Chester Golf Club

Chester Golf Club sits just outside the city itself, in Flintshire, and it's the sort of place that appeals to serious golfers rather than casual visitors. This is a proper members' club with a championship course - the kind where you'll need to ring ahead if you fancy a round, and likely need a handicap certificate or an introduction from a member to get on the course at all.

The course itself is well-maintained and challenging, threading through typical North Welsh terrain with enough character to keep experienced players interested without being punishing for those of middling ability. A round takes the usual four hours or so, depending on how many lost balls you're hunting for in the rough.

It's worth knowing upfront: this isn't a pay-as-you-play municipal course. If you're staying at one of the nearby caravan parks - Fir Trees is barely over a mile away, Netherwood and Birch Bank Farm not much further - and you're a golfer with the right credentials, it's worth ringing Chester Golf Club before you book your holiday to see if a day ticket or visitor rate is possible. The staff are generally accommodating to tourists, but don't expect to just turn up and play.

For non-golfers staying in the area, Chester itself is far more rewarding - the walled city is compact and genuinely interesting to wander. Golf Club works as part of a broader Chester-based holiday if golf is your thing, but it's not somewhere to drag the family along to watch from the clubhouse.