Portugal
Portugal’s Silver Coast, which faces the Atlantic, has emerged as the country’s second coming in golf, following the long-term success of the Algarve in the far south. Setting the benchmark here is Praia D’El Rey (main image, photo: James Hogg), home to a stunning championship course designed by Cabell B. Robinson, who was the unsung hero of the European operations of Robert Trent Jones Sr. for two decades.
Here, golf is defined by the shoreline to the west (with views of the nearby Berlengas Islands) and the beautifully preserved pine forests to the east, with Praia D’El Rey perfectly merging the sandy dunes and woodlands into a golf adventure. To extend their adventure, visitors can visit the nearby whitewashed town of Óbidos and sample the legendary Ginjinha de Óbidos, a sour cherry brandy traditionally served in a small chocolate cup.
England
It is often the case around the British shoreline that where you find one classic links golf course, you’ll find one or two more just over the next sand dune. This is especially so along Sandwich Bay in Kent, in England’s southeastern reaches, where Prince’s sits at the top of a links golf chain. The legendary Royal St. George’s is just over the southern boundary, and Royal Cinque Ports is over the next wire fence. All three have hosted the Open, with Prince’s turn coming back in 1932. American tourist Gene Sarazen won the Claret Jug that year, with his recently invented sand wedge coming into good use amid Prince’s formidable bunkering.
Prince’s today has three nines—Himalayas, Shore, and Dunes. Overall, they offer a gentler links test than their Royal neighbors, but extensive renovations and improvements in recent years, under the guidance of links specialists Tom Mackenzie and Martin Ebert, have left all 27 holes looking and playing better than ever.
Norway
“Golf courses do not have to fit into what is normally expected” is how photographer Jacob Sjöman describes this club and resort in Norway’s far north. In the Lofoten Islands—located above the Arctic Circle—the sky never darkens in summer, allowing for midnight tee times. In fall, the northern lights regularly illuminate the night sky with neon tones.
The world’s northernmost links-style course is open from May until mid-October, with the Norwegian Sea coming into play on many holes. Even when the sea is out of range, rugged rocks and sandy beaches invariably enter the golfer’s line of sight. At 6,662 yards from the tips, the course is not very long, but success depends on keeping shots on the fairways and greens. The landscape is incredible—but not necessarily kind.
Accommodation comes in a cluster of traditional Nordic lodges accompanied by a cozy restaurant set in a converted barn.
England
The 154th Open will be played at Royal Birkdale in July 2026, and since the Open was first staged there, in 1954, only St Andrews has hosted the championship more often during the ensuing 71 years. Located on England’s northwestern Lancashire coast, and with every hole framed by rolling dunes, Birkdale is arguably the most picturesque of the Open golf courses. Arnold Palmer famously won the Claret Jug here for the first time, amid a gale in 1961, and the 10th and last champ at Birkdale was another American, Jordan Spieth, in 2017.
An updated Birkdale golf course, masterminded by links specialist Tom Mackenzie, will reopen to visitors in March 2026, complete with a brand-new, par-3 15th hole.
Italy
With its hilltop hotel, historic farmhouse villas, Michelin two-star restaurant, and Brunello winery, this 5,000-acre country estate outside of Montalcino is the embodiment of the Tuscan fantasy, albeit with a twist: a first-class golf course. The Club at Castiglion del Bosco—billed as the only private golf course in Italy—is the work of Tom Weiskopf, who embraced the Tuscan topography with a light-touch layout that flows naturally through sweeping valleys, hillside vineyards, and cypress-studded ridges. Only open to members and hotel guests, the golf course hosts just 4,000 rounds per year.
Greece
Greece is home to just nine 18-hole golf courses, and one could make the case that the four best belong to Costa Navarino. Set on the southwestern tip of the mainland, the luxury development includes four resorts—the Westin, the Romanos, the W, and the Mandarin Oriental—spread over 2,471 acres. Its inaugural golf course, the Dunes, debuted 15 years ago as a collaboration between European Golf Design and two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer. The seaside routing brings a links feel to the Grecian coast with large undulating greens and steep-faced pot bunkers. Set higher on the bluff and sweeping across the ridgeline, two newer courses—Navarino Hills and the International Olympic Academy Golf Course—are the handiwork of José María Olazábal. It’s Robert Trent Jones II’s Bay Course, however, that tugs strongest at our heartstrings, with wide fairways, modest length, and scenic beauty to create a truly memorable round.
France
Terre Blanche is a fusion of qualities synonymous with the South of France. Understated, sophisticated French chic pervades everything here, yet the resort is also très naturel and at one with its hilly, forested landscape in Provence. Welshman Dave Thomas designed 36 eco-friendly golf holes on the sprawling, sparsely developed estate. The tour-level Le Château is closed for renovation until September 2026, but its immaculate “little brother,” Le Riou—offering slightly smaller greens, more twists and turns, and greater changes of elevation—presents a more than adequate alternative, a true escape into golf tranquility. Complementing Terre Blanche’s golf courses is an expansive golf academy, as well as a sumptuous spa; villas and suites are tucked within lush and fragrant gardens. The resort’s Michelin-starred Le Faventia offers the extraordinary journey that is Sentiers Méditerranéens (Mediterranean Trails), a seven-course tasting menu that extends the wondrous spell cast by Terre Blanche.
Italy
Thousands of tourists flock to Sicily each summer for the sea, sun, historic sites, and distinct regional cuisine. Now we can add world-class golf to the island’s long list of allures. In addition to more than 200 rooms, suites, and villas designed by the celebrated Italian architect Flavio Albanese, this 570-acre Rocco Forte resort features two 18-hole courses designed by Kyle Phillips of Kingsbarns fame. The West Shore is marked by bold contours that give it a muscular look and feel. By contrast, the East Links plays over terrain that is more subtle and softer in appearance and includes a pair of holes along the shores of the Mediterranean.
CONTRIBUTORS:
Robin Barwick, Shaun Tolson & Bruce Wallin.
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