Waterlooville Golf Course

You'll find this 18-hole course just outside Emsworth, a proper working golf club that's been around since 1892. It's a genuine members' club rather than a flashy resort, so the emphasis is on golf first, chat second - the kind of place where people turn up, play, and mean it.

The layout itself is straightforward enough: tree-lined fairways, reasonable greens, nothing that'll humiliate you but enough bite to keep things interesting. It's not championship-length dramatic, but it's the sort of course where a decent golfer gets genuine satisfaction from a solid round. Visitors can play here, though you'll want to ring ahead and check availability - it's members' priority, obviously.

If you're staying at one of the nearby glamping sites - The Old Dairy Farm is just 3.4 miles away, and Wallops Wood not much further - it's worth considering as an afternoon's activity rather than a full day thing. You're looking at four hours minimum for 18 holes. The real merit is the setting: gentle Hampshire countryside without pretension or enormous green fees trying to justify a celebrity chef in the clubhouse.

Historically minded golfers might enjoy the backstory, but honestly, this is for people who actually want to play golf, not Instagram a round. Families should look elsewhere - you need the handicap or at least decent competence.