Bearwood Lakes Golf Club

Bearwood Lakes Golf Club is a private members’ club at Sindlesham, on the edge of Wokingham in Berkshire, a few miles south-east of Reading. Its address is Bearwood Road, Sindlesham, Wokingham, Berkshire RG41 4SJ. The club has one course, an 18-hole parkland layout of par 72 designed by Martin Hawtree and opened in 1996, laid out over about 200 acres of the former Bearwood Estate, with natural lakes and woodland that the club puts at 50 acres. The scorecard published by the 18Birdies golf app gives 6,488 yards from the white tees; longer back tees, listed as black, measure between 6,850 and 6,892 yards depending on the source.

It is not a course you can simply book. The club states on its membership page that visitors may only play as the invited guest of a member, and that it does not allow pay-and-play golf. That shapes everything else on this page: the descriptions below come from published reviews, golf publications and the club’s own material, and the way in for most golfers is an invitation or one of the few open events the club runs.

An estate built on a newspaper fortune

The land has a longer story than the course. According to Wikipedia’s article on Bearwood House, John Walter II, son of the founder of The Times, bought the Bear Wood estate in 1816. His son, John Walter III, commissioned the architect Robert Kerr, and the present mansion was built between 1865 and 1874 in the Jacobethan style. In 1919 the estate was bought by Sir Thomas Lane Devitt for the Royal Merchant Navy School, which moved there in 1922; it later became Bearwood College, which closed in 2014. The house, listed Grade II*, is now a school run by the Inspired Education Group under the name Reddam House, Berkshire.

The club’s own site goes further back, describing the land as once part of Windsor Great Park and used as royal hunting ground from the 11th century. The Top 100 Golf Courses website notes that the architect set out to make a course that would look mature beyond its years, in keeping with the character of the estate around it.

Companies House records the company behind the club, now Bearwood Lakes Golf Club Limited, as incorporated on 20 May 1994 under the name Bearwood Lakes Golf & Country Club Limited; it was a public limited company from September 1994 until 2013. A local history site, the Bearwood Archives, says the golf land, almost half the estate, was leased for 99 years from the Royal Merchant Navy School Foundation, the charity that had held the estate since 1919, and that the club was planned from the outset as a members-only club. The same source says ownership passed in 2010 to Gary Holloway, who serves as chairman; Companies House lists him as a director of the company since 30 December 2010. We could only read the Bearwood Archives page through search-engine extracts, as the page itself returned an error.

Bearwood Lakes should not be confused with Bearwood Golf Club, a separate and smaller course on Mole Road, on another part of the estate. According to the Golf’s Missing Links archive, that club opened in 1975 as a nine-hole pay-and-play course, became a members’ club in 1986 and closed in 2014 after the land was bought by Reading Football Club.

Recognition and events

In 2018 Golf Monthly included Bearwood Lakes in a list of the ten most exclusive golf clubs in the United Kingdom, according to Wikipedia. The Top 100 Golf Courses website currently ranks it 90th in England, 40th in London and the South East and 4th in Berkshire. The club says it was a finalist for England Golf Course of the Year at The Golf Course Awards in 2025 and nominated as England’s best golf course at the World Golf Awards in 2026.

The club also lists the tournaments it has hosted. It was a venue for Regional Qualifying for The Open in 2024 and 2025, and for Senior Open qualifying in 2021 and 2025. It says it hosted the Rose Ladies Series, the women’s professional series set up by Justin Rose and his wife Kate, from 2020 to 2023. Wikipedia’s tables for the series record two events at Bearwood Lakes: one in July 2020, won by Georgia Hall with a round of 71, one under par, and one in April 2022, won by Hayley Davis with a level-par 72. We found no record of the 2021 and 2023 events at the club in that source. The club’s site also documents visits by Gary Player in 2019 and in June 2022, during which he played the course and met junior members.

Wikipedia adds that a purpose-built all-weather practice facility opened in 2019. The club says the driving range now has TrackMan in every bay, and Top 100 Golf Courses dates that installation to spring 2026, part of a run of works that also included refurbished locker rooms and lounge, a longer restaurant balcony, a new tee on the 14th, new greenside bunkers finished in 2025 and fairway bunker work continuing in 2026.

What it asks of you

Bearwood Lakes is a woodland and water course rather than a long one. From the white tees it is 6,488 yards with four par 3s and four par 5s. The challenge, by every account we read, comes from water on a large share of the holes, from mature pine, beech and oak framing the fairways, and from rough that punishes a missed fairway. Top 100 Golf Courses describes the fairways as generously wide but the rough as severe, and says the course asks a lot from the back tees. The club describes the greens as gently undulating and built to USGA specification, with fully irrigated fairways and several tee positions on each hole. The 18Birdies app rates it as hard, with fast greens.

The sources disagree on the ratings, and we could not check them against England Golf’s own records. The 18Birdies app gives a course rating of 74.5 and a slope of 128 for men from the white tees, and 73.5 with a slope of 126 from the yellow tees. Other scorecard sites, Golf Sherpa among them, give 72.0 and a slope of 142 from the whites, and 71.2 and 137 from the yellows. Whichever figures are current, both sets put the course above the average difficulty of 113 on the slope scale.

The card

The club does not publish a scorecard on its website. The figures below are from the 18Birdies app, for the white tees, with par and stroke index:

• Front nine: 1st, par 4, 362 yards, index 11; 2nd, par 5, 503 yards, index 7; 3rd, par 3, 188 yards, index 5; 4th, par 4, 377 yards, index 3; 5th, par 5, 498 yards, index 13; 6th, par 4, 355 yards, index 9; 7th, par 4, 416 yards, index 1; 8th, par 4, 297 yards, index 17; 9th, par 3, 182 yards, index 15. Out: 3,178 yards, par 36.
• Back nine: 10th, par 4, 407 yards, index 6; 11th, par 5, 496 yards, index 14; 12th, par 3, 191 yards, index 16; 13th, par 4, 355 yards, index 4; 14th, par 3, 166 yards, index 10; 15th, par 4, 427 yards, index 2; 16th, par 5, 535 yards, index 12; 17th, par 4, 324 yards, index 18; 18th, par 4, 409 yards, index 8. In: 3,310 yards, par 36.

Other sources give slightly different numbers. A second scorecard in search results lists the 9th at 166 yards and the 16th at 527, for a total of 6,464 yards rather than 6,488. For the yellow tees, sources agree on 6,279 yards. The red tees are given as 5,452 yards by 18Birdies, 5,463 by another scorecard site and 5,482 by Golf Magic in 2012. For the back tees, Top 100 Golf Courses gives 6,861 yards from the black tees, Golf Magic gave 6,892 in 2012, and several directories give a round 6,850. Golf Sherpa lists the black tees at 6,488 yards, the same as the whites, which looks like an error. Small differences of this kind usually reflect tee changes over the years, including the new tee on the 14th.

Through the round

The opening hole, as described by Golf Magic in 2012, is a downhill par 4 with diagonal bunkers on the left and rough on the right. The 2nd, a par 5, asks for a good drive over a hill to a fairway lined with thick rough. The 5th, the second par 5, has trees and bunkers to the left off the tee and water further on. The 7th, the hardest hole on the stroke index at 416 yards from the whites, is a dogleg from an elevated tee with an uphill second shot.

The water begins to dominate from the 8th. The 8th, a short par 4 of 297 yards from the whites and the second-easiest hole on the index, is among those reviewers on Top 100 Golf Courses praise most often. The 9th is a par 3 from an elevated tee across a large lake, with water on the left of the green; Golfshake’s 2013 review called it arguably the best par 3 on the course, and the club refers to it as a signature hole in its virtual tour material.

On the back nine, Golfshake singled out the 11th as the strongest of the par 5s, with lakes, bunkers and a green that slopes from right to left. The 13th, a par 4 of 355 yards from the whites and index 4, is played from an elevated tee across the corner of a lake to a distant fairway, then over a stream to a green set close to the water. Golfshake considered it the best and most demanding hole on the back nine.

The 14th is the hole most sources name as the course’s signature. It is a par 3, 166 yards from the whites on the 18Birdies card, played with a mid iron across the corner of the lake; anything short or drifting right finds the water, and a bank of rough waits on the left. Golfshake gave the hole as 180 yards and another directory as 176, presumably from longer tees, and Top 100 Golf Courses reports that a new tee was built in 2024, which reviewers say demands a more accurate shot. The club itself names the 13th and 14th together as its signature holes.

The finish turns away from the lakes and into the trees. The 15th, at 427 yards, is the second hardest on the index. The 16th is the longest hole, a par 5 of 535 yards from the whites on the 18Birdies card. The Golfshake review named the 17th, a short par 4 framed by tall trees and bunkers and climbing to its green, as its favourite par 4. The 18th returns to the clubhouse, whose balcony overlooks the final green.

The club’s guest guide sets a few practical expectations. Distances to the front and middle of the greens are marked in yards on the sprinkler heads. A four-ball should take no longer than four hours and ten minutes. Bunkers must be raked, trolleys and buggies must stay out of the native rough and away from the greens, and winter wheels may be used on trolleys from the end of October to the end of March. Metal spikes are not allowed. There is a halfway hut, open from about 8.30am to 7pm in summer and from 9am until two hours before dusk in winter, and it does not take cash.

What golfers say

Because the course is private, there are fewer public reviews than for a pay-and-play course, and most of them come from members, invited guests and players in open events and qualifiers. We read reviews on Top 100 Golf Courses, where the 89 reviews we could read were dated from July 2024 to July 2026, on the 18Birdies app and in articles by Golf Magic and Golfshake. The points below summarise what recurs. They are other people’s opinions, not ours: nobody from Panxis has played the course, and we name and quote no reviewer.

What comes up in its favour

• Condition is the most frequent theme: tees, fairways, greens and bunkers are repeatedly described as immaculate, and some reviewers note the course is presented to tournament standard when it hosts qualifiers.
• The design draws praise for strategic bunkering and well-framed fairways, and for a woodland setting in which, as the club also stresses, no roads, houses or cars are visible from the course.
• The stretch from the 4th to the 14th is often singled out, with the 8th, 10th, 12th, 13th and 14th named most often. The par 3s in particular are rated highly.
• Reviewers compare it favourably with other modern courses in the region, such as The Grove and Beaverbrook, and describe it as feeling older than it is.
• The welcome from staff, the starter and the pro shop, the practice facilities and the clubhouse all come up positively.

What comes up against

• Several reviewers say the fairways get wet in winter and after long spells of rain, and that the course is at its best in dry conditions.
• The rough is described as penal, and the course as hard work for higher handicaps from the back tees, especially with water in play on so many holes.
• Older reviews consider the par 5s the weakest part of the layout, while still rating them above average.
• Green speeds are said to drop in hot, dry spells, and bunker renovation works have at times meant temporary greens.
• The obvious drawback for most golfers is access: without a member to invite you, there are very few ways to play it.

How to get a game

The club’s position is clear: Bearwood Lakes is predominantly designed for members, visitors play only as invited guests of a member, and there is no pay-and-play golf. The club publishes a members and guest guide, last updated in September 2023, with its dress code and course etiquette. On the course, golfers must wear clothing made for golf; hoodies, jeans, jogging bottoms, football or rugby shirts and training or cricket shoes are not allowed, tailored shorts must be worn with white sports socks visible above the shoe, men’s shirts must be tucked in and caps worn the right way round. In the clubhouse, smart casual dress is the rule and smart jeans are accepted, but ripped jeans, tracksuits and football shirts are not, nor caps indoors.

There are a few routes in for non-members. The membership page lists a day membership among its categories, alongside full seven-day, intermediate (ages 18 to 30), junior, corporate and social memberships; the club does not describe the terms of the day membership online, so ask the membership office. The club also runs open events. The Bearwood Pairs, a betterball Stableford played at 85 per cent handicap allowance, was held on 14 September 2026, with a limit of 100 pairs and maximum handicap indexes of 28 for men and 36 for women; the club describes it as open to all golfers with an official World Handicap System handicap, with entries through Golf Genius. The club also lists a pro-am and a junior open among its events. Meeting rooms are available to non-members, and corporate golf days are arranged through the club.

The Golf Academy, run by PGA professionals, offers lessons and club fitting. The guest guide says buggy hire is available subject to availability.

For anything else, the club gives its main number as +44 (0)118 304 8200 and the pro shop as 0118 304 8191 in its guest guide, with enquiries to the addresses on its contact page. The club’s website is at bearwoodlakes.co.uk.

Getting there and when to go

The club’s guest guide gives two routes. From the M4, leave at junction 10 and take the A329(M) towards Reading, then the first exit at the Winnersh Triangle, signed for the park and ride, the multiplex cinema and Woodley. Follow the A329 towards Wokingham, turn right at the main crossroads and traffic lights by Sainsbury’s, then left at the mini roundabout into Bearwood Road. Pass the Walter Arms pub and the church on the left; the club is 300 yards further on, on the right. From the M3, leave at junction 3, take the A322 to Bracknell, follow the signs through Bracknell towards the M4 and Reading, join the A329(M) towards Reading and leave at the Winnersh Triangle, then follow the same directions.

The club does not publish a season, and the halfway hut’s winter hours suggest the course stays open through the year. Reviewers are consistent, though, that the fairways suffer in wet weather, so late spring to early autumn is when the course is most likely to play firm and fast. Players with a fixed date in winter should check conditions with the pro shop first.

Green fees

There is no public green fee, since the course is only open to members and their guests; for guest arrangements and membership, see the club’s own membership page.

How this page was made

The factual frame comes from public sources: OpenStreetMap for the location and outline of the course; the club’s website for the address, the visitor policy, the membership categories, the size of the estate and the lakes, the description of the course and its signature holes, the events and qualifiers it has hosted, the awards it cites, the Bearwood Pairs and Gary Player’s visits; the club’s members and guest guide (September 2023) for the dress code, the etiquette, the pace of play, the halfway hut, buggies and the directions; Companies House for the company’s incorporation, its former names and its director; Wikipedia for the 2018 Golf Monthly listing, the 2019 practice facility, the history of Bearwood House and the Rose Ladies Series results; Wikidata for the identifier; the Bearwood Archives, read through search extracts, for the lease and the 2010 change of ownership; Golf’s Missing Links for the separate Bearwood Golf Club; Top 100 Golf Courses for the rankings, the back-tee yardage, the recent works and the description of the 13th and 14th; the 18Birdies app for the scorecard, ratings and difficulty; Golf Sherpa for an alternative set of ratings; and Golf Magic (2012) and Golfshake (2013) for descriptions of individual holes.

Where sources disagree, we say so. Back-tee yardages range from 6,850 to 6,892 yards, white-tee totals from 6,464 to 6,488 yards and red-tee totals from 5,452 to 5,482 yards, and two scorecards differ on the length of the 9th and the 16th. Course ratings and slopes differ markedly between 18Birdies and other scorecard sites, and we could not check them against England Golf. Golf Magic credits the design to Guy Hockley and Martin Hawtree, while Top 100 Golf Courses, Golfshake and the golf directories, name Martin Hawtree alone. The club says it hosted the Rose Ladies Series from 2020 to 2023; Wikipedia records events at the club only in 2020 and 2022. The Bearwood Archives says the Royal Merchant Navy School Foundation held the estate from 1919, the year of the purchase, while the school itself moved in in 1922. Wikidata lists Clontarf Golf Club, an Irish club, as the operator of Bearwood Lakes, which is plainly an error in that record. The Bearwood Archives and TripAdvisor pages and some scorecard sites could not be opened directly.

The opinion section summarises reviews and articles on golf rating sites, golf apps and golf publications, read in October 2026. We report recurring themes rather than individual voices, and we reproduce no quotations from reviewers. Nobody from Panxis has played or visited this course, and this page is no substitute for a round.

The club has not paid for this page, has not seen it before publication and has no say over its content. This page contains no commercial link and earns us no commission. If you know the club and something here is wrong or out of date, write to us and we will correct it.

Other courses nearby

Closest to this one in our British directory:

• Calcot Park Golf Club — 7 mi
• Royal Ascot Golf Club — 9 mi
• Goring and Streatley Golf Club — 14 mi
• Stoke Park — 15 mi