| 1. The Leopard Creek Country Club, South Africa |
South Africa is a rapidly developing country and golf here has really taken off over the last decade. Many people come to South Africa to see wild animals on safari but at the amazing the Leopard Creek Country Club you can enjoy nature while getting in a few rounds. This beautifully manicured course is on the southern border of South Africa’s most famous game reserve, Kruger Park.
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| 2. The Sandy Lane Golf Club, Barbados |
If you fancy rubbing shoulders with the elite then the Green Monkey course in Barbados is the place to go. The world’s most famous golfer, Tiger Woods, got married here, though this is not necessarily a good omen given how that marriage went! The course is named after the island’s indigenous primates and showcases Caribbean vegetation in a luxury setting.
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| 3. St Andrews Golf Course, Scotland |
Golf is a game with an immense history and the UK is the place to soak it all up. The St Andrews links course has been around for 600 years, making it the oldest course in the world, and the old course is still going strong having hosted the 2010 Open championship. That is why St Andrews Golf Course is regarded as the home of golf. Of course the weather here usually leaves something to be desired which is why this course separates the men from the boys.
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| 4. Quinta de Cima Golf Course, Portugal |
In terms of a high class Continental European golf course which is easy to reach, head to the five Quinta courses set across Almancil and Tavira in the Algarve, Portugal. They are Quinta do vale, Quinta do Lago North, Quinta do Lago South, Quinta da Ria and Quinta de Cima. The last course is one of the most challenging – only for those with a low handicap. Quinta de Cima also gives magnificent ocean and mountain views.
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| 5. East Lake Golf Club, Georgia, USA |
Georgia is obviously most famous for the Augusta Golf Club which hosts the US Open, but most normal mortals will never see those exclusive fairways. Another club which is famous for hosting tournaments is the East Lake Golf Club, where the tour championship is often held. East Lake Golf Club was the home club of legendary golfer Bobby Jones. This is the oldest club in Atlanta and it makes the charming gesture of donating all proceeds from play back into the local community. Now there’s some southern hospitality for you.
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| 6. Valderrama Golf Club, Spain |
Located in Cadiz, southern Spain, this is another golf club which is reasonable for most Europeans to get to thanks to cheap continental flights. As well as an 18 hole course, there is also a tricky 9 hole par 3 course if time is at a premium. Valderrama has continually flourished over the decades. It was voted best golf course in the world in 1999, before being bought by a business group headed by ‘Great White’ Greg Norman in 2010.
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| 7. The Sandpiper Golf Resort, Canada |
For many people golf is just an excuse to get out into the great outdoors and you are unlikely to find a more beautiful setting than the Sandpiper Golf Resort in Fraser Valley, Vancouver. The area may traditionally be associated with winter ski holidays but you can just as easily appreciate the stunning scenery during the summer. Stay in a charming log cabin overlooking the river in a quintessentially Canadian location. Sandpiper can also host everything from weddings to tournaments.
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| 8. The Wolf Creek Golf Course, Nevada, USA |
The hedonistic pleasures of Las Vegas are nearby but the town of Mesquite, home of the Wolf Creek Golf Course, also has a casino or two. The course gives incredible desert vistas with alluring red mountains distracting you from the job at hand. Greens and sand bunkers lie amidst huge rocks for the ultimate desert golfing experience. The 7,000 yard course has a mixture of short and long holes that will demand your full attention.
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| 9. The Al Badia Golf Club, Dubai |
It’s hard to imagine golf courses in the barren deserts of the United Arab Emirates, but Dubai is a city where anything is possible. Catering to an impossibly wealthy clientele, creating such attractions as the Al Badia Golf Club in Dubai was a must. Like a mirage in the desert it will lure you in, though only the insane would think of playing in the height of summer. The course is most intriguing for its ‘Rivers of Sand’ obstacle.
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| 10. The Royal St George’s Golf Course, England |
Hosting 13 Open championships dating as far back as 1894 is testament to the quality of the Royal St George’s Golf Course. It has also caught the public imagination as the setting for the Ian Fleming James Bond novel Goldfinger, though the title was changed to Royal St Mark’s. Located across the dune lands of Kent, the course is notorious for its many blind shots.
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