Richmond Park (Duke’s) — Full Review

Richmond Park Golf Club – Duke’s Course Review

London’s Best Value Public Golf — If You Pick Your Moment

By Jabunong— Golf Passport UK

Quick Stats


Location	Roehampton Gate, Priory Lane, London SW15 5JR
Course	18 Holes, Par 71, 6,369 Yards (White tees)
Type	Parkland / Public Pay-and-Play
Green Fees	From £25 (Twilight) to £46 (Weekend Peak)
Managed by	Loyaltee Golf
Booking	GolfNow
Facilities	Clubhouse, Bar & Restaurant, 15-Bay Driving Range
Passport Rating	⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Setting — Royal Park, Royal Feel

There aren’t many cities in the world where you can play a full 18 holes inside a Royal Park, surrounded by deer, red squirrels, and 2,500 acres of protected woodland. Richmond Park Golf Course is exactly that — and that alone is worth something before you’ve even hit a shot.

The Duke’s Course sits at Roehampton Gate in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. From central London it’s barely 30 minutes by car, easily reachable by public transport, and close enough to Wimbledon to make it a full day out. For a course this accessible, in a setting this beautiful, the green fees are frankly difficult to argue with.

Duke’s is the longer and more challenging of the two courses here — sharing the parkland with the shorter Prince’s Course. At 6,369 yards off the white tees and par 71, it was originally opened in 1925 and has been redesigned several times since, most recently in 2013 as part of a major overhaul that also brought a new clubhouse.

First Impressions — Arrival and Facilities

The clubhouse is worth a mention before you even get your clubs out. Designed to blend into the park landscape, it has a rooftop layered with acid grassland from the park itself — unusual, eco-friendly, and genuinely impressive. Inside, floor-to-ceiling glazing gives you uninterrupted views across both courses against the backdrop of Richmond Park. There’s an open-plan coffee shop, bar and restaurant — comfortable, unpretentious, and good enough to make the 19th hole worth looking forward to before you’ve even started.

The 15-bay driving range adjacent to the clubhouse needs no booking — turn up, pay, and hit. If you arrive 20 minutes early, make use of it. The range is well-equipped and getting some contact in before your round makes a difference, especially on a course where the stream comes into play as early as the third hole.

Staff are consistently one of the highlights of Richmond Park. Friendly and unhurried — exactly the right tone for a public course that welcomes golfers of all levels.

The Front Nine — Stream, Trees, and a Deceptively Stern Test

Duke’s front nine looks approachable on paper. Wide enough fairways, relatively flat terrain, a par 71 that invites a decent score. But there is a thread running through almost every hole that demands your attention — literally. Beverley Brook, the park’s ancient stream, appears from the third hole onwards and influences club selection and course management on nearly every meaningful decision you make on the front nine.

Hole 1 — 348 yards, Par 4 (yellow tees)
A good opener. Straight layout with a few trees on the left and a large tree sitting midway on the right — enough to get your eye in without throwing anything alarming at you. A well-struck tee shot carries you over the footpath that crosses the fairway. The green is flat with no bunkers, giving you a straightforward approach to start the round on a positive note.

Hole 2 — 297 yards, Par 4
Changes direction back the other way. Slight dogleg left with trees squeezing both sides of the fairway. The path crosses the fairway again here — same as the first, so keep that in mind. The key difference from the opener is the green: elevated, with two bunkers sitting in front of it. Your approach needs to be clean and carry enough to hold the surface.

Hole 3 — 301 yards, Par 4
The stream makes its first appearance here, crossing the fairway with a pond sitting on the right side. A solid tee shot clears the water without issue — but if you’re playing into a headwind, consider laying up and taking the stream out of play. The penalty for being short is obvious. Two bunkers guard the front of the green, and the large ridge that surrounds the putting surface punishes anything that misses wide. This green is less forgiving than the first two.

Hole 4 — 377 yards, Par 4 — 4th Hardest
The course starts showing its character here. A slight dogleg right with the stream cutting across the landing area on the fairway. Laying up is the correct play — and I still manage to get this hole wrong more often than I’d like. Trees cluster on the right, and anything that finds the trees in front of the stream will leave you punching out sideways. The green is fairly flat with one bunker on the right. The yardage says manageable. The stream says otherwise.

Hole 5 — 377 yards, Par 4 — 2nd Hardest
Plays back in the opposite direction to the 4th, and this is the hole on the front nine where rounds begin to drift. Trees and thick bushes line the left side and they are well in play — anything in there should be treated as lost. The fairway beyond those trees is open enough, but the margin for error off the tee is tighter than the yardage suggests. A slightly elevated green with a bunker front right means your approach has to be both accurate and carry enough to hold. At 377 yards from the yellow tees, this is a proper par 4.

Hole 6 — 329 yards, Par 4
The shortest par 4 on the front nine, but one that asks for discipline rather than aggression. Out of bounds runs all the way along the right, and trees and bushes press in from the left. The stream is back in play — lay up and take it out of the equation. A straight tee shot is the only play here. Go for the corner and you’re punished; play safe and the green is reachable in two without drama.

After the 6th, there’s a short walk across to the other side of the course. Holes 7 through 10 offer welcome relief — no stream on this stretch, and a change of scenery that gives you a moment to reset before the back nine.

Holes 7, 8 and 9
The par 3 seventh at 167 yards (yellow tees) is a clean iron shot with no water in play — enjoy it. The eighth is another solid par 4 at 386 yards. By the time you reach the ninth tee, there’s a halfway kiosk to grab a drink and something to eat. Take the break. The back nine has more teeth than the front, and a few minutes to reset at the turn is worth taking.

The Back Nine — Tighter, Longer, and Where Rounds Are Won or Lost

The back nine at Duke’s is where the course separates itself from a pleasant walk in the park. Narrower fairways, more out of bounds, the stream returning with greater menace, and a closing stretch that will test your nerve even after a solid front nine.

Hole 10 — 126 yards, Par 3 (yellow tees)
A short par 3 to ease you into the second half. No stream on this hole — straightforward iron to the green and move on.

Hole 11 — 308 yards, Par 4
Short par 4 with out of bounds running along the right side of the fairway. Trees and substantial rough press in from the left. The fairway is tighter than the yardage implies — accuracy matters more than distance here. Pick your line, stay out of the right side, and give yourself a clean approach.

Hole 12 — 515 yards, Par 5
The course’s only par 5 on the back nine and one you want to attack if you’re playing well. The stream is back — cutting across the fairway — but at 515 yards this is a genuine three-shot hole for most players. Play your first two shots conservatively to set up a short approach. The green is reachable in three without needing anything heroic.

Hole 13 — 432 yards, Par 4
Plays back in the opposite direction to the 12th. The stream crosses the fairway again, and this time a treeline runs all the way along the left side from tee to green. Keep the ball on the right half of the fairway. Left means trees; left means trouble. At 432 yards this is one of the longer par 4s on the course and there’s no easy way to play it.

Hole 14 — 425 yards, Par 4 — The Hardest Hole on the Course

This is the one. The hole that Duke’s is built around.

At 425 yards off the yellow tees, rated the stroke index 1 — the single hardest hole on the course — the 14th demands everything. The stream crosses the fairway. Out of bounds runs all down the left. The green is two-tiered, meaning that even when you’ve navigated the hazards and found the putting surface, two-putting from the wrong tier is far from guaranteed.

There’s no clever way to play this hole. You have to carry the stream, you have to avoid the left side, and you have to put a long iron or fairway wood into a green that doesn’t give you much to aim at. Every time I stand on the 14th tee I know I’m about to be tested. Par here is genuinely earned. Bogey is acceptable. Worse than that and you need to absorb it and move on — the round isn’t over.

If you take one piece of local knowledge from this review, let it be this: do not underestimate the 14th.

Hole 15 — 318 yards, Par 4
A welcome breather after the 14th. Wide, generous fairway and a relatively straightforward par 4 at 318 yards. Take the birdie chance if you’ve played the hole well, or at worst take your par and consolidate.

Hole 16 — 156 yards, Par 3
A solid mid-iron par 3. Clean and honest — pick your club, trust your swing.

Hole 17 — 416 yards, Par 4 (yellow tees)
A long par 4 to close out your round before the final hole. Treeline runs along the right, and the green is elevated, running right to left. Anything short of the surface will feed away — you need enough club to hold the putting surface.

Hole 18 — 261 yards, Par 4 (yellow tees) — 9th Hardest

The shortest par 4 on the course, and yet rated the 9th hardest hole. That tells you everything you need to know.

Two separate streams cross the fairway on the 18th. The temptation is to take driver and chase the green in one — don’t do it. An iron off the tee all day. The green is elevated and runs back to front, meaning anything long will run away from you. Take your medicine, lay up between the streams, and give yourself a short pitch to finish. Making a mess of the 18th after a good round is a Richmond Park rite of passage — don’t let it happen to you.

Pace of Play — The One Thing to Plan Around

The most consistent criticism of Richmond Park across every platform, and it’s fair: on a busy weekend the rounds stretch. The course is popular, public, and the booking slots are tight. When it backs up, it backs up — five-hour rounds are possible on a Saturday morning.

The fix is straightforward: don’t play Duke’s on a peak weekend morning if pace matters to you.

Twilight golf after 4pm in late spring through early autumn is the best time to play here. Green fees drop, traffic on the course falls significantly, and as a single or two-ball you can complete 18 holes in around three hours. The park at dusk with deer grazing on the far fairways is also as good as golf in London gets.

If a weekend morning is unavoidable, book the earliest tee time possible and make peace with the pace. The course is still worth it — just adjust your expectations.

Value for Money — Hard to Beat in London

Green fees at Duke’s run from around £25 for twilight slots to approximately £46 at peak weekend times. For a 6,300+ yard parkland course inside a Royal Park, 30 minutes from central London, that represents exceptional value.

Compare it to anything in Surrey or Hertfordshire at a similar standard and Duke’s comes out cheaper by a meaningful margin. The trade-off is that it’s a public course — maintenance levels vary by season, bunker sand can be thin, and the rough in summer gets thick enough to genuinely lose balls. But the greens are consistently the best thing about Duke’s: well-paced, well-maintained, and true. Multiple reviewers over multiple years have singled out the greens as the highlight of the course, and I’d agree with that.

Insider Tips

Book twilight, not peak morning. After 4pm from April through September you’ll get a lower rate, a quieter course, and a better round. The park is stunning in the evening light.

Take the halfway break at the 9th. There’s a kiosk at the 9th tee — use it. The back nine is longer and tougher than the front, and a few minutes to reset pays dividends.

The 14th is your round. Respect it from the tee. Stream in play, OOB left, two-tier green. Par or bogey and move on. Don’t try to be a hero on the hardest hole on the course.

Watch the 18th. Two streams, elevated back-to-front green. Iron off the tee. Every time.

Bunkers can be patchy. Sand levels aren’t always consistent. If you’re in one, adjust your expectations and play the shot in front of you.

Bring extra balls. The rough in summer — particularly on the back nine — is unforgiving. Balls that miss fairways don’t always sit up for you.

The Verdict

Richmond Park Duke’s Course is exactly what it presents itself as: quality public parkland golf in a Royal Park setting, at a price that’s fair for what you get.

It’s not the most glamorous course I’ve played, and pace of play on busy days requires careful timing. But choose your moment wisely — twilight in summer, a weekday, the earliest slot on a weekend — and you’ll play a course that earns its place in any London golfer’s diary.

For the 10+ handicapper who wants honest value without compromising on setting, the Duke’s delivers. The stream will test your decision-making from the third hole. The 14th will test your nerve. And the park will remind you why you play the game in the first place.

Ratings

Category	Rating
Course Layout	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Course Condition	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Value for Money	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Facilities	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pace of Play	⭐⭐⭐
Setting / Scenery	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall	⭐⭐⭐⭐

Practical Information


Address	Roehampton Gate, Priory Lane, London SW15 5JR
Phone	0208 876 3205
Website	loyalteegolf.co.uk/richmond-park-golf-course
Green Fees	From £25 (Twilight) to £46 (Peak Weekend)
Twilight from	4pm (check website for seasonal times)
Driving Range	15 Bays, No Booking Required
Nearest station	Barnes (overground) or buses from Richmond
Parking	Free at Roehampton Gate Car Park
Best time to play	Weekday / Twilight April–September

Jabunong — Golf Passport UK
Played Duke’s Course · Richmond Park, London · Part of 33 UK courses across 22 years