Golf Experiences Worth Traveling For

Golf is often said to be a game of inches, but now, you could say it’s also a game of miles.

That’s because golf tourism is booming, on track to become a $27 billion global market in 2025 and projected to reach nearly $66 billion by 2035, according to Future Market Insights. In the US alone, more than 12 million Americans have taken an overnight trip to play golf each year since 2022, up from about 8 million in 2018, reports the National Golf Foundation (NGF).

“This appetite not only highlights golf’s popularity but mirrors a broader societal trend toward experiential pursuits. And it’s being driven especially by the allure of aspirational courses and bucket-list destinations,” commented the folks at the NGF in a recent public statement.

The idea of golfers going the whole nine yards to enjoy the game is nothing new. As legendary golf course architect Pete Dye once said, “The ardent golfer would play Mount Everest if someone put a flagstick on top.” What is new is that those great lengths now extend around the world and appeal to a fast-growing number of golfers from all walks of life, partly fueled by opportunities for play in the game’s scenic, sprawling spaces during the pandemic.

And while you may not be able to plant your flagstick on the world’s tallest mountain anytime soon, the travel industry is in full swing curating immersive experiences both on and off the course. From bucket-list courses to ritzy resorts to cruises that call on courses in ports of call, here’s some inspiration to level up your next golf getaway.

Golf’s hallowed ground

Scotland, the birthplace of golf as we know it, claims more than 500 courses, but only The Old Course at St. Andrews is considered a golfing rite of passage—and for good reason. After all, it was here on this classic links course that the game took root more than 600 years ago. Today, The Old Course remains playable six days a week and serves as a public park on Sundays.

While scoring Old Course tee times can be more challenging than landing an ace (booking through your travel provider is often your best bet), you can still walk this hallowed ground of golfing and delve into its storied history with a guided tour. Cap off your experience with a meal at the Tom Morris Bar & Grill at the Links Clubhouse, which serves up traditional Scottish cuisine (think dry-aged Scotch beef, seared Scottish scallops and sticky toffee pudding) along with premium golf course views. Also, be sure to swing by The R&A (Royal & Ancient) World Golf Museum, featuring a vast memorabilia collection tracing the evolution of golf.

Beyond golf, the university town of St. Andrews merits a visit all its own. Here, you can explore the ancient ruins of the cathedral of St. Andrew and the remains of a medieval castle; pop into a handful of small museums and dozens of family-owned and -operated shops, restaurants and pubs; and even squeeze in some beach time on the same sands on which the running scene from Chariots of Fire was filmed. At the end of the day, the Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa, which sits alongside the 17th hole of The Old Course, offers a luxurious respite with gourmet dining options, a Kohler Waters Spa and, naturally, a golf academy.

Greens with envy

What tops teeing off your travels in Scotland? How about following up that play with a journey to Ireland, threaded with ribbons of undulating greenery punctuated by castles and cliffside coastlines? You can’t swing a 9 iron without hitting an iconic course in the Emerald Isle, which has nearly as many greens as its Scottish neighbor, including a trove of natural links. The hardest part? Picking which courses make the cut.

Luckily for travelers, several tour operators offer customizable itineraries that take in some of the best golf clubs in the Celtic Isles. Imagine being chauffeured by a local guide/storyteller to legendary courses—think Royal Portrush, Portmarnock, Old Head, Ballybunion and more—including playing alongside PGA-qualified instructors who offer pro tips to improve your game.

Entertaining diversions abound off the course, too, from horseback-riding through a national park to learning the art of falconry to tasting your way through Celtic culture on a food or whiskey tour. All the while, your home away from home is fit for royalty with accommodations that could include a stay at the famous 16th-century Dromoland Castle or The K-Club manor house, set on a 550-acre bucolic estate.

No wonder golfers call the Emerald Isle the “green of dreams.”

Stay and play

You don’t have to travel overseas for luxury golf experiences, of course. In fact, the US is home to the mother lode of courses—according to the NGF, more than 16,000 of them (that’s more stateside golf courses than McDonald’s eateries). And where there is a major course, there tends to be a major resort to extend the play. Research from the NGF shows that more than 40 percent of the new golf course openings in the past five years have a resort connection or are “destination locations” with golf being the central draw. It all translates to more than 1,250 US golf facilities having a resort component, including some of the sport’s most celebrated courses.

Will it be California’s Pebble Beach, where a 17-mile coastal drive, award-winning vineyards and bagpiper-serenaded sunsets await? Or North Carolina’s Pinehurst, where horse-and-carriage rides, brewery tours and village strolls are par for the course? Or how about Oregon’s Bandon Dunes, where oceanside hiking trails, fishing for largemouth bass and a walk-through labyrinth for meditation beckon? And there’s Wisconsin’s American Club, home to a Kohler Water Spa, a health and racquet club with a private beach, and a 500-acre wilderness preserve for getting “lost” in the woods.

From cruise to course

Cruise lines are getting in on the game, too, with guided excursions that invite you to play at renowned golf courses in ports around the world.

Azamara’s golf cruise program, for example, offers excursions to more than 80 courses in 25 countries. Onboard specialists handle all the details, and an on-course lunch and a post-round of drinks at the clubhouse are included.

Uniworld Boutique River Cruises features golf packages on select Brilliant Bordeaux sailings this coming summer. On two occasions during your cruise, you’ll be escorted to a top-rated 18-hole course and be treated to a meal at the clubhouse. Tee times, golf carts and transfers are all taken care of.

Through its exclusive Concierge Golf Program, AmaWaterways takes guests golfing on select Magna on the Danube and Impressions of the Seine & Paris itineraries (new in 2026). You’ll sail through Old World Europe and stop to play at up to five championship courses along the way, complete with farm-to-table dining. Concierge services even include club care and cleaning.

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On land and by sea, opportunities to swing off your next vacation with some great golf abound. Short of securing tee times on Mount Everest, the travel industry will be there with some strokes of genius to help you travel at the top of your game.