Ballesteros as a six-time winner of this prestigious award.
Marco Simone Golf & Country Club: With a clubhouse that might befit a Roman Emperor, and a golf course to match, you can be sure of a memorable outing at Rome's most talked about golf facility.
Jim Fazio's original layout was much changed to create a modern Ryder Cup course ... now one of the Eternal City's (and Italy's) most revered.
Here at Prince’s Golf Club you'll find 27 excellent holes of links golf. Just over the fence and sharing similar terrain is Royal St George’s; but Prince’s is far from overshadowed by its venerable neighbour. The three nine-hole loops at Prince's, laid out over gently undulating terrain, are sure to bring a smile of satisfaction to all lovers of links golf.
Stay&Play at Prince's: excellent onsite Lodge accommodation available
You can subscribe to the Where2Golf channel on YT if you like to see more video content. You'll find a "Subscribe" button on any of our YouTube videos. Or if you want a quick and direct access subscribe here. Once done, any new published videos will show up in your Subscriptions feed.
