The UK has golf courses to suit every level of player, so whether your client is a newcomer or a seasoned golfer you won’t have to look far for the perfect golf holiday.
We’ve selected five of the best golf venues from around the UK, from Dalmahoy on the fringes of Edinburgh to La Moye in the Channel Islands.
The Belfry, West Midlands
Best for experts
The Belfry is one of Britain’s leading golf venues – its Brabazon course is the only one to have hosted the Ryder Cup four times, most recently in 2002. This September it stages the British Masters.
The venue best suits low-handicap players, and has three courses, most notably the 6,407-yard, par-72 parkland Brabazon, designed by Dave Thomas and Peter Allis in 1977.
Thomas also designed the 6,365-yard PGA National Course, which is allied to the PGA National Golf Academy.
The third course at The Belfry is the par-70 Derby, measuring just over 6,000 yards and suitable for beginners as well as experienced golfers. The Belfry has conference and banqueting facilities and a well-equipped AquaSpa complex.
Sample package: Two nights’ accommodation with breakfast at The Belfry costs £98 per person twin-share in mid-August. A round on the Brabazon course costs between £70 and £165.
See the Belfry’s location on Google Maps
Marriott Dalmahoy Hotel and Country Club, Edinburgh
Best for beginners
The long-established Marriott Dalmahoy is one of Scotland’s best golf venues. It has two courses, the longer of which is the 7,475-yard, par-72 East Course, home to the Charles Church Scottish Seniors’ Open.
The other is the 5,168-yard, par-68 West Course, which has some testing holes with tight fairways.
The West Course has five par-three holes, ranging from just 110 yards upwards, with beguiling names such as Wee Yin and Witches’ Lair, and just one par-five – the 531-yard Lang Dalmahoy.
The Dalmahoy is one of nine Marriott resorts in the UK offering the Learn to Play Golf programme. The six-lesson course is for total beginners, combining PGA professional tuition with video analysis. Dalmahoy also has a golf academy offering practice facilities and tuition.
Sample package: Marriott’s midweek Escape Golf package at Dalmahoy includes accommodation in a deluxe room on a twin-share basis, with three-course dinner and breakfast, plus two rounds of golf for £250 a night during September. Access to the hotel’s Leisure Club is included.
See the Dalmahoy’s location on Google Maps
Woodbury Park Hotel, Golf and Country Club, Devon
Best for business
Owned by ex-Formula 1 driver Nigel Mansell, Woodbury Park combines 27 holes with six meeting rooms that can hold up to 250.
Business guests with a day to spare can play the par-73, 7,314-yard Oaks course, purchased by Mansell in 1994 and characterised by tree-lined fairways, top-class greens and views of Dartmoor.
The gentler Acorns circuit is a nine-hole, par-32 course with its large greens and waiting bunkers. There is also a 16-bay driving range with views across the Exe Valley.
The property, near Exmouth, is ideal for those who want to fit a round in between business commitments. After the business, guests can visit the World of Racing museum, which houses some of Mansell’s cars and trophies.
Sample package: Two nights’ midweek accommodation with breakfast at Woodbury Park costs £110 per person on a twin-share basis in mid-September, in a standard room overlooking the Oaks course.
See Woodbury Park’s location on Google Maps
Stoke Park Club, Bucks
Best for golf widows/widowers
Stoke Park is another prime golfing venue featuring 27 holes – three nine-hole loops on the Stoke Poges course – along with an award-winning spa in the Grade I listed Palladian mansion.
The parkland course made Golf World magazine’s top 100 courses a couple of years ago and is celebrating its centenary in 2008.
The signature seventh hole, now complete with lake and waterfall, is the one visitors talk about most. The 12th at Augusta in Georgia, revered home of the US Masters was modelled on it.
Non-golfing partners who fancy the hotel’s luxury spa while the other half tees off.
18 holes in midweek during summer will set you back £140, though you can play a midweek round between November and February for £50.
Sample package: Stoke Park’s one-night Golf Break package includes accommodation in a Club Room with three-course table d’hote dinner, breakfast and one round of golf for £540 a night for two people.
See Stoke Park’s location on Google Maps
La Moye, Jersey
Best for a seaside round
La Moye is a links-style course, meaning it runs along the coast. It has all the traditional qualities associated with a links course – pot bunkers, extensive sand hills, firm and fast greens, and areas of thick rough and gorse.
The rocky outcrops on some of the fairways present a hazard, and there is often a strong wind blowing off the sea to make staying under par even harder.
Located at St Brelade, the course is 6,797 yards long and players can enjoy views of St Ouen’s Bay.
La Moye has been in place for more than a century, having been created to take the overflow from the prestigious Royal Jersey. It now figures on the European PGA Seniors Tour.
Golfing guests may find themselves treading the fairways with Tony Jacklin or Ian Woosnam, who are both honorary members.
Sample package: Premier Holidays offers a four-night break with breakfast at the four-star Atlantic Hotel, in a room overlooking the La Moye course, for £379 in October. The price includes ferry travel with own car from Portsmouth.
See La Moye’s location on Google Maps
