British golf courses combine nature, sport and a touch of history, making them a much desired location for house hunters – especially those who like to hit the fairway.

What are the benefits?

When Mark Twain said that a game of golf is a good walk ruined, he’d probably never ventured out along one of the UK’s many fine courses on a late summer afternoon or frosty autumn day.

Buying a home overlooking courses like Sunningdale provides homeowners with stunning views and easy access to perfectly manicured landscapes. And if they also happen to be golfers, they have the added benefit of being next to their new playground.

In fact, the general ambiance of the whole set up around golf courses tends to be excellent, with many of the leading venues located in pleasant rural settings, the greener parts of larger towns or as part of stunning country estates.

Homes near courses will always attract keen golfers, and few offer automatic membership.

There are very few downsides – maybe the odd smashed windows from stray balls. There’s a slight lack of privacy to some of these properties, with golfers looking into your garden especially if you’re based on the course; but this can be easily dealt with by growing some hedges or putting up a fence.

Competition time

Homeowners on or near golf courses will have to get used to things getting busy when the tournament comes to town.

But if you own a property near a major course like Wentworth or Sunningdale, you expect to have a major competition taking place on your doorstep a couple of times a year.

And that’s part of the buzz and appeal of it for many – being at the centre of a global event, watching the stars stroll past your garden and hearing the cheer of the crowds from your bath tub. And as far as crowds go, golfing crowds are much more desirable than noisy festival crowds.

You’ll also get the best seats in the house, especially if your home overlooks the 18th where all the action takes place. Here you could watch the whole competition come down to a single putt.

Plus, if you don’t want to spend your days watching the likes of Rory McIlroy or Jason Day having a drink in your local or driving off from the tricky 6th, then you can always rent out your home. You’ll get top prices for short-term rents during competition time with accommodation in high demand.

Boost for local towns

Some of the towns near the larger courses are given a boost by the course itself.

Exclusive courses like Sunningdale often have a number of overseas members, bringing some tourism and variety to the local areas. This can benefit locals by offering support and income to local businesses, shops and restaurants.

An extreme example of this is St Andrews, which has built up a golfing industry in the town with museums and shops catering for the golfing crowd. From this, great local restaurants have popped up, which benefit the locals as well.

Premium prices

Homes on Britain’s leading courses are nearly £100,000 more expensive than the national average, according to a Primelocation.com report.

Another study put the premium for living near a host of the Open Championships at 140% more than the average, while a third suggests being near a golf course – out of all the sporting venues – adds the most value to a home; double the national average.

This premium of property means that new homes on course could become a source of income for clubs. With dwindling membership, more courses could start to look at ways to generate income through selling land for housing development.

In places like America, Spain and Portugal, new developments have been included or based around golf courses. But in the UK, our courses are well established so the desire for new ones is not as high.

It’s possible in the future, however, that certain developments could be built with their own courses.

Check out some examples

Mount House in popular Windlesham is an exceptional Victorian country house ideal for golf enthusiasts with far reaching views across the 6th, 5th and 4th holes of Sunningdale Golf Course.

Larksmead is a brand new house by Applegate Homes Ltd set on one of Ascots most exclusive roads. It backs onto Sunningdale Golf Course which currently ranks number two in Golf World’s Top 100 courses.

Blue Ridge is another impressive family residence that backs onto Sunningdale Golf Course. Other Sporting facilities in the area include golf at Wentworth, Swinley Forest and The Berkshire, horse racing at Ascot and Windsor and Polo at Smiths Lawn, Windsor Great Park and the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club.

Roselyon is in the popular commuter hub of Harpenden and overlooks Harpenden Golf Course. You walk out of the back gate and literally straight on to the 1st tee of the golf club! It has played host to many important regional tournaments over the years, including the Lombard Trophy for two years running