Cover World-class golf courses, like the Royal County Down Golf Course, anchor complete holiday experiences, offering championship golf alongside cultural adventures. (Photo: David Cannon / Getty Images)
World-class golf courses, like the Royal County Down Golf Course, anchor complete holiday experiences, offering championship golf alongside cultural adventures. (Photo: David Cannon / Getty Images)
1 / 1
These renowned golf courses offer far more than exceptional golf—they’re gateways to complete holiday experiences, perfect for travellers seeking world-class fairways alongside cultural, culinary and natural adventures
The best golf destinations extend far beyond the 18th green, transforming a simple round into a journey of culture, scenery and connection. These renowned courses stand as the pinnacle of destination golf, serving as the centrepiece of holidays that captivate both golfers and those who never swing a club. From windswept coastlines to storied landscapes steeped in history, they prove the finest golf trips are not defined only by birdies and pars, but by the food, sights and memories that endure well beyond the fairway.
In case you missed it: Where to explore nature in Okinawa: islands, wildlife and coastlines
Pebble Beach Golf Links, California: coastal playground of legends
This legendary course hugs the cliffs of Carmel Bay, featuring dramatic holes like the par-3 7th played over crashing Pacific waves and the famous par-5 18th finishing along the rugged coastline. Having hosted six US Opens, it’s considered America’s most beautiful and challenging public course.
Beyond the golf course: The Monterey Peninsula offers the world-renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium, whale watching expeditions, the scenic 17-Mile Drive, boutique shopping in charming Carmel-by-the-Sea and award-winning wineries in the nearby Carmel Valley.
The Old Course, St Andrews, Scotland: the ultimate golf pilgrimage
The birthplace of golf features unique architectural elements found nowhere else: seven massive double greens shared by holes from both nines, the infamous Road Hole bunker and ancient Swilcan Bridge and blind shots over towering dunes. This 600-year-old links lacks a single architect, evolving naturally through centuries of play.
Beyond the golf course: Experience total immersion in the “Auld Grey Toon”—cobbled streets rich with history, dramatic seaside ruins of St Andrews Cathedral and Castle, the ancient university’s stone buildings and the British Golf Museum steps from the famous 18th green.
Cabot Cliffs, Nova Scotia: modern masterpiece meets Celtic culture
This stunning course winds through seaside dunes and culminates with dramatic clifftop holes, including the breathtaking par-3 16th played across the Gulf of St Lawrence between towering cliff edges. The perfectly balanced layout rewards strategic thinking over power and offers spectacular ocean views throughout.
Beyond the golf course: Explore the world-renowned Cabot Trail through Cape Breton Highlands National Park with its dramatic Skyline Trail hike, experience authentic Celtic heritage at traditional “ceilidh” musical gatherings, visit North America’s first single malt whisky distillery and kayak the pristine waters of Unesco Biosphere Reserve Bras d’Or Lake.
Royal County Down, Northern Ireland: golf amid mountains and myths
Set against the stunning Mourne Mountains, this world-ranked links course features towering dunes covered in purple heather and golden gorse. Signature holes include the downhill par-3 4th framed by deep bunkers with the mountains as backdrop, and the famous par-4 9th with its blind tee shot over massive dunes.
Beyond the golf course: See 13th-century Dundrum Castle ruins, hike through ancient Tollymore Forest Park, visit St Patrick’s burial site in nearby Downpatrick and take scenic drives around Strangford Lough to Castle Ward, the historic estate featured in Game of Thrones.
Cape Kidnappers, New Zealand: clifftop drama in wine country
This dramatic course perches 140 metres above the Pacific on ridge-like peninsulas jutting into the ocean. Built on a former sheep station, it features thrilling shots over deep ravines and along cliff edges, including the spectacular par-3 12th with its green appearing to float above the Pacific and the notorious par-5 15th “Pirate’s Plank” played along a narrow clifftop ridge.
Beyond the golf course: Make your way through New Zealand’s premier food and wine region with over 70 wineries, including historic Mission Estate, nearby Napier showcasing the world’s most complete Art Deco architecture via vintage car tours, the world’s largest mainland gannet colony and panoramic views from Te Mata Peak.
Pacific Dunes, Bandon, Oregon: American links on a rugged coastline
This celebrated course flows naturally through massive dunes covered in golden gorse, featuring firm fairways and strategic challenges that culminate with stunning oceanside holes. Highlights include the clifftop par-4 4th offering first Pacific views, the spectacular downhill par-3 11th nestled in seaside bluffs and the dramatic par-4 13th played across a chasm to a fairway winding along 100-foot cliff edges.
Beyond the golf course: Explore Oregon’s rugged coast with Bandon Beach’s iconic sea stacks like Face Rock, spectacular tide pools, temporary sand labyrinths called “Circles in the Sand” created by local artists, the unique Washed Ashore gallery featuring marine sculptures crafted from beach plastic debris and the historic Coquille River Lighthouse.
Royal Melbourne West Course, Australia: strategic brilliance meets culture
This legendary course showcases strategic design at its finest with challenging greens, dramatic bunkers and holes that reward smart play over brute force. Signature holes include the famous par-3 5th with its steep false front that sends short shots tumbling back, and the risk-reward par-4 6th, where bold tee shots are rewarded with easier approaches.
Beyond the golf course: Melbourne offers vibrant laneway culture with hidden cafes and boutiques, the bustling Queen Victoria Market, Australian sporting culture at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, major cultural institutions like the National Gallery of Victoria and the colourful Brighton Bathing Boxes perfect for photographs.
Bethpage Black, New York: championship challenge meets metropolitan adventures
This notoriously difficult course earned its fearsome reputation with a warning sign: “The Black Course Is An Extremely Difficult Course Which We Recommend Only For Highly Skilled Golfers”. Built as a Depression-era public works project, it features long, challenging holes across rolling terrain, including the demanding par-5 4th with its enormous cross-bunker and the brutally uphill par-4 15th nicknamed “The Beast”. Having hosted multiple major championships, it’s the ultimate test for skilled golfers.
Beyond the golf course: Explore the Hamptons’ pristine beaches eastward, the North Shore’s opulent Gold Coast mansions that inspired The Great Gatsby, expansive Jones Beach State Park and Manhattan’s limitless attractions just a train journey away.
After more than a decade in lifestyle media, Clifford has mastered the art of writing seriously about things that are fun—and writing fun things about people who take themselves very seriously. At Tatler Asia, he helped steer its flagship lists, Tatler’s Most Influential and Asia’s Most Stylish. And today, he leads T-Labs, Tatler Asia’s content innovation hub, where he continues the noble pursuit of lifestyle storytelling, spinning stories on wealth, entertainment, necessary style, Hallyu, Hollywood, beauty and more for audiences across Asia.
