Stay, play and escape! These are the Top 100 Golf Resorts in the World for 2023-24

In the beginning, there was golf, and it was good.

But it was sorely lacking in amenities. No swimming pools. No spas. No comfort stations. Fifteenth-century Scottish shepherds did not exfoliate or sit for mutton sliders at the turn.

Some 400 years later, though, when golf migrated to the United States, it fell sway to market forces. For certain well-heeled travelers, stand-alone courses no longer sufficed. Conveyed by train or horse-drawn buggy, these golfers sought the game in luxe destinations. They played and stayed, enjoying their rounds and then indulging in the trappings. They perspired in saunas, soaked in sulfur hot springs, slept in beds with silken sheets. To accommodate their interests, a new creature emerged in the sporting ecosystem, from the mountains of Virginia to the Carolina Sandhills and the sun-kissed shores of West Palm Beach. The golf club was now joined by the golf resort.

It proved highly adaptive.

As America spread west, the golf resort went with it, taking root in the Rockies and the Great Lakes Region, finding purchase in the desert and on to the California coast. But its spread was not confined to the United States. Today, golf resorts exist on every continent where the game is played. Like golfers, they run the spectrum in shape and size. By turns intimate, expansive, extravagant, low-key, they also cater to a range of clientele. Some are built for buddies’ trips; others appeal to families. Still others cast themselves as romantic escapes, or clubby hideaways for corporate retreats. At some, the spa menu is longer than the beer list. At others, the most reliable relaxant is at the whiskey bar.

What they all have in common is the offer of a course (or several courses) operated in conjunction with accommodations, where the golfer is a guest and the other way around. That’s a baseline definition, though that line can blur. Take a place like St. Andrews, where the Old Course Hotel overlooks the Old Course. Shared name. Shared terrain. But, otherwise, the two are not connected, so they don’t qualify as a “resort.” Just up the road, by contrast, the Fairmont St. Andrews checks the resort box, with its hotel and two courses.

Browse all of GOLF’s course rankings: Top 100 Courses in the World | Top 100 Courses in the U.S. | Top 100 Courses You Can Play | Top 100 Value Courses in the U.S. | America’s Best Municipal Courses | Top 100 in the U.K. and Ireland | Top 100 Short Courses in the World

“In some cases, there’s some understandable confusion,” says Gordon Dalgleish, a GOLF Magazine course rater and the president of PerryGolf, a leading golf travel operator. “There is no worldwide commission that defines a golf resort.”

Another variable is expectations. As with so much else, golf resorts reflect the culture and economy of their surroundings. What passes as five-star in southern Turkey might not be the same as it is in Turks and Caicos, which might differ from the standards in Western Canada. Some resorts require caddies. Some urge against walking. Still others insist on a doctor’s note if you want to take a cart.

For all that sets them apart, their geographic separation is narrower than ever. Remote golf may be the rage, but no resort is much more than a plane ride away.

“Just do your research, so you know what you’re getting,” Dalgleish says.

To get you started, here’s a roster of 100 standout golf resorts around the world.

GOLF’s Top 100 Resorts in the World for 2023-24

*Resorts are sorted by geographic region and listed alphabetically. To learn more about each property, click or tap the property names below.

*For summaries of each resort sorted by region, browse: Best in the U.S. & Canada | Best in Mexico | Best in the Caribbean/Americas | Best in Ireland | Best in Scotland, England & Wales | Best in Continental Europe | Best in Middle East & Africa | Best in Asia | Best in Australia, New Zealand & Fiji

UNITED STATES & CANADA

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort
Bandon, Ore.

Big Cedar Lodge
Ridgedale, Mo.

The Broadmoor
Colorado Springs, Colo.

Cabot Cape Breton
Inverness, Nova Scotia, Canada

Destination Kohler
Kohler, Wis.

Fairmont Banff Springs
Banff, Alberta, Canada

Fairmont Grand Del Mar
San Diego, Calif.

Four Seasons Resort Lana’i
Lana’i City, Hawaii

Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea
Wailea, Hawaii

French Lick Resort
French Lick, Ind.

The Greenbrier
White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.

Kiawah Island Golf Resort
Kiawah Island, S.C.

Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa
Austin, Texas

Omni Homestead Resort
Hot Springs, Va.

Omni PGA Frisco Resort
Frisco, Texas

Pebble Beach Resorts
Pebble Beach, Calif.

Pinehurst Resort
Pinehurst, N.C.

Primland (Auberge Resorts Collection)
Meadows of Dan, Va.

Pronghorn Resort
Bend, Ore.

The Resort at Pelican Hill
Newport Beach, Calif.

The Retreat, Links & Spa at Silvies Valley Ranch
Seneca, Ore.

The Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain
Marana, Ariz.

The Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay
Half Moon Bay, Calif.

The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee
Greensboro, Ga.

Sand Valley Golf Resort
Nekoosa, Wis.

Sea Island Resort
Sea Island, Ga.

Sea Pines Resort
Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Streamsong Resort
Bowling Green, Fla.

MEXICO/THE AMERICAS/CARIBBEAN

Albany Resort
New Providence, The Bahamas

Amanera
Playa Grande, Dominican Republic

Bahia Principe Akumal
Riviera Maya, Mexico

Cap Cana Resort
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Casa De Campo Resort & Villas
La Romana, Dominican Republic

Club Karibana Cartagena
Cartagena, Bolivar, Colombia

Costa Palmas
La Ribera, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Dorado Beach, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve
Dorado Beach, Puerto Rico

Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo
Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Four Seasons Resort Nevis
Charlestown, Nevis, West Indies

Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita
Bahia de Banderas, Nyarit, Mexico

Grand Solmar at Rancho San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Llao Llao Hotel & Resort
San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina

Mayakoba Riviera (Rosewood/Fairmont)
Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Mukul Resort
Guacalito De La Isla, Nicaragua

One & Only Palmilla
San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Puntacana Resort & Club
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

The Resort at Diamante
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Rosewood Bermuda
Hamilton Parish, Bermuda

Sandy Lane
St. James, Barbados

Villa del Palmar At The Islands of Loreto
Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico

UNITED KINGDOM & IRELAND

Adare Manor
Adare, Limerick, Ireland

The Belfry Hotel & Resort
Wishaw, West Midlands, England

Carton House GC
Maynooth, Kildare, Ireland

Celtic Manor Resort
Newport, South East Wales, Wales

Fairmont St. Andrews
St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland

Gleneagles
Auchterarder, Perthshire, Scotland

The Grove
Watford, Hertfordshire, England

The K Club
Straffan, Kildare, Ireland

Old Head of Kinsale
Kinsale, Cork, Ireland

Rosapenna
Letterkenny, Donegal, Ireland

Trump Turnberry
Girvan, Ayrshire, Scotland

ASIA

Ba Na Hills
Da Nang, Vietnam

Banyan Tree
Phuket, Thailand

The Bluffs Grand Ho Tram Strip
Bá Ria-Vũng Tàu Province, Vietnam

Chiangmai Highland Golf & Spa Resort
Chiang Mai, Thailand

FLC Halong Bay GC & Luxury Resort
Ha Long, Vietnam

Laguna Lăng CÔ
Thua Thien Hue, Vietnam

Mission Hills Haikou
Hainan, China

Mission Hills Resort
Shenzhen, China

Ria Bintan GC
Bintan Island, Indonesia

South Cape Owners Club
Namhae Island, South Korea

Vattanac Golf Resort
Phnom Penh, Cambodia

CONTINENTAL EUROPE

Arabella Golf Mallorca
Palma, Spain

Carya GC
Belek, Antalya, Turkey

Costa Navarino
Messinia, Greece

Finca Cortesin
Casares, Spain

Golf du Médoc
Bordeaux, France

Lofoten Links
Gimsøysand, Norway

Monte Rei G&CC
Tavira, Portugal

Oitavos Dunes
Lisbon, Portugal

PGA National Sweden
Bara, Sweden

Praia D’El Rey Golf & Beach Resort
Obidos, Portugal

Sotogrande Spa & Golf Resort
Alcaidesa, Spain

Terre Blanche Spa Golf Resort
Tourrettes, France

Verdura Resort
Sciacca, Sicily

MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA

Arabella Hotel, Golf & Spa
Phalaborwa, South Africa

Fancourt
George, South Africa

Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita
Beau Champ, Mauritius

Heritage Le Telfair Golf & Wellness Resort
Bel Ombre, Mauritius

Hilton Tangier Al Houara Resort & Spa
Tangier, Morocco

The Palace of the Lost City
Sun City, South Africa

Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort & Spa
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

SOUTH PACIFIC

13th Beach Golf Links
Barwon Heads, Australia

Barnbougle Dunes
Bridport, Australia

Cape Kidnappers / Robertson Lodges
Te Awanga, New Zealand

Château Élan at the Vintage
Hunter Valley, Australia

COMO Laucala Island
Laucala Island, Fiji

Hamilton Island Resort
Queensland, Australia

Joondalup Resort
Connolly WA, Australia

The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs
Matauri Bay, New Zealand

Te Arai Links
Tomarata, New Zealand

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