Essex is a coastal county in the East of England. It’s a popular holiday destination in the UK with many picturesque towns that line its North Sea coastline. As a result, there’s plenty of accommodation on offer, which makes it a great place for a golf trip. 

The county is fairly flat in general and despite there being no representation of Essex golf courses in the UK & Ireland top 100, there’s still plenty on offer in this region with a total of 76 golf courses. 

Many of them have had input from two of the best golf architects in the game, Harry Colt and James Braid. 

Thorndon Park is arguably the best of the bunch. Whilst it doesn’t feature in the UK & Ireland top 100, it does just creep into the top 100 golf courses in England.

Founded in 1920, it was designed by Harry Colt and golf has been enjoyed here by thousands of golfers for over a century. It’s known for being beautifully maintained with true greens, open fairways and delightful surrounding woodland. A trip you’re bound to enjoy. 

Chelmsford is another one of our picks in the county. Although the club dates back as early as 1893, it wasn’t played on its current grounds until 1911. Harry Colt then later got his hands on the course in 1924, remodelling the layout which stands today (barring a few holes). It’s a fairly short course, falling under 6,000 yards, but doesn’t feel like it with a par 68. 

Our final choice would be Romford Golf Club. The club has strong ties to the other famous golf architect with links to Essex, James Braid. The 5 time Open champion was the head professional at the club when he won his first Open Championship at Muirfield. 

He also remodelled the Romford layout somewhat during his time there before later influencing more designs in the area. 

You can check out all the golf courses in Essex below.