Travelling golfers are truly spoiled for choice in 2026. These days, instead of a golfing trip being a stay in a below-average hotel chain or a “florals or death” themed BnB with a breakfast call time of 5 am oh no. This is not the age of great courses but nowhere to stay: it’s the age of golfing luxury on every front. Now, when avid golfers choose the courses they want to enjoy on their holidays, there’s no need to book accommodations or other holiday activities elsewhere, even when traveling with family or friends who don’t golf: the best golf courses in the world (many of which are currently located in the UK) are attached to manor homes and hotels with luxury amenities that would befit a king of queen. Golfers can plan their holidays around the best golf courses in the world and be rewarded with not only flawless, challenging and beautiful courses but also stay in the lap of luxury. If you’re considering a top-class golf tour on your next holiday, these are the courses (and everything that goes with them) that are truly worth planning a trip around.

 St Andrews Old Course – Scotland

Accommodation: Old Course Hotel

St Andrews is often referred to as the home of golf. At more than 600 years old, it’s a claim that few can dispute, and this course is without doubt a bucket-list worthy place to play and visit. With landmarks like the Silken Bridge and the Road Hole, it’s one of the most easily recognisable courses in the world, but it’s the course itself that has kept players coming back for more than half a millennium.

Golfers travel here for:

• A chance to be a part of golfing history
• To enjoy one of the most famous Open Championship venues
• To explore a brand-new golf-focused town with six other championship courses in easy reach

A stay at the Old Course Hotel is another reason to choose this as a holiday destination. Overlooking the course itself and the gorgeous Fife coast, the Old Course Hotel is currently recognised as one of the leading luxury hotels in all of Europe. Guests have access to the Kohler Waters Spa (including a fitness centre), a wide array of leisure and beach activities, top-notch bars and restaurants, and exquisite lodgings. Private jet charter flights can touch down at the Leuchars Diversion Airfield / RAF Leuchars just 25 minutes away from the hotel by road.

Royal Birkdale Golf Club- England

Accommodation: The Vincent Hotel

This perennial Open Championship venue is a combination of sweeping, dramatic dunes, immaculate landscaping and conditioning, and one of the finest clubhouses ever to exist in the world of British Golf.

Golfers include this in their vacation plans because:

• Royal Birkdale is consistently ranked among the best golf courses in the UK
• The course is a crucial part of England’s celebrated “Golf Coast” and puts visitors in range of a collection of excellent coastal courses in easy reach
• The test provided by the links rewards strategy over brute force, creating better players

While you won’t be staying on the same grounds as the course in this case, the Vincent Hotel is more than worth the short drive. Located in lovely Southport, The Vincent is a unique lifestyle property with 59 beautiful rooms. The award-winning V Cafe and Restaurant, a relaxing in-house spa and fitness centre, and valet parking all make the stay incredibly luxe and enjoyable.

Pebble Beach Golf Links- United States

Accommodation: Pebble Beach

Pebble Beach may not have the title of “royal” anything added to its name, but it remains one of the most exceptional courses in the USA and on the planet and is certainly not to be underestimated. Perched high above the Pacific Ocean, almost every hole on the course delivers both views and play that can be experienced in very few other places.

Golfers plan around including Pebble Beach in their travels because

• This course hosts several major championships and offers unforgettable oceanfront golfing
• The other major courses nearby (Spyglass Hill and Spanish Bay) and gorgeous towns make it the perfect part of a golf vacation.

The accommodation at Pebble Beach is second to none. This spectacular seaside escape offers three separate resorts: The Lodge at Pebble Beach (on site), the Inn at Spanish Bay and Casa Palermo, each with its own unique character. The Lodge is all elegant decor, timeless architecture and a glorious seaside setting; The Inn takes a slightly more romantic and intimate approach, and Casa Palermo is a classically Mediterranean style home that offers complete privacy and personal service.

Royal Dornoch Golf Club- Scotland

Accommodation:  Royal Golf Hotel Dornoch

Our last course asks of you but one thing: a journey into the rugged Scottish Highlands. Any golfer who has ever been to the Royal Dornoch agrees that the extra effort is more than worth it, but the Scottish Highlands have charms that have existed since long before the course was built.

The natural links terrain and absolutely breath-taking scenery are only two of the reasons to visit, but golfers also make the trek to the Royal Dornoch to:

• Play on a course that is ranked among the best in history
• Enjoy a venue that is incredibly well-known but also manages to minimize crowds and keep the surroundings quiet and peaceful
• Combine this location with many other local elements and courses for a Highlands golf holiday experience

If you stay at the Royal Golf Hotel, you’ll have a mere 5 yards to walk to the start of the course. When you’re not on the course, the seaside setting provides you with a chance for calm, relaxing walks along golden beaches. When you’re not doing that, you can enjoy beautiful woodlands, mountain terrain, the nearby Scottish distilleries and fairy-tale castles, heavenly cuisine and much more.

Plan and Play

Planning your golf holiday around any of these courses connects you to leisure opportunities, more golfing opportunities and many, many chances to take it easy and enjoy some of the most beautiful golfing in the world.