10 Best Golf Hotels in the World

1. Rusacks St. Andrews

St. Andrews, Scotland

St. Andrews is aptly known as the “Home of Golf.” With a good enough handicap and a little luck, you’ll hopefully score a tee time at the iconic Old Course. For a storied stay, book a room at Rusacks St. Andrews, a hotel in a historic 1800s-era building that’s been meticulously made over with a country club feel. Think tartan carpets, vintage clubs stitched on throw pillows, portraits of golf demigod Old Tom Morris, and emerald green bedspreads that evoke the links.

While you’re waiting for your steak to cook at 18, the rooftop restaurant and bar, step out and practice your short game on the balcony’s putting green. The restaurant, as well as the guest rooms, come with stellar views of the Old Course (the greens almost look like velvet during golden hour) and West Sands Beach—which is where the opening shots of Chariots of Fire were filmed. 

Rusacks St. Andrews also offers a “Spirits of Fife” package that includes a tour and tasting at the Kingsbarn whisky distillery, as well as a chance to blend botanicals into your own signature gin with Eden Mill.

2. The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay

Half Moon Bay, CA

Your senses might trick you into thinking you’re swinging iron in Scotland while at The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay, a cliffside retreat in Northern California with two championship golf courses perched above the moody Pacific Ocean. With views of the water from every hole, the Ocean Course is a Scottish links-style course designed by notable golf architect Arthur Hills. 

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Fairways on The Old Course are lined with cypress trees. At sunset, the resort’s resident bagpiper circles the property and its courses, performing for guests. Book a first-floor room at the resort’s Fireside Terrace, which has “golf-in, golf-out” access to the greens.

3. The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort

Punta Mita, Mexico

Sync your tee time up with low tide so you can take your golf cart off-roading across the water and play the world-famous Tale of the Whale Hole 3B that’s billed as the world’s only offshore hole on a natural island. The hole is part of the Pacífico Golf Course in the Punta Mita development of Riviera Nayarit. Make The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort your homebase for a golf-centric vacation. The beachfront resort also provides access to two Jack Nicklaus Signature golf courses. Deluxe suites come with terraces and private outdoor showers.

4. Velaa Private Island

Maldives

Up for a challenge? How does a tee time after sunset sound? At Velaa Private Island in the Maldives, golfers can play a round on the 9-hole golf course with balls that light up on contact and remain lit during play. The hole, the flag, and the course are illuminated, too. The island also has an indoor teaching studio with retractable doors that allow you to practice or take lessons, no matter the weather. 

5. Eden Roc Cap Cana

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic has emerged as one of the best places to golf in the Caribbean, a reputation solidified by Punta Espada, an 18-hole, par-72 course at Eden Roc Cap Cana. Bright green fairways hug the coastline, with eight holes playing along or above the Caribbean. The property also has a golf butler who can schedule tee times and lead stretch sessions with you before you head out to the course. At the spa, book a massage that incorporates golf balls and take a yoga class that’s tailored for golfers. 

6. Marine North Berwick

North Berwick, Scotland

About an hour from Edinburgh, North Berwick is a seaside escape with whisky distilleries, castles, restaurants clinging to cliffs, great surf, and even better golf. Book a room at the Marine North Berwick, where you can play putting games on the private putting green in the hotel’s garden and borrow sets of Titleist clubs to play at one of the area’s 20-plus golf courses set along coastal terrain.

The hotel overlooks the 16th hole of the historic West Links course at the North Berwick Golf Club. In your down time, wander to the cobblestone downtown, equipped with Scottish pubs and a fish n’ chips stand, or take a boat trip to Bass Rock, where spotting puffins is almost a sure bet.

7. The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee

Greensboro, GA

About 1 1/2 hours from the Masters Tournament home in Augusta is a Georgia golf retreat with five championship courses and 99 holes to play. Stay at The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee, which has an endless summer feel with 30 miles of shoreline, hammocks throughout the property, and crackling fire pits for roasting s’mores at night. As for the courses? They’re nestled amid oak, magnolia, and dogwood trees. At The Reynolds Kingdom of Golf, golfers can take lessons from Charlie King, a top-rated golf instructor, and get custom club fittings with a TaylorMade Master Club Fitter.

8. Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea

Kihei, HI

Scout your course before you play it by taking a private helicopter tour over the Wailea Golf Club, which has three courses set on the foothills of the dormant Mount Haleakala. The Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea’s “Unforgettable Golf Adventure” package includes the sneak aerial peek of the courses before you play. Back on land, many holes come with views of the Pacific, and you just may spot humpback whales from November to May. For more golf-centric fun, the resort has a TopGolf Swing Suite to play virtual golf games with TaylorMade equipment. 

9. Coeur d’Alene Resort

Coeur d’Alene, ID

Leave the golf cart behind; a sleek mahogany boat will deliver you to the 14th hole at Coeur d’Alene Resort’s Golf Course. The famous floating green is on a man-made, moveable island—and the winches that move the green are driven by hydraulics that allow the green’s distance to change. Coeur d’Alene is known as the “Playground of the Pacific Northwest.” In between rounds, take out a pontoon or sport boat from the Boardwalk Marina.

10. The Broadmoor

Colorado Springs, CO

Legends have been made at The Broadmoor, a European-inspired hotel in the Rockies. The East Course has hosted several major tournaments over the years, including the 1959 U.S. Amateur, when a 19-year-old Jack Nicklaus nabbed his first major win. The victory, he says, was the “stepping stone to realizing that I might really have a future in the game.” Moreover, Annika Sorenstam clinched her first major title on the East Course during the 1995 U.S. Women’s Open.

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A key to this challenging course with wide, tree-lined fairways is to know that your putts break away from the mountains. Book a stay in one of the resort’s cottages, which overlook Cheyenne Mountain and The East Course. The Broadmoor will host the U.S. Senior Open in 2025.