Great Salterns Golf Course

Great Salterns sits on Hayling Island, where the fairways run right up against tidal saltmarsh and creeks - proper wild setting for a golf course. It's a links-style layout that catches the wind something fierce, and the views across the water are genuinely distracting mid-swing. Nine holes, though you can play them twice if you fancy a full round, which most visitors do. The greens are firm and fast, the rough is unforgiving, and you'll spot wading birds between shots, which is either brilliant or annoying depending on your temperament. It's a working course, not a tourist attraction dressed up as one - locals are friendly enough but they're there to play golf, not explain the rules to visitors. Hayling Island itself is quiet and a bit old-fashioned in the nicest way possible, so if you're staying at Fishery Creek Touring Park just down the road, this fits perfectly into a walking and exploring kind of break rather than a full golfing holiday. Green fees won't break the bank for a nine-hole course, though you'll need to ring ahead to book, and the clubhouse does basic refreshments. Allow a couple of hours for nine holes if you're not in a rush - longer if the wind's up and you're hunting lost balls in the rough. Worth a round if you're a golfer of any standard; worth avoiding if you're not.