10 Best Areas For Golf Tours In The UK

Looking to go on a golf tour in the UK? We list some great areas to visit

Best Areas For Golf Tours In The UK Hillside Golf Club Course Review southport golfers guide
Hillside Golf Club in Southport

Looking to go on a golf tour in the UK?

10 Best Areas For Golf Tours In The UK

Already thinking about your next golfing tour for 2019?

The UK is home to some of the greatest courses in the world and occasionally we get decent weather here so there really is no need to go abroad.

Related: Top 100 Courses UK&Ireland

Bear in mind, whilst all of these courses do take visitors, groups of 8/12/16 may struggle to get on with ease. Always check well advance before you book.

Below, we take a look at 10 of the best areas for a golf tour in the UK...

Nottingham

Notts Golf Club Course Review

Notts GC

The midlands city makes for a great base, or perhaps Mansfield slightly further north, for you to play two of England's greatest heathland tracks - Notts GC and Sherwood Forest.

Courses to play: Notts GC, Sherwood Forest, Coxmoor, Worksop

Related: 25 of the UK's best heathland golf courses

Southport

Formby 16th revised

Formby

Southport, on the Lancashire coast, is one of the biggest towns in 'England's Golf Coast' as its known. It is home to some of the UK's best links courses including Royal Birkdale and West Lancs. As well as those, there are plenty of other top 100 courses in the area too. It's not the cheapest place to play golf in the world, but it is more than worth it.

Courses to play: Royal Birkdale, Hillside, Southport and Ainsdale, West Lancashire, Formby

Leeds

Moortown Golf Club Course Review

Moortown

Leeds in Yorkshire makes for a brilliant golfing break for heathland fans, as Alwoodley and Moortown, two early Alister MacKenzie designs, lie just north of the city. Stay in Headingley and play those two as well as Headingley, which is Leeds' oldest golf club. Venture an hour or so east via York and bolt on Ganton and Fulford to your trip, you won't regret it!

Courses to play: Moortown, Alwoodley, Headingley

Bournemouth area

broadstone golf club course review

Broadstone

Bournemouth is another paradise for heathland golf fans, but there are two other exceptional non-heathland courses to play in the region. Bournemouth's Big Three - Parkstone, Broadstone and Ferndown - are all in our Top 100 UK&I plus Isle of Purbeck GC and Remedy Oak which are in England's Top 100 list.

Courses to play: Parkstone, Broadstone, Ferndown, Isle of Purbeck, Remedy Oak

Related: The best golf courses in Dorset

St Andrews

Golf Tourism Worth £286 Million to Scotland

The Old Course at St Andrews

The Home of Golf will get the juices flowing, and a round on the Old Course, as difficult as it is to get, isn't impossible. St Andrews is a full-on golf town and a stay there is magical for golf fans. There are dozens of golf courses in the area so you could spend weeks in the town, highlights barring the Old Course include Kingsbarns, the Castle Course, the Duke's Course and the New Course.

Courses to play: Old Course, Kingsbarns, Castle Course, Duke's, New Course, Fairmont St Andrews, Scottscraig

Ayr

Trump Turnberry Resort Ailsa Course Pictures

Trump Turnberry

On the west coast of Scotland lies Ayr, a great town to base yourself for a week or so to play some of the country's greatest courses - in fact, Scotland's best course according to the Golf Monthly rankings, Turnberry. Venture slightly north and play the likes of Royal Troon, Kilmarnock (Barassie), Prestwick, Dundonald, Gailes and Western Gailes, and then head slightly south to play the two courses at Trump Turnberry - the simply sensational Ailsa course as well as the King Robert The Bruce course.

Courses to play: Turnberry, Troon, Dundonald, Gailes Links, Western Gailes, Prestwick, Kilmarnock

Expand Top 100 Courses UK and Ireland

Top 100 Courses UK and Ireland

Top 100 Courses UK and Ireland

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Expand The Best Golf Courses In Wales

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Kent

Royal St George's Golf Club Pictures

Royal St George's

The bottom-right corner of England features three beautiful links golf courses which have all hosted the Open Championship. Base yourself in Deal, or perhaps on-site at Prince's, and play Royal St George's, Royal Cinque Ports and the 27 holes at Prince's. You'll encounter some of England's greatest links courses along the way.

Courses to play: Royal St. George's, Royal Cinque Ports, Prince's

Related: The best golf courses in Kent

Swansea area

Pennard Golf Club

Pennard

Wales is perhaps slightly underrated when it comes to golf in the UK, but it has some excellent courses, some of which feature in our Top 100 list. A good spot to stay is in Swansea or just to the east side where you'll find Royal Porthcawl and Pyle and Kenfig, and then travel further west through Swansea and play Pennard, known as the 'Links in the Sky'.

Courses to play: Royal Porthcawl, Pyle and Kenfig, Pennard

Related: 10 of the best golf courses in Wales

Birmingham area

A-Z of the Ryder Cup

The iconic 10th hole on The Belfry's Brabazon Course

The Birmingham area is where you'll find four-time Ryder Cup venue The Belfry as well as plenty of other great heathland and parkland courses. A great trip would include the Belfry's Brabazon course, the Arden Course at the Forest of Arden, Copt Heath, Sutton Coldfield, Edgebaston and Little Aston.

Courses to play: The Belfry, Forest of Arden, Copt Heath, Little Aston, Edgebaston, Sutton Coldfield

Cornwall/Devon

St Enodoc MUZZA 6th 3

St Enodoc

Because of Cornwall's location, golfing there is actually very reasonable. It has some stunning golf courses including two that sit in our UK&I Top 100 - St Enodoc and Trevose. Padstow makes a great base to play these two. Other great courses include the Nicklaus at St Mellion and if you're driving back along the north side you could also play the three GM Top 100 courses at Saunton and Royal North Devon.

Courses to play: St Enodoc, Trevose, St Mellion, Royal North Devon, Saunton

Related: The best golf courses in Cornwall

Other great UK golfing destinations:

Inverness area

Play: Castle Stuart, Nairn, Royal Dornoch

Lincolnshire

Play: Woodhall Spa, Forest Pines

Suffolk coast

Play: Aldeburgh, Thorpeness

Norfolk's north coast

Play: Hunstanton, Royal West Norfolk, Royal Cromer and Sheringham

Aberdeen

Play: Trump International Golf Links, Murcar, Royal Aberdeen, Cruden Bay

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Elliott Heath
News Editor

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!


Elliott is currently playing:


Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV