
Bentley Course
Bentley Golf & Country Club
About this course
Bentley Golf & Country Club sits in Pilgrims Hatch on the western edge of Brentwood in Essex, approximately twenty miles northeast of central London. The course occupies gently rolling countryside characteristic of this part of the Thames Basin, with mature woodland and established parkland forming the setting. The design is attributed to Swan, though detailed records of the original layout and subsequent modifications are not widely documented in major architectural references. The course serves a private membership that includes both golf and broader country club amenities typical of Essex clubs established during the twentieth century. The routing makes use of the natural topography, with holes moving through corridors of trees and across more open ground. Drainage and playing conditions benefit from the region's clay-based soils, common to courses in this part of Essex. Bentley functions primarily as a members' club for the local Brentwood and surrounding Essex communities, offering regular club competitions and social golf rather than hosting professional tournaments or major amateur championships. The club facilities include dining and social spaces that support the traditional country club model prevalent in the Home Counties. The course provides a straightforward test of golf suited to a range of abilities, with length and challenge appropriate to club-level play rather than championship demands.
Quick facts
- Location
- Pilgrims Hatch, Essex, England
- Access
- Public
- Year built
- 1972
- Designer
- Swan
- Holes
- 18
- Par
- 72
- Length
- 6,703 yards
- Difficulty
- 72.7/133
Getting there
The journey to Bentley Golf & Country Club begins at London Stansted Airport, a mere twenty minutes north by road, making this one of the most accessible championship venues in the Home Counties. Those arriving via London's other hubs - Heathrow or City - face a straightforward hour's drive northeast through the capital's outer reaches before the landscape softens into the rolling Essex countryside. The final approach through Pilgrims Hatch trades suburban sprawl for quiet lanes and ancient hedgerows, the transition marked by the sudden appearance of Bentley's mature parkland canopy - a verdant sanctuary that feels worlds removed from the metropolis yet remains remarkably within its orbit.
FAQ
Common questions about Bentley
Ratings, design, and course details pulled from Course Vaults.
Bentley was designed by Swan.
Yes. Bentley is listed as welcoming public or guest play on Course Vaults.
Par at Bentley is 72.
Bentley plays 6,703 yards from the back tees on Course Vaults.
The slope rating at Bentley is 133.
Bentley is a 18-hole course.



