The best golf trip destinations: where to play for every kind of golfer

The best golf trip destinations come down to four honest questions: what kind of golf do you want to play, what weather can you tolerate, what's the budget, and how good (and patient) is your group. Get those right and the destination almost picks itself — links pilgrims point at Scotland and Ireland, sun-chasers at Portugal, Spain or the desert, and the bucket-listers at the great American resorts.

This is the hub guide. Below we survey the great golfing regions in plain terms — the character of the golf, who each one suits, roughly when to go, and the kit that earns its place in the bag wherever you land. For several regions we go much deeper in dedicated guides, so think of this page as the map and those as the routes.

How to choose a golf trip destination

Start with the golf itself, because it dictates everything else. Links golf — firm, wind-exposed, running ground beside the sea — is a different game from soft, tree-lined resort parkland, and not every golfer enjoys both. If you've never hit a low, chasing shot into a 25mph crosswind, a links-only itinerary can be humbling. Equally, a strong ball-striker can find manicured resort golf a touch one-dimensional.

Then weigh the practical filters: climate and season (do you want guaranteed sun, or are you happy to gamble on changeable weather for legendary courses?), budget (a bucket-list splurge versus an affordable midweek escape), travel time, and group ability. A mixed-ability fourball that includes higher handicappers will have far more fun on forgiving, walkable courses than on a brutal championship links in a gale. Be honest about that before you book. Our companion read, which golf trip suits you, works through these trade-offs in detail.

One more thing that makes every trip better regardless of destination: travel light. A compact carry bag like the Sunday Golf El Camino is easy to fly with, quick through the airport, and a joy to walk with — and a surprising number of the world's best courses are walking courses.

Scotland: the home of golf

Scotland is the spiritual home of the game and, for many, the trip of a lifetime. The golf is overwhelmingly links — firm turf, deep bunkers, sea breezes and the run of the ball — across regions like Fife (home to the St Andrews Old Course), Ayrshire (home to the Open links of Royal Troon) and East Lothian. It suits the golfer who wants history and a genuine test, and who won't be derailed by a damp, breezy afternoon. Start with the pilgrimage itself in our complete St Andrews guide.

Australia: the links pilgrimage down under

Australia is the value-and-adventure pick, and its trump card for northern-hemisphere golfers is timing — its summer is your winter, so it's the natural December-to-March escape. The headline act is Tasmania's Barnbougle: raw, walking coastal links (the Dunes, Lost Farm and the short-course Bougle Run) that sit comfortably in world top-100 company, best paired with the strategic Melbourne Sandbelt. It suits the adventurous links lover who'll travel far for golf that feels like Scotland with better weather. We go deep in the complete Barnbougle guide and the wider golf in Australia hub.

Broadly, the playing season runs late spring through early autumn, with the warmest, longest days around midsummer. The weather is changeable year-round, so this is not the destination for a guaranteed tan. It rewards preparation more than any other. For the full breakdown of regions, booking realities and packing, see our Scotland golf trip guide.

Ireland: links riches and good craic

Ireland offers some of the finest links on earth alongside a culture that makes the nineteenth hole as memorable as the front nine. The Southwest (around Ballybunion, Lahinch and Tralee), the North (Royal County Down, Royal Portrush) and the East near Dublin (Portmarnock, The Island) each give you world-class coastal golf with a warmth of welcome that's hard to match.

Like Scotland, the weather is changeable and the season skews to the warmer half of the year, but the social side — the towns, the pubs, the conversation — gives Ireland a character all its own. We cover the regions, touring versus basing yourself, and what to pack in the Ireland golf trip guide.

Portugal and Spain: sun, resorts and reliable golf

If you want warmth, reliable sunshine for much of the year and resort-style golf you can play in shorts, the Iberian coast is the obvious answer. Portugal's Algarve — home to flagship resorts like Quinta do Lago — and Spain's southern and eastern coasts are dense with well-conditioned, generally walkable-to-buggy courses designed to be enjoyable rather than punishing — which makes them ideal for mixed-ability groups and for golfers who simply want sun on their backs.

Spring and autumn tend to be the sweet spot: warm but not punishingly hot, and more affordable midweek and out of peak. High summer can be very hot, which is its own kind of test. This is sun-and-resort golf at its most accessible, and the place a lot of first-time golf-trippers fall in love with the format.

The USA: bucket-list resorts and variety

The United States is less a single destination than a continent of them. You can chase desert target golf, coastal links-style resorts, sandbelt-style heathland, or the great clustered resort destinations where you stay put and play several contrasting courses without moving your bags. It suits the golfer who treats a trip as a pilgrimage and is happy to budget for it — many of the marquee venues are a genuine splurge.

Timing depends entirely on where you go: a southern desert is a winter and shoulder-season play, while northern and mountain courses are summer affairs. The upside is choice — there's a version of an American golf trip for almost every taste and ability. We go deep on two of the most popular: our Florida golf trip guide for winter sun, and our Myrtle Beach guide for America's value-packed buddies-trip capital.

The desert: Dubai and the UAE

Desert golf in Dubai and the wider UAE is the modern luxury option: immaculate, irrigated courses carved out of sand, paired with five-star hospitality and easy long-haul connections. The golf is generally generous off the tee with the desert as your penalty area, and it photographs beautifully under floodlights for twilight rounds.

Crucially, the season is the inverse of Europe's: the cooler winter months are prime, while high summer is brutally hot and best avoided for full rounds. It suits golfers who want guaranteed sun in the European off-season and don't mind paying resort prices for the comfort. Our Golf in Dubai guide covers the season, the famous courses and exactly what to pack in full.

Emerging and value destinations

Beyond the headline names, there's a growing tier of value destinations — parts of central and eastern Europe, Turkey's coastal resorts, North Africa, and increasingly Asia — where the golf is good, the conditioning is improving fast, and your money goes further, especially midweek and out of peak. These suit the pragmatic group who care more about quantity of quality golf and a relaxed atmosphere than about ticking off famous names.

The trade-off is usually less iconic golf and, sometimes, longer or less convenient travel. But for a first group trip, or for golfers who want a generous holiday with golf woven through it rather than a hardcore pilgrimage, the value tier deserves more attention than it gets. Turkey's Antalya coast is the standout example — see our Belek golf holiday guide for what is arguably Europe's best-value golf.

The kit that travels anywhere

Wherever you land, a small core of gear earns its place. Travel light with a carry bag you can walk with. Take proper sunglasses — the Tifosi Aethon cut glare off water and pale sand on sun-and-resort or desert trips, and that protects both your eyes and your scoring. If your itinerary touches the British Isles or any shoulder-season golf, a genuinely waterproof shell such as the Galvin Green waterproof jacket is non-negotiable — what 'waterproof' actually means is worth understanding before you buy.

And take a ball model you trust. One premium ball you know — say the Srixon Z-Star — travels far better than a mixed bag, because consistent flight and feel matter even more when you're adjusting to firm links or unfamiliar resort turf. Buy a sleeve more than you think you'll need; lost-ball country is universal.

So where should you go?

If you want the soul of the game and don't fear the weather, go to Scotland or Ireland. If you want guaranteed sun and easy, sociable golf for a mixed group, look at Portugal, Spain or — in the European winter — the desert. If you want a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage and have the budget, the USA's great resorts deliver. And if value and a generous holiday matter most, the emerging tier is quietly excellent. Pick the golf first; the rest follows.