Fairway Treasures

Golf societies · England

Golf Societies in Essex

69 golf courses across Essex where you can play or book a society day, on one map and grouped by town, with how to find a society near you or start your own.

Golf courses
69
Most choice
Brentwood (7)
Governing body
England Golf

Map of golf courses in Essex

Tap a flag for the course name and its website, or tap a neighbouring county to go there.

Finding a golf society in Essex

Most golf societies are not attached to one club. They are groups of friends, workmates or regulars at a pub who book days at different courses through the season, which is why no single list of them exists. The courses below are where they play.

The quickest way in is the pro shop. Clubs see which societies book with them, and most are happy to pass on a contact. Local golf groups on social media are the other good route, especially if you search for your own town (Brentwood, Maldon, Braintree have the most courses nearby).

Booking a day yourself? 37 of the 69 courses here list a website. Society packages are usually on a page called Societies or Golf Days, and midweek dates tend to be cheaper than weekends.

Golf near Southend-on-Sea, Chelmsford, Colchester, Basildon and Brentwood

Golf societies near Southend-on-Sea

There are 13 golf courses within 10 miles of Southend-on-Sea, including 3 over the border in a neighbouring county. The closest is Garon Park Golf Complex, 1.6 miles away, followed by Thorpe Hall Golf Course (1.7 miles) and Rochford Hall Golf Course (2.8 miles). Most clubs list their society packages on their website, linked below where we have it.

  • Garon Park Golf Complex1.6 mi
  • Thorpe Hall Golf Course1.7 mi
  • Rochford Hall Golf Course2.8 mi
  • Leigh Golf Range3.7 mi
  • Ballards Gore4.8 mi
  • Allhallows Golf CourseKent5.4 mi

Golf societies near Chelmsford

There are 13 golf courses within 10 miles of Chelmsford. The closest is Chelmsford Golf Course, 1.6 miles away, followed by Hylands Golf Complex & Academy (3.1 miles) and Channels Golf Club (3.3 miles). Most clubs list their society packages on their website, linked below where we have it.

Golf societies near Colchester

There are 9 golf courses within 10 miles of Colchester, including 2 over the border in a neighbouring county. The closest is Colchester Golf Club, 1.7 miles away, followed by Play Golf Colchester (Lexden Wood Golf Course) (1.8 miles) and Birch Grove Golf Club (2.5 miles). Most clubs list their society packages on their website, linked below where we have it.

Golf societies near Basildon

There are 25 golf courses within 10 miles of Basildon, including 4 over the border in a neighbouring county. The closest is Basildon Golf Course, 0.8 miles away, followed by Langdon Hills Golf and Country Club (3.2 miles) and The Burstead Golf Club (3.5 miles). Most clubs list their society packages on their website, linked below where we have it.

Golf societies near Brentwood

There are 38 golf courses within 10 miles of Brentwood, including 9 over the border in a neighbouring county. The closest is Brentwood Golf Centre at Hartswood, 1.3 miles away, followed by Brentwood Golf Range (UK Golf Academy) (1.6 miles) and Warley Park Golf Club (2.2 miles). Most clubs list their society packages on their website, linked below where we have it.

Starting your own society

If you cannot find one that fits, starting one takes less than you would think: a handful of regular players, someone willing to book the tee times, and a format everyone understands. Our guide to what a golf society is covers how they run.

For the day itself, a Texas scramble keeps mixed abilities together, a shotgun start gets everyone in for food at the same time, and scramble vs best ball vs shamble explains the other team formats.

Golf courses in Essex by town

Basildon

Benfleet

  • Boyce Hill Golf Course

Billericay

  • Stock Brook Country Club
  • The Burstead Golf Club

Bishops's Stortford

Braintree

  • Braintree Golf Club
  • Notley Golf Course
  • Towerland Golf Course (closed)

Burnham-On-Crouch

Canvey Island

Chipping Ongar

  • Toot Hill Golf Course

Clacton-on-Sea

Coggeshall

  • The Essex Golf Academy
  • The Essex Golf and Country Club

Dovercourt

  • Harwich & Dovercourt Golf Club

Epping

Frinton-on-Sea

Haverhill

Ingatestone

Leigh on Sea

  • Leigh Golf Range

Little Waltham

Loughton

Maldon

  • Bunsay Downs Golf Club
  • Forrester Park Golf Club
  • Maldon Golf Club
  • The Warren Golf Club

Rayleigh

  • The Rayleigh Club

Rochford

  • Ballards Gore
  • Rochford Hall Golf Course

South Ockendon

Southend-on-Sea

Stanford Le Hope

Stapleford Tawney

  • Abridge Golf and Country Club

Waltham Abbey

West Mersea

  • Five Lakes

Witham

  • Benton Hall Golf and Country Club
  • Rivenhall Oaks Golf Centre

Common questions

How many golf courses are there in Essex?

We count 69 golf courses in Essex, taken from OpenStreetMap and matched to the county boundary. That leaves out pitch and putt, footgolf, indoor simulators and standalone driving ranges, which a society would not book a day at.

Which town in Essex has the most golf courses?

Brentwood has the most nearby, with 7 courses. After that come Maldon (4), Braintree (3), Clacton-on-Sea (3).

How do I find a golf society in Essex?

Most societies are not tied to one club. They are groups of friends, workmates or regulars at a pub who book days at different courses through the season, so no single directory lists them. The quickest routes are asking in the pro shop at a course near you, since clubs see which societies book with them, and searching local golf groups on social media for your town.

What format do golf societies usually play?

Individual Stableford is the most common, because it copes with a wide spread of handicaps and a bad hole only costs you that hole. Charity and company days lean towards team formats like the Texas scramble, which keep slower players moving and make for a closer finish.

Do I need a handicap to join a golf society?

Not always. Many societies keep their own handicaps and adjust them after each event. If you want an official World Handicap System index without joining a club, England Golf's iGolf subscription gives you one, and some societies ask for that so their results are fair.

Course data © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database Licence, last updated 2026-10-01. County boundaries contain OS data © Crown copyright and database right. Missing a course, or spotted one that has closed? It can be corrected on OpenStreetMap and will appear here at the next update.