Cleeve Hill Golf Club

Wickfield Lane,

Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL52 3PW

  • Office

    +44 (0)1242 672 025
  • Pro shop

    +44 (0)1242 672 025

About the course

  • The Course:

    18 holes. Downland course. Undulating terrain - several slopes to climb.

  • Surroundings:

    Open downland and ancient quarry workings.

  • Designer:

    Original design by Old Tom Morris; possibly modified by Dr Alister MacKenzie.

Back
tees
Club
tees
Front
tees
Yards
6400
6083
5516
Par
71
69
72
SSS or slope
71
70
72

Location

Latitude:

51.943064

Longitude:

-2.017422

How to get there:

5 mi NE of Cheltenham / 46 mi NE of Bristol.

Cleeve Hill Golf Course

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.

Est. 1891

Located on Cleeve Hill, the highest point of the Cotswold hill range, the eponymous golf course offers a timeless, unique and rugged golfing experience ... with stunning views from each and every hole. The hill itself often goes by the alias of Cleeve Cloud, which is the name taken by the members' club associated with "golfing on the hill".

This unique Old Thomas Morris design, spectacularly set a thousand feet above sea level, truly captures the essence and spirit of golf "as it was meant to be". Easy-draining limestone lays the foundation for the wonderfully open 6,400-yard downland layout.

The good width sloping fairways and well-trimmed rough (you can thank the local sheep for that), ensure generous landing areas ... albeit with eight of those landing areas accessed after driving up and over marker posts. Ancient quarry workings add to the contouring of several of the small green sites, which are often tucked into and sheltered by small grassy banks.

The views from this lofty layout are ever-changing, with panoramic vistas matching anything you'll experience from an English golf course. The wonderful front-nine vistas are eclipsed on the back-nine by sumptuous views over Cheltenham, its famous racecourse, most of Gloucestershire, and on the closing pair, the town of Bishops Cleeve and the Malvern Hills in the distance. Simply stunning!

Pick of the holes: the short par-5 13th (long par-4 from the front tees) boasts a green site that nestles into the site of an Iron Age hill fort. As the club describes it, the putting surface is surrounded by "a ring of utter peril". The back-to-back par-3s at 15 and 16 are also standout holes. There's a former quarry to clear from tee to green at the 15th, and the semi-blind tee-shot at the longer 16th is most satisfying ... if, that is, you hit the green.

List of courses: England - Central

Visitors

Who can play and when?

Visitors welcome on weekdays and weekends.

Must book in advance.

Green fees

Visitor fee, 18-holes in high season (April thru' Oct): weekdays £35; weekends £40.

Contact club for full details, discounts, packages, etc. [Last updated: 2023].

Other information

Players generally walk this course, with electric trolleys much in use.

Practice facilities

Limited

Did you know?

At 1,083 ft (330 m) above sea level, Cleeve Hill is the highest point in The Cotswolds and in the English county of Gloucestershire. Attached to the golf course on Cleeve Hill is the Cleeve Cloud Golf Club, which provides local golfers the opportunity to join a club affiliated to the English Golf Union. In the clubhouse, visiting golfers are assured a warm welcome by all the staff and the members of Cleeve Cloud Golf Club.

Published ranking

England's 74th best course (Golf World, 2023).
Britain & Ireland's 188th best course (Golf World, 2022).

Where2Stay

  • Rising Sun Hotel

    Cleeve Hill, Cheltenham, GL52 3PX.

    +44 (0)1242 676 281

    Visit website

    The 24-guest room Rising Sun Hotel, located just outside Cheltenham, is perched on top of Cleeve Hill, the highest point in the Cotswolds. This traditional country house hotel is perfect for eating, meeting and celebrating, and enjoying spectacular views over five counties.

    • Golf at this hotel:

      No

    • Golf within 5 miles:

      Cleeve Hill

    • Golf within 20 miles:

      No

  • Cleeve Hill Hotel

    Cleeve Hill, Cheltenham, GL52 3PR

    +44 (0)1242 672 052

    Visit website

    The Cleeve Hill Hotel sits at the peak of the Cotswolds, with stunning panoramic views of the Malvern Hills and surrounding local countryside. A perfect place to take a deep breath, settle in and take advantage of all the best the Cotswolds has to offer ... including Cleeve Hill Golf Club.

    • Golf at this hotel:

      No

    • Golf within 5 miles:

      Cleeve Hill

    • Golf within 20 miles:

      No

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