Golf around the Globe

It’s hard to imagine that the international game we’ve come to appreciate began so simply. A few players decided to hit a pebble with a bent stick over sand dunes on the east coast of Scotland back in the Middle Ages and the rest is in the proverbial.

Today, you’ll find championship golf courses in the most tropical locations, ensuring you can play all year round and catch some much-needed winter sun rays.

If you hate the thought of leaving your clubs behind, then bring them with you on our handpicked selection of golfing holidays. Meanwhile, each of our resorts provides plenty of other amenities to keep non-golfers entertained, from spa experiences and guided rum excursions to watersports and nature tours.

It may seem unlikely than an island paradise offers golf, but there are a couple of luxury resorts to provide you with a tee time.

Kuredu Island Resort & Spa was the first resort to bring golf to the Maldives. When you’re not enjoying the spa or feasting in the incredible 5.8 Undersea Restaurant, you can enjoy the golf club which includes a full-size driving range and a large putting green. Enjoy a 19th hole drink at the Golf Bar to the sway of palm trees and the gentle hush of the Indian Ocean.

Meeru Island Resort & Spa also lets you perfect your swing with its nine-hole pitch and putt artificial turf golf course and friendly weekly golf tournaments, which are ideal for beginners.

Golf in Portugal dates back longer than you’d imagine, having been brought over by British expatriates to the country in the late 19th century. The oldest links-course, Oporto Golf Club in Costa Verde, is the fifth oldest in continental Europe.

The Algarve is a hotspot for championship golf courses. Anantara Vilamoura Algarve Resort sits right on the edge of the exquisite and picturesque Victoria Golf Course, where the Portugal Masters are held each year. Anantara’s own Golf Guru is on hand to offer you professional suggestions and advice.

Pine Cliffs Residence offers a gorgeous nine-hole golf course within a natural pinewood setting, with tree-lined fairways perched 200 feet above golden sands and the deep blue of the Atlantic Ocean.

Enthusiasts will already know that the Costa Del Sol in southern Spain is one of the world’s premier golfing destinations. With over 70 courses across the region, it’s the legendary English American golf architect Robert Trent Jones who designed most of them.

Where better to enjoy the green than at Anantara Villa Padierna, which has three world-class golf courses, including Flamingos, which has hosted the European Senior Tour and Women’s Spanish Open, the truly technical Alferini course, and Tramores, a beginner-friendly course that features a Michael Campbell golf academy on site.

The UAE has become a key destination for the European Golf Tour, with Abu Dhabi Golf Course hosting the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship and the coconut palm-lined Dubai Creek a frequent host of the Dubai Desert Classic.

If you watch the tour, you’ll recognise the sails-shaped clubhouse of the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, which hosts the final competition of the annual Race to Dubai.

Yas Links in Dubai, designed by Kyle Phillips, is considered the UAE’s premier course, especially with its challenging 18th hole.

Ras Al Khaimah, renowned for its pristine beaches, also has golf courses stretching across the Arabian Gulf.

One of our favourite golfing holiday stops is The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, northeast of Abu Dhabi and home to Saadiyat Beach Golf Course, with its abundant panoramic views.

You might be surprised to learn that Mauritius was the fourth country in the world to play golf. This is due to the nation’s English colonial heritage. Today, this island nation is home to many championship golf courses, with those in the southwest receiving the most accolades.

With each resort offering different accommodation styles, Heritage The Villas, Heritage Le Telfair Golf and Wellness Resort and Heritage Awali Golf and Spa Resort all provide full access to the multi-award-winning Heritage Golf Club.

Located within the vast Domaine de Bel Ombre estate, the club was designed by Zimbabwean golfer Peter Matkovich. Whatever your handicap, there’s something for you, from a basic pitch and putt to a certified PGA professional academy.

While you might only think of Turkey for its classical history, Belek is an upcoming golf destination.

With a stay at Gloria Golf Resort, you have the chance to experience one of the Mediterranean coast’s most beautiful courses. Fans of the fairway will enjoy two 18-hole and one 9-hole golf courses. Designed by Michael Gayon, this golf club is the largest course in Turkey and also has a driving range, golf academy and club house.

Fly into Tenerife and take a boat ride across to La Gomera, where you can enjoy a peaceful golfing holiday at Hotel Jardin Tecina.

Tecina Golf has an academy where you can enjoy unlimited play whether you’re a beginner or advanced golfer. This is the place to stay when the club hosts the Canary Islands Senior Championship.

The world’s most well-known golfer Tiger Woods helped put Barbados firmly on the golf map when he held his wedding ceremony at Sandy Lane Golf Resorts back in 2004. The nation hosted the World Golf Championships World Cup in 2006. Today, year-round sunny weather and world-class courses has made Barbados a golfing holiday haven.

We recommend you stay at the iconic Colony Club, located on the famous west coast of Barbados.

Constance Lemuria on Praslin Island truly is paradise for golf lovers with its 18-hole championship course designed by Marc Antoine Farry and Rodney Wright.

Lemuria Golf Course has often been dubbed the world’s most beautiful golf course as it winds along the spellbinding coastline and is carved through groves of tropical woodland. The jaw-dropping 15th hole is considered an ultimate beautiful challenge.

Are you ready for a golfing getaway? At Sovereign Luxury Travel we have over 50 years’ experience in tailormade luxury holidays. We take care of all the finer details, so you don’t have to. Our Personal Travel Planners are on hand every step of the way to ensure your luxury holiday is memorable and enjoyable.                   

Visit sovereign.com to start planning your next luxury escape today!

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