A Buddies’ Golf Getaway to Southern England

The beauty of a Southern England golf break is that nobody has to take a day off to travel. Old Thorns in Hampshire is a straight run off the A3, Hanbury Manor sits just north of the M25 in Hertfordshire, and Dale Hill is an easy hop into the East Sussex Weald. You leave home Friday lunchtime and you’re on the first tee — or in the bar — before you’d normally be stuck in motorway traffic on the way to an airport.

It’s also the kind of golf that suits a mixed-ability group. You get genuine variety within a short drive: heathland and parkland, a championship layout for the low handicappers and something more forgiving for the lads who only dust the clubs off twice a year. Everyone has a good day, which is the whole point.

And the off-course bit is sorted too. These are proper resort hotels with bars, restaurants, spas and snooker tables — so when the golf’s done, the group stays together rather than scattering to find somewhere to eat.

Old Thorns Hotel & Resort in Hampshire is our go-to all-rounder for a buddies’ trip — a championship course, big comfortable rooms, a good bar and a spa for anyone nursing the morning after. It’s an easy base to play from and even easier to relax in.

For something with a bit more bite, Dale Hill in East Sussex gives you two courses on one site, including the Ian Woosnam-designed layout that’ll test the better players, plus on-site rooms so the day starts and ends without a drive. Hanbury Manor Marriott in Hertfordshire is the smart pick if you want to feel a touch spoiled — a former Jacobean estate with a Jack Nicklaus II championship course, ideal for a milestone birthday or stag weekend.

We’ll often add a second or third course to keep things interesting: Stoneham, one of Hampshire’s finest old heathland courses, and Bramshaw on the edge of the New Forest, where the Forest course winds through open heath and grazing ponies. Different feel, same short drive — exactly what a group trip should be.

Every group has that one mate who ends up doing the admin — chasing deposits, juggling who wants a single room, working out tee times. We take that job off your hands. You give us the names, rough handicaps and dates; we come back with a single itinerary, one price per person, and tee times already locked in.

We negotiate group rates the casual booker won’t get, sort buggies and trolleys for anyone who needs them, and arrange the rooming list exactly how you want it — singles, twins, the lot. If you’d rather not convoy, we can organise transfers between hotel and courses so nobody’s the designated driver after a long lunch.

Because we plan these trips constantly, we also know the little things: which course to play first, where to eat without booking three weeks ahead, and how to build in a buffer round for the inevitable late arrival. You turn up and play; we’ve thought about the rest.

Getting started is simple: send us your dates, your numbers and your wish-list of courses, and we’ll put together a tailored quote with everything itemised — rooms, rounds, transfers and any extras. No surprises, no death-by-spreadsheet.

Golf Planet Holidays is ATOL-protected, so when your trip includes flights the money you pay is properly safeguarded — worth knowing even on a drivable break if a few of the group are flying in from elsewhere in the UK or abroad. We’ll spell out clearly what’s covered.

When you’re ready, a sensible deposit secures the dates and tee times, with the balance due closer to travel — handy when you’re collecting from eight different mates. Get in touch and we’ll start shaping your Southern England getaway around the group, not the other way round.