The world’s best golf courses, and whether you can actually play them
101 of the 111 courses on this list will sell a visiting golfer a tee time directly. 10 need a member to sign you in. For the rest the catch is rarely membership. It is usually a ballot, a handicap limit, a resort stay requirement or a booking window that opens months ahead.
Trip guides to bucket-list courses across the globe: green fees, how to book, the best time to play, getting there and where to stay.
Which of these can you actually play?
Grouped by how a visitor gets on, not by geography. Each course guide sets out the real booking route, the green fee and how far ahead you need to plan.
Public, anyone can play · 20
Book a tee time yourself. No membership, and no member needed to get you on.
- Arcadia Bluffs Golf Club (Bluffs Course)Arcadia, United States
- Barnbougle Dunes Golf LinksBridport, Australia
- Barnbougle Lost FarmBridport, Australia
- Black Mountain Golf ClubHua Hin, Thailand
- Cape Wickham LinksKing Island, Australia
- Carnoustie Golf Links, Championship CourseCarnoustie, Scotland
- Club de Golf AlcanadaPort d'Alcúdia, Spain
- Cog Hill Golf & Country Club, Course No. 4 "Dubsdread"Lemont, United States
- Danang Golf Club (Dunes Course)Da Nang, Vietnam
- Erin HillsErin, United States
- Kingsbarns Golf LinksKingsbarns, Scotland
- Lahinch Golf Club, Old CourseLahinch, Ireland
- Le Golf National (Albatros Course)Guyancourt, France
- Montauk Downs State Park Golf CourseMontauk, United States
- North Berwick Golf Club (West Links)North Berwick, Scotland
- Paraparaumu Beach Golf ClubParaparaumu Beach, New Zealand
- Pasatiempo Golf ClubSanta Cruz, United States
- Royal Dornoch Golf Club (Championship Course)Dornoch, Scotland
- St Andrews, Old CourseSt Andrews, Scotland
- Waterville Golf LinksWaterville, Ireland
Municipal (public) · 5
City owned and open to everyone. Usually the best value on the whole list.
Resort / pay-and-play · 62
Stay at the resort, or often just pay the green fee, and the tee is yours.
- Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club & LodgeOrlando, United States
- Bandon DunesBandon, USA
- Bandon TrailsBandon, United States
- Blackwolf Run, The River CourseKohler, United States
- Blue Canyon Country Club (Canyon Course)Phuket, Thailand
- Cabot CliffsInverness, Canada
- Cabot LinksInverness, Canada
- Cape KidnappersTe Awanga, New Zealand
- Costa Navarino (The Dunes Course)Messinia, Greece
- Education City Golf ClubDoha, Qatar
- El Camaleón Golf Course at MayakobaPlaya del Carmen, Mexico
- Emirates Golf Club, Majlis CourseDubai, United Arab Emirates
- Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course (Stanley Thompson Eighteen)Banff, Canada
- Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Golf CourseJasper, Canada
- Finca Cortesin Golf ClubCasares, Spain
- Gary Player Country ClubSun City, South Africa
- Golf du Touquet (La Mer Course)Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, France
- Harbour Town Golf LinksHilton Head Island, United States
- Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead Course)Palm Harbor, United States
- Jack's Point Golf CourseQueenstown, New Zealand
- Jumeirah Golf Estates (Earth Course)Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Kauri CliffsMatauri Bay, New Zealand
- Kawana Hotel Golf Course, Fuji CourseIto, Japan
- Laguna Golf Lăng CôPhú Lộc, Vietnam
- Mauna Kea Golf CourseKohala Coast, United States
- Millbrook ResortArrowtown, New Zealand
- Mission Hills Golf Club Shenzhen, World Cup CourseShenzhen, China
- Mission Hills Haikou, Blackstone CourseHaikou, China
- Monte Rei Golf & Country Club (North Course)Vila Nova de Cacela, Portugal
- Mount Juliet Estate (Jack Nicklaus Course)Thomastown, Ireland
- Oitavos DunesCascais, Portugal
- Old Head Golf LinksKinsale, Ireland
- Pacific DunesBandon, United States
- Pebble Beach Golf LinksPebble Beach, United States
- PGA Catalunya Resort, Stadium CourseCaldes de Malavella, Spain
- PGA West (TPC Stadium Course)La Quinta, United States
- Pinehurst No. 4Pinehurst, United States
- Pinehurst Resort (Course No. 2)Pinehurst, USA
- Praia D'El Rey Golf & Beach ResortObidos, Portugal
- Quivira Golf ClubCabo San Lucas, Mexico
- Royal Greens Golf & Country ClubKing Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia
- Saadiyat Beach Golf ClubAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Sand ValleyNekoosa, United States
- Sea Island Golf Club (Seaside Course)St. Simons Island, United States
- Siam Country Club (Old Course)Pattaya, Thailand
- South Cape Owners ClubNamhae, South Korea
- Spyglass Hill Golf CoursePebble Beach, United States
- Streamsong Resort, Red CourseStreamsong, United States
- Teeth of the Dog at Casa de CampoLa Romana, Dominican Republic
- Terre Blanche (Le Château Course)Tourrettes, France
- The Golf Course at Adare ManorAdare, Ireland
- The Links at FancourtGeorge, South Africa
- The Ocean Course at Kiawah IslandKiawah Island, USA
- The Plantation Course at KapaluaKapalua, Maui, United States
- The Twenty Ten Course at Celtic Manor ResortNewport, Wales
- TPC Sawgrass (THE PLAYERS Stadium Course)Ponte Vedra Beach, USA
- TPC Scottsdale (Stadium Course)Scottsdale, United States
- Trump National Doral Miami, Blue Monster CourseMiami, United States
- Trump Turnberry, Ailsa CourseTurnberry, Scotland
- Vilamoura Old Course (Dom Pedro Old Course)Vilamoura, Portugal
- Whistling Straits, The Straits CourseKohler, United States
- Yas Links Abu DhabiAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Semi-private (visitors welcome) · 14
Members come first, but visitors are welcome, usually midweek or with a little notice.
- Ballybunion Golf Club (Old Course)Ballybunion, Ireland
- Cruden Bay Golf Club (Championship Course)Cruden Bay, Scotland
- Gullane Golf Club (No. 1 Course)Gullane, Scotland
- Royal Birkdale Golf ClubSouthport, England
- Royal County Down, Championship LinksNewcastle, Northern Ireland
- Royal Portrush Golf Club, Dunluce LinksPortrush, Northern Ireland
- Royal St George's Golf ClubSandwich, England
- Royal Troon Golf Club (Old Course)Troon, Scotland
- Sentosa Golf Club (The Serapong)Sentosa Island, Singapore
- Sunningdale Golf Club (Old Course)Sunningdale, England
- Taiheiyo Club, Gotemba CourseGotemba, Japan
- Thai Country ClubBangkok, Thailand
- The Hills Golf ClubArrowtown, New Zealand
- Wentworth Club (West Course)Virginia Water, England
Members & guests · 10
You need a member to sign you in or a formal introduction. Getting on is the real challenge, not the green fee.
- Durban Country ClubDurban, South Africa
- Kasumigaseki Country Club, East CourseKawagoe, Japan
- Kingston Heath Golf ClubCheltenham, Australia
- Koninklijke Haagsche Golf & Country ClubWassenaar, Netherlands
- New South Wales Golf ClubLa Perouse, Australia
- Real Club ValderramaSotogrande, Spain
- Royal Adelaide Golf ClubSeaton, Australia
- Royal Melbourne Golf Club, West CourseBlack Rock, Australia
- The Club at Nine BridgesSeogwipo, South Korea
- The National Golf Club (Moonah Course)Cape Schanck, Australia
North America
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Local guide Ha Noi / Google MapsPebble Beach Golf Links
Pebble Beach, United States · Coastal
The most famous public golf course on earth, a cliff-top links laid along Carmel Bay where U.S. Opens are won and any traveller can tee it up.
Municipal (public)Photo: Tomoko / Google MapsBethpage State Park (Black Course)
Farmingdale, USA · Parkland
The people’s major, a brutish, state-run public course on Long Island that has hosted two U.S. Opens, a PGA Championship and the 2025 Ryder Cup, yet anyone can tee it up for a municipal green fee.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Oscar Roberto / Google MapsPinehurst Resort (Course No. 2)
Pinehurst, USA · Parkland
Donald Ross’s masterpiece and the first permanent "anchor site" of the U.S. Open, a par-70 in the North Carolina Sandhills defined by fiendish crowned greens, host to Opens from Payne Stewart’s 1999 triumph to Bryson DeChambeau’s 2024 win.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Laurence Lambrecht / Google MapsTPC Sawgrass (THE PLAYERS Stadium Course)
Ponte Vedra Beach, USA · Resort
Pete Dye’s stadium masterpiece and permanent home of THE PLAYERS Championship, a public-access resort course near Jacksonville built around the terrifying island-green par-3 17th, the most famous hole in American golf.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Bandon Dunes Golf Resort / Google MapsBandon Dunes
Bandon, USA · Links
The course that started it all, David McLay Kidd’s 1999 cliff-top links that turned a remote stretch of the Oregon coast into a global walking-golf pilgrimage.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Matthew Johnson / Google MapsThe Ocean Course at Kiawah Island
Kiawah Island, USA · Coastal
Pete Dye’s ferocious Atlantic-edge test, the ‘War by the Shore’ Ryder Cup course and a two-time PGA Championship venue that many call the hardest resort course in America.
Municipal (public)Photo: Henry Mayer / Google MapsTorrey Pines Golf Course (South Course)
La Jolla, San Diego, United States · Coastal
A cliff-top municipal course above the Pacific where Tiger Woods won the 2008 U.S. Open, a genuine major-championship test that any traveler can book and play.
Municipal (public)Photo: Jan / Google MapsTPC Harding Park
San Francisco, United States · Parkland
A cypress-lined municipal classic beside Lake Merced that staged the 2020 PGA Championship, a major-championship venue any traveler can book and play.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Arbër Shehu / Google MapsSpyglass Hill Golf Course
Pebble Beach, United States · Coastal
Robert Trent Jones Sr.'s wild masterpiece of dunes and forest at Pebble Beach, a public resort course many rank tougher and more beautiful than its famous neighbor.
Municipal (public)Photo: Chambers Bay Golf Course / Google MapsChambers Bay
University Place, United States · Links
A raw, treeless fescue links on the shore of Puget Sound that staged the 2015 U.S. Open, a county-owned public course anyone can walk and play.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Bob Evans / Google MapsThe Plantation Course at Kapalua
Kapalua, Maui, United States · Resort
Coore & Crenshaw's spectacular hillside course above the Pacific on Maui, the PGA Tour's season-opening stage, open to any traveler who wants to play it.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: maryana kots / Google MapsMauna Kea Golf Course
Kohala Coast, United States · Coastal
Robert Trent Jones Sr.'s oceanfront classic on the Big Island's Kohala Coast, home to one of golf's most famous over-the-ocean par 3s, and open to any traveler.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: golftraveller / Google MapsWhistling Straits, The Straits Course
Kohler, United States · Links
A Pete Dye links epic sprawling along two miles of Lake Michigan bluff, host of the 2021 Ryder Cup and three PGA Championships, yet open to any traveller who books a stay at Destination Kohler.
Public, anyone can playPhoto: Greg Ladky / Google MapsErin Hills
Erin, United States · Links
A vast, treeless fescue links rolling over Wisconsin's glacial moraine, a purely public course where anyone can walk the same fairways that decided the 2017 U.S. Open.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Nicholas Bauer / Google MapsBlackwolf Run, The River Course
Kohler, United States · Parkland
Pete Dye's river-carved championship course in the village of Kohler, a public, wallet-friendlier sibling to Whistling Straits that twice crowned U.S. Women's Open champions.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Google MapsStreamsong Resort, Red Course
Streamsong, United States · Links
Coore & Crenshaw's dune-tumbling inland links, carved from a reclaimed Florida phosphate mine, a public resort course any traveller can play between Tampa and Orlando.
Public, anyone can playPhoto: Cog Hill Golf & Country Club / Google MapsCog Hill Golf & Country Club, Course No. 4 "Dubsdread"
Lemont, United States · Parkland
Chicago's public championship monster, the tree-lined 'Dubsdread' that hosted the Western Open and BMW Championship for years, yet anyone can book and play it.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Pinehurst No. 4 / Google MapsPinehurst No. 4
Pinehurst, United States · Heathland
Gil Hanse's bold, sand-splashed reimagining of a Donald Ross original, the acclaimed sibling of legendary No. 2, playable to any golfer staying at Pinehurst Resort.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Cabot Cliffs Golf Course / Google MapsCabot Cliffs
Inverness, Canada · Links
A Coore & Crenshaw clifftop links on Cape Breton's wild Atlantic edge, a modern world top-10 course that any traveller can walk and play.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: IanShauna Chan / Google MapsFairmont Banff Springs Golf Course (Stanley Thompson Eighteen)
Banff, Canada · Mountain
Stanley Thompson's 1928 mountain masterpiece beneath Mount Rundle and Sulphur Mountain, a public-access resort course wrapped in Banff National Park scenery.
Public, anyone can playPhoto: Laurence Lambrecht / Google MapsPasatiempo Golf Club
Santa Cruz, United States · Parkland
Alister MacKenzie's own favourite course and the daily-fee sibling of Cypress Point and Augusta, a barranca-laced masterpiece above Monterey Bay that anyone can book.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: TPC Network / Google MapsTPC Scottsdale (Stadium Course)
Scottsdale, United States · Desert
The public home of golf's rowdiest party, a Weiskopf-Morrish desert stadium course where anyone can tee it up on the famous par-3 16th 'Coliseum'.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Harbour Town Golf Links / Google MapsHarbour Town Golf Links
Hilton Head Island, United States · Coastal
Pete Dye's tight, tree-lined lowcountry classic on Hilton Head, home of the RBC Heritage and its iconic lighthouse 18th, open to any traveller through The Sea Pines Resort.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: David Meillier / Google MapsPacific Dunes
Bandon, United States · Links
Tom Doak's minimalist links along the Oregon dunes, a walking-only, clifftop masterpiece at Bandon Dunes that ranks among the finest modern courses anyone can play.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: PGA WEST Pete Dye Stadium Course / Google MapsPGA West (TPC Stadium Course)
La Quinta, United States · Desert
Pete Dye's brutal desert 'Stadium' at PGA West, an American Express host with the island-green 17th 'Alcatraz', open to any visitor via La Quinta Resort.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Google MapsInnisbrook Resort (Copperhead Course)
Palm Harbor, United States · Parkland
Innisbrook's pine-lined Copperhead, home of the Valspar Championship and its fearsome 'Snake Pit' finish, a resort course any guest can play near Tampa.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club & Lodge / Google MapsArnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club & Lodge
Orlando, United States · Parkland
Arnold Palmer's home club and the March stage for the Arnold Palmer Invitational, a private Orlando championship course that opens its fairways to anyone who books a night at the lodge.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Trump National Doral Miami / Google MapsTrump National Doral Miami, Blue Monster Course
Miami, United States · Resort
Miami's legendary Blue Monster, a Gil Hanse-reimagined championship course that has staged decades of PGA Tour and WGC drama, yet stays open to any traveller who books a tee time.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Ian Baker-Finch / Google MapsFairmont Jasper Park Lodge Golf Course
Jasper, Canada · Mountain
Stanley Thompson's 1925 mountain masterpiece on the shore of Lac Beauvert, a Rockies resort course, ringed by peaks and elk, that any visitor can play.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Cabot Cliffs Golf Course / Google MapsCabot Links
Inverness, Canada · Links
Canada's first true links, a windswept Rod Whitman layout draped along a mile of Cape Breton beach, open to resort guests and day visitors alike.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: El Camaleón Golf Course at Mayakoba / Google MapsEl Camaleón Golf Course at Mayakoba
Playa del Carmen, Mexico · Resort
Greg Norman's jungle-and-ocean layout on the Riviera Maya, the first course to bring the PGA Tour to Mexico, and one any traveller can play from the Mayakoba resorts.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Jeff Marsh / Google MapsBandon Trails
Bandon, United States · Heathland
The inland outlier at Bandon Dunes, a Coore & Crenshaw walk through forest and dunes that any golfer can book at America's greatest public links resort.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: R F / Google MapsSand Valley
Nekoosa, United States · Heathland
Coore & Crenshaw's sand-barrens masterpiece in central Wisconsin, a walking-only public course where firm turf and a famous punchbowl green await any golfer who books.
Public, anyone can playPhoto: Arcadia Bluffs Golf Club / Google MapsArcadia Bluffs Golf Club (Bluffs Course)
Arcadia, United States · Links
A links-inspired daily-fee course perched 200 feet above Lake Michigan, dramatic, windswept and open to anyone who books a tee time.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Seaside Golf Course / Google MapsSea Island Golf Club (Seaside Course)
St. Simons Island, United States · Links
The PGA Tour's RSM Classic host, a Colt-and-Alison links restored by Tom Fazio, playable by any guest of the Sea Island resort.
Municipal (public)Photo: M. James Watkins / Google MapsWilson Golf Course at Griffith Park
Los Angeles, United States · Parkland
A historic George Thomas municipal course beneath the Hollywood Hills, over 7,000 yards of classic architecture for a few dollars, open to all.
Public, anyone can playPhoto: Google MapsMontauk Downs State Park Golf Course
Montauk, United States · Parkland
A Robert Trent Jones state-park course at the tip of Long Island, championship golf at public prices, open to everyone.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Quivira Golf Club / Google MapsQuivira Golf Club
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico · Coastal
Jack Nicklaus's most spectacular clifftop course, a Pacific-hugging Cabo showpiece of 300-foot ocean drops, playable when you stay at the Pueblo Bonito resorts.
UK & Ireland
Public, anyone can playPhoto: Richard Grobben / Google MapsSt Andrews, Old Course
St Andrews, Scotland · Links
The Home of Golf, a public links in the heart of St Andrews where the game was born, and where any golfer can win a tee time in the daily ballot.
Public, anyone can playPhoto: Local guide Ha Noi / Google MapsCarnoustie Golf Links, Championship Course
Carnoustie, Scotland · Links
The fearsome Angus links nicknamed “Carnasty”, an eight-time Open venue and, by common consent, the toughest test on the rota, open to any visitor who books.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: golftraveller / Google MapsTrump Turnberry, Ailsa Course
Turnberry, Scotland · Links
The most photogenic links in Scotland, home of the 1977 “Duel in the Sun” and its lighthouse par 3, open to visitors as well as resort guests.
Semi-private (visitors welcome)Photo: World Golf News / Google MapsRoyal Portrush Golf Club, Dunluce Links
Portrush, Northern Ireland · Links
The Causeway Coast links that brought The Open back to Ireland, home of the fearsome par-3 “Calamity Corner” and open to visitors on set days.
Semi-private (visitors welcome)Photo: Green Compass / Google MapsRoyal County Down, Championship Links
Newcastle, Northern Ireland · Links
The Old Tom Morris links beneath the Mountains of Mourne, regularly rated the finest course on earth, and playable by visitors on set days.
Semi-private (visitors welcome)Photo: Peter Wortmann / Google MapsBallybunion Golf Club (Old Course)
Ballybunion, Ireland · Links
Tom Watson’s favourite links and one of the world’s great seaside courses, a wild County Kerry layout tumbling through giant dunes above the Atlantic, where visitors are welcome on weekday mornings.
Public, anyone can playPhoto: Kieran / Google MapsRoyal Dornoch Golf Club (Championship Course)
Dornoch, Scotland · Links
A remote, sublime Highland links routinely ranked among the world's very best, and open to any travelling golfer willing to make the pilgrimage north of Inverness.
Public, anyone can playPhoto: Rob R. / Google MapsNorth Berwick Golf Club (West Links)
North Berwick, Scotland · Links
A gloriously eccentric seaside links where the original 'Redan' was born, one of golf's oldest courses, and one any visitor can play by simply booking a tee time.
Public, anyone can playPhoto: Kingsbarns Golf Links / Google MapsKingsbarns Golf Links
Kingsbarns, Scotland · Links
A spectacular modern links draped along the Fife coast that plays like it has been there for centuries, fully public, pay-and-play, and a European Tour co-host.
Semi-private (visitors welcome)Photo: Leslie Thomson / Google MapsCruden Bay Golf Club (Championship Course)
Cruden Bay, Scotland · Links
A wild, dune-tumbling links north of Aberdeen beloved by connoisseurs for its quirks and drama, a members' club that keeps the door open to visiting golfers.
Semi-private (visitors welcome)Photo: Rob Caravello / Google MapsRoyal Troon Golf Club (Old Course)
Troon, Scotland · Links
A ten-time Open Championship links on the Ayrshire coast, home of the fearsome 'Postage Stamp', and playable by visitors on select weekdays with a handicap.
Semi-private (visitors welcome)Photo: Iain Gray / Google MapsGullane Golf Club (No. 1 Course)
Gullane, Scotland · Links
The finest of Gullane's three links and a Scottish Open host, crowned by the panoramic 7th atop Gullane Hill, a members' club that welcomes visitors every day.
Public, anyone can playPhoto: Phil Lalonde / Google MapsLahinch Golf Club, Old Course
Lahinch, Ireland · Links
The 'St. Andrews of the West', a wild, tumbling Old Tom Morris and Alister MacKenzie links on the Clare coast that hosted the 2019 Irish Open yet still welcomes any visitor who books ahead.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: riju afreen / Google MapsOld Head Golf Links
Kinsale, Ireland · Coastal
Ireland's most jaw-dropping clifftop links, a pay-and-play headland ringed by 300-foot Atlantic cliffs where any visitor can book the round of a lifetime.
Public, anyone can playPhoto: Waterville Golf Links / Google MapsWaterville Golf Links
Waterville, Ireland · Links
A revered Eddie Hackett links on the Ring of Kerry, long, wild and beautiful, used by major champions to prep for The Open yet open to any visitor who books ahead.
Semi-private (visitors welcome)Photo: Google MapsRoyal Birkdale Golf Club
Southport, England · Links
One of the fairest and most revered Open links in England, a Hawtree and Taylor masterpiece on the Southport coast that stages its eleventh Open in 2026 and still opens its tees to visitors on set days.
Semi-private (visitors welcome)Photo: glen28wright / Google MapsRoyal St George's Golf Club
Sandwich, England · Links
The classic Kent links where The Open first left Scotland, a wild, dune-tossed championship course that welcomes visitors on set days, handicap in hand.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: The Celtic Manor Resort / Google MapsThe Twenty Ten Course at Celtic Manor Resort
Newport, Wales · Resort
The only course ever purpose-built for a Ryder Cup, a lake-lined resort layout in the Usk valley where any visitor can play the 2010 match's dramatic finish.
Semi-private (visitors welcome)Photo: Vladimír Černý / Google MapsWentworth Club (West Course)
Virginia Water, England · Parkland
Ernie Els's remodelled Harry Colt masterpiece and headquarters of the DP World Tour - a manicured Surrey course where the BMW PGA Championship is decided and well-connected visitors can play as a member's guest.
Semi-private (visitors welcome)Photo: Mark Glithero / Google MapsSunningdale Golf Club (Old Course)
Sunningdale, England · Heathland
The heathland course that set the template for inland golf - Willie Park Jr.'s 1901 Old Course, a walk through pine, heather and history that welcomes handicap-holding visitors on weekdays.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Mark Leyendecker / Google MapsThe Golf Course at Adare Manor
Adare, Ireland · Parkland
A lavishly rebuilt Tom Fazio parkland along the River Maigue and the 2027 Ryder Cup venue, playable by travellers who stay at Ireland's grandest resort hotel.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Google MapsMount Juliet Estate (Jack Nicklaus Course)
Thomastown, Ireland · Parkland
A championship Jack Nicklaus parkland set in a storied Kilkenny estate, host of the Irish Open and open to visiting golfers as well as resort guests.
Europe
Members & guestsPhoto: Real Club Valderrama / Google MapsReal Club Valderrama
Sotogrande, Spain · Parkland
The most storied championship course in continental Europe, a tight, cork-oak-lined Robert Trent Jones Sr. parkland in Sotogrande that hosted the 1997 Ryder Cup and where a strictly limited number of visitor tee times are the ticket to a true bucket-list round.
Public, anyone can playPhoto: Vincent Su / Google MapsLe Golf National (Albatros Course)
Guyancourt, France · Parkland
The federation-owned, fully public stage of the 2018 Ryder Cup and 2024 Olympic golf, a stadium-style championship links near Paris where any traveller can play the game's biggest theatre.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Camiral A Quinta do Lago Resort / Google MapsPGA Catalunya Resort, Stadium Course
Caldes de Malavella, Spain · Parkland
Spain's most acclaimed inland course, a pine-framed, championship-tough resort layout near Girona that any visitor can book, with resort guests first in the queue.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Oitavos Dunes Golf Course / Google MapsOitavos Dunes
Cascais, Portugal · Links
Continental Europe's finest true links, a wind-swept, publicly playable dunescape on the Atlantic near Lisbon where umbrella pines give way to ocean views.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Monte Rei Golf & Country Club / Google MapsMonte Rei Golf & Country Club (North Course)
Vila Nova de Cacela, Portugal · Parkland
Portugal's only Jack Nicklaus Signature course and the Algarve's consistent No. 1, an exclusive-feeling but publicly bookable resort layout with a buggy and practice included in every round.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Google MapsFinca Cortesin Golf Club
Casares, Spain · Parkland
The 2023 Solheim Cup host - a lavish, sprawling Cabell Robinson layout above the Costa del Sol where any visitor can play one of Spain's finest resort courses, buggy and sea views included.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Praia D'El Rey Golf Course / Google MapsPraia D'El Rey Golf & Beach Resort
Obidos, Portugal · Links
A dramatic Cabell Robinson links-parkland on Portugal's Silver Coast north of Lisbon - open to all, with a back nine that plunges through Atlantic dunes.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Old Course - Golf in Vilamoura, Portugal / Google MapsVilamoura Old Course (Dom Pedro Old Course)
Vilamoura, Portugal · Parkland
The Algarve's grand old parkland - Frank Pennink's pine-lined 1969 classic at Vilamoura, restored by Martin Hawtree and open to every visiting golfer.
Members & guestsPhoto: Ton Willemsen / Google MapsKoninklijke Haagsche Golf & Country Club
Wassenaar, Netherlands · Links
The Netherlands' finest links - a wild, dune-tumbling Colt & Alison course near The Hague, ranked among the world's best and realistically played as a member's guest.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Terre Blanche Golf / Google MapsTerre Blanche (Le Château Course)
Tourrettes, France · Resort
A dramatic Dave Thomas championship course threading the wooded hills of Provence at a five-star resort, open to the public and framed by Riviera views.
Public, anyone can playPhoto: Club de Golf Alcanada / Google MapsClub de Golf Alcanada
Port d'Alcúdia, Spain · Coastal
A Robert Trent Jones Jr seaside course on the Bay of Alcúdia, framed by the Alcanada lighthouse island, public golf regarded as Mallorca's finest.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Golf du Touquet - Resonance Golf Collection / Google MapsGolf du Touquet (La Mer Course)
Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, France · Links
A classic Harry Colt dunes links on France's Opal Coast, the country's first true links, welcoming visitors within easy reach of the UK.
Middle East
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Zsolt Sásdi / Google MapsEmirates Golf Club, Majlis Course
Dubai, United Arab Emirates · Desert
Dubai’s original grass course and the desert home of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, an immaculate, visitor-friendly oasis layout by Karl Litten beneath the city skyline.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Zsolt Sásdi / Google MapsJumeirah Golf Estates (Earth Course)
Dubai, United Arab Emirates · Desert
The Greg Norman-designed home of the DP World Tour Championship, a manicured, lake-laced Dubai showpiece where visitors can play the same finish that crowns the Race to Dubai.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Yas Links Abu Dhabi / Google MapsYas Links Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates · Links
The Middle East's first true links and a public-access Kyle Phillips design on Yas Island, a wind-swept, waterside course any visitor can play, now home to the Abu Dhabi Championship.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Saadiyat Beach Golf Club / Google MapsSaadiyat Beach Golf Club
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates · Coastal
The Arabian Gulf's first beachfront course, a Gary Player oceanfront layout on Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Island where any visitor can play among the dunes, lagoons and luxury resorts.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Lee / Google MapsRoyal Greens Golf & Country Club
King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia · Coastal
Saudi Arabia's championship showpiece on the Red Sea, the Troon-run home of the Saudi International, where visitors can tee it up on a European Golf Design layout beside the water.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Education City Golf Club / Google MapsEducation City Golf Club
Doha, Qatar · Desert
Qatar's modern championship course, a José María Olazábal design in the heart of Doha's Education City that hosted the Qatar Masters and welcomes the public daily.
Asia
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Google MapsKawana Hotel Golf Course, Fuji Course
Ito, Japan · Coastal
Japan's most celebrated course, a C.H. Alison clifftop masterpiece high above the Pacific on the Izu Peninsula, playable only by guests of the storied Kawana Hotel.
Semi-private (visitors welcome)Photo: sumio nishimura / Google MapsTaiheiyo Club, Gotemba Course
Gotemba, Japan · Parkland
The flagship of Japan's Taiheiyo Club and long-time home of the Taiheiyo Masters, a Mount Fuji parkland championship course that genuinely welcomes visiting golfers.
Members & guestsPhoto: papio 728 / Google MapsKasumigaseki Country Club, East Course
Kawagoe, Japan · Parkland
The 2020 Tokyo Olympic golf venue, a historic 1929 Saitama members' club, reworked by the Fazios, that travellers realistically play only as a member's guest.
Members & guestsPhoto: 김우현 / Google MapsThe Club at Nine Bridges
Seogwipo, South Korea · Parkland
One of Asia's most exclusive clubs, a Golfplan-designed Jeju Island gem beneath Hallasan that hosted the PGA Tour's CJ Cup and is realistically played only by invitation or arrangement.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Sylvia / Google MapsSouth Cape Owners Club
Namhae, South Korea · Coastal
A jaw-dropping Kyle Phillips clifftop course on Namhae Island where every hole overlooks the sea, a luxury stay-and-play resort open to visiting golfers.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Grace HJ Chung / Google MapsMission Hills Golf Club Shenzhen, World Cup Course
Shenzhen, China · Resort
China's original championship resort course, a Jack Nicklaus design at the sprawling Mission Hills complex that hosted the 1995 World Cup of Golf and welcomes any visiting golfer.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Huitzu Tsai / Google MapsBlue Canyon Country Club (Canyon Course)
Phuket, Thailand · Parkland
Phuket's championship tin-mine masterpiece where Tiger Woods staged the largest final-round comeback of his career, a resort course any traveller can play minutes from the airport.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Chot / Google MapsSiam Country Club (Old Course)
Pattaya, Thailand · Parkland
The championship parkland that hosts the LPGA in Thailand each year, a modern Schmidt-Curley test with wickedly contoured greens that any visitor can play.
Public, anyone can playPhoto: CHARLES ARNESTAD / Google MapsBlack Mountain Golf Club
Hua Hin, Thailand · Parkland
Hua Hin's multiple-award-winning foothill course, a genuinely public, tour-tested layout ranked among Thailand's very best that any traveller can book.
Semi-private (visitors welcome)Photo: Natalia Tan / Google MapsSentosa Golf Club (The Serapong)
Sentosa Island, Singapore · Coastal
Singapore's championship waterfront course and home of the SMBC Singapore Open, an exclusive members' club that opens a coveted number of visitor tee times, mostly on weekdays.
Public, anyone can playPhoto: thuonghieu ketnoithuonghieu / Google MapsDanang Golf Club (Dunes Course)
Da Nang, Vietnam · Links
Greg Norman's acclaimed seaside links on Vietnam's central coast, a public, pay-and-play course beside Non Nuoc Beach that any traveller can book.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Laguna Golf Lăng Cô / Google MapsLaguna Golf Lăng Cô
Phú Lộc, Vietnam · Coastal
A Nick Faldo resort layout on a wild central-Vietnam bay, rice paddies, ocean holes and rocky hills between Hue and Da Nang, open to every visitor.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: jenny choi / Google MapsMission Hills Haikou, Blackstone Course
Haikou, China · Resort
A jaw-dropping course carved through black volcanic lava rock on tropical Hainan, the World Cup and World Celebrity Pro-Am host at Mission Hills Haikou, open to any visitor.
Semi-private (visitors welcome)Photo: Jae H. CHOI / Google MapsThai Country Club
Bangkok, Thailand · Parkland
Bangkok's blue-riband course, where Tiger Woods claimed his first professional win in 1997, a members' club that still opens its immaculate fairways to visiting golfers.
Australia & New Zealand
Members & guestsPhoto: Owen Tully / Google MapsRoyal Melbourne Golf Club, West Course
Black Rock, Australia · Heathland
Alister MacKenzie’s Sandbelt masterpiece and Australia’s highest-ranked course, a private members’ club whose bold bunkering and lightning greens have thrice hosted the Presidents Cup.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Randolfo Santos · / Google MapsCape Kidnappers
Te Awanga, New Zealand · Coastal
A jaw-dropping Tom Doak clifftop course on a 6,000-acre Hawke’s Bay station, where fairways run out to the edge of 140-metre cliffs above the Pacific, a premium resort round that non-lodge visitors can still book, weather and handicap permitting.
Public, anyone can playPhoto: Laurence Lambrecht / Google MapsBarnbougle Dunes Golf Links
Bridport, Australia · Links
Tom Doak's raw, wind-blown links in the dunes of Tasmania's north-east, Australia's original public-access bucket-list course that anyone can play.
Public, anyone can playPhoto: Cape Wickham Golf Links / Google MapsCape Wickham Links
King Island, Australia · Links
A remote, jaw-dropping clifftop links at the top of King Island, a fully public course, wrapped around a lighthouse, that ranks among the best in the world.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Ramon Li / Google MapsKauri Cliffs
Matauri Bay, New Zealand · Coastal
A clifftop championship course high above Matauri Bay, the golf of Rosewood's Kauri Cliffs lodge, playable by visitors who book ahead.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Ebrahim Vahed / Google MapsJack's Point Golf Course
Queenstown, New Zealand · Mountain
A public-access championship course beneath Queenstown's Remarkables range, dramatic alpine and Lake Wakatipu scenery that any visitor can play.
Members & guestsPhoto: Local guide Ha Noi / Google MapsKingston Heath Golf Club
Cheltenham, Australia · Heathland
The purest jewel of the Melbourne Sandbelt, a MacKenzie-bunkered heathland masterpiece where a visiting club golfer can, with a little planning, play one of the world's top-ranked courses midweek.
Members & guestsPhoto: Glenn Thomas / Google MapsNew South Wales Golf Club
La Perouse, Australia · Coastal
Alister MacKenzie's spectacular clifftop links above Botany Bay, the Australian cousin of Cypress Point, playable by visitors on a handful of weekday tee times.
Public, anyone can playPhoto: Peta Smith / Google MapsBarnbougle Lost Farm
Bridport, Australia · Links
A Bill Coore-designed public links on Tasmania's wild north-east coast, 20 flowing holes through towering dunes, open to any golfer who books a tee time.
Semi-private (visitors welcome)Photo: The Hills Golf Club / Google MapsThe Hills Golf Club
Arrowtown, New Zealand · Mountain
Sir Michael Hill's exclusive alpine course near Arrowtown, a New Zealand Open host set among snow-capped peaks and giant sculptures, open to a lucky few visitors each day.
Members & guestsPhoto: The Royal Adelaide Golf Club / Google MapsRoyal Adelaide Golf Club
Seaton, Australia · Links
Australia's grand old sand-country links, a MacKenzie-shaped par 72 in Adelaide's dunes that has staged nine Australian Opens and welcomes travelling golfers midweek.
Members & guestsPhoto: JinKojima / Google MapsThe National Golf Club (Moonah Course)
Cape Schanck, Australia · Links
Greg Norman's windswept Moonah Course, a genuine links tumbling through Cape Schanck's dunes, ranked among Australia's finest and open to visitors midweek.
Public, anyone can playPhoto: Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club / Google MapsParaparaumu Beach Golf Club
Paraparaumu Beach, New Zealand · Links
New Zealand's most storied links, a firm, wind-blown Kapiti Coast classic that has staged a record dozen NZ Opens and lets any traveller book a tee time.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Graham Eriwata / Google MapsMillbrook Resort
Arrowtown, New Zealand · Resort
The alpine home of the New Zealand Open, a public-access resort near Queenstown where two championship courses wind beneath the Remarkables and Coronet Peak.
Rest of World
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Admission / Google MapsTeeth of the Dog at Casa de Campo
La Romana, Dominican Republic · Coastal
Pete Dye's oceanfront masterpiece on the Dominican coast, the number-one course in the Caribbean, with seven holes on the sea, open to guests of the Casa de Campo resort.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: The Links / Google MapsThe Links at Fancourt
George, South Africa · Links
South Africa's top-ranked course, Gary Player's dramatic inland links at Fancourt, home of the tied 2003 Presidents Cup and playable only as a resort guest.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: Tumiso Sithole / Google MapsGary Player Country Club
Sun City, South Africa · Resort
Sun City's monster resort course, a nearly 8,000-yard Gary Player design and home of the Nedbank Golf Challenge, where any visitor can walk in the pros' footsteps.
Resort / pay-and-playPhoto: The Dunes Course, Costa Navarino / Google MapsCosta Navarino (The Dunes Course)
Messinia, Greece · Resort
Greece's original signature course, a Bernhard Langer design running from olive groves to sea views in the Peloponnese, open to any traveller as public resort golf.
Members & guestsPhoto: Greg Townsend / Google MapsDurban Country Club
Durban, South Africa · Links
South Africa's most decorated links, a dune-strewn Durban classic that has staged more South African Opens than anywhere and still opens its tees to visitors.