Reigate Heath Golf Club

Overview: Reigate Heath Golf Club plays over about 120 acres of common heathland west of Reigate, land designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its heather, gorse and acid grassland. Physically nine holes, it has eighteen separate tees, so the second circuit changes angles and lengths enough to feel like new holes. Peter Alliss called it a little gem, and its natural, unshowy character still fits that description. The second circuit changes both length and angle from the first, so the same greens call for a different line when approached from the separate tees.

History: Reigate Heath began in 1895 with a course laid out by Tom Dunn on the common. The club bought the freehold in 1900, including the windmill and miller’s cottage beside the clubhouse. Separate tee positions give the second circuit different playing angles, while the common’s long history remains visible in the landscape.

Did You Know? The Reigate Heath windmill next to the clubhouse, built around 1765, had its roundhouse consecrated as St Cross Chapel in 1880 and is said to be the only windmill in the world that is also a consecrated church.