Golf is finally back on the agenda and no matter where you live, it is something you can make the most of during (and after) lockdown. Here are some of the best golf courses around the world for you to enjoy…

With golf back on the agenda, apparently tee times are selling out fast across the UK. Once golf enthusiasts have perfect their skills at home, they will be ready for some of the best courses around the world once we can travel again.  To save you time, we have pulled together some of the best golf courses worldwide from North Carolina to Mauritius for golf lovers to start dreaming. Here are some of the best golf courses around the world for you to enjoy…

What: Hone your skills with an expert PGA-certified instructor

Where: Boulders Resort and Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona

First on our list of best golf courses around the world is at Boulders Resort and Spa in Arizona. Named after the 12-million year old Boulder formations in which the resort  stands, this luxurious hideaway is surrounded by the Sonoran desert and nature that has been intentionally left untouched, allowing indigenous flora and fauna to thrive. Scottsdale’s Boulder’s Resort and Spa is home to two-award winning golf courses designed by renowned golf architect Jay Morrish. Both courses feature 18 holes and were designed to take advantage of the unique terrain around boulder formations and natural vegetation. Players can take advantage of the ‘Caddiemaster’ programme where certified caddie professionals who know the tricks and the challenges of the golf courses help a player’s tee shot. This is the course on which to refine and perfect your skills with the expertise of the resorts PGA and LPGA-certified instructors.

What: Play the course of champions

Where: Pinehurst in North Carolina

This golfer’s paradise is known as the St Andrews of American golf with nine courses scattered among the Carolina pines and steeped in history. The No. 2 course, designed by Donald Ross, is one of the world’s most celebrated golf courses and it may also be the closest America has to a traditional Scottish links course. It has served as the site of the most single golf championships than any course in America and hosted back-to-back U.S Open and U.S Women’s Open Championships for the first time in 2014. The U.S Open Championship will be returning in 2024.

What: Take in Canada’s breath-taking views

Where: Cobble Beach Golf Links, Ontario

Perched atop the rocky cliff tops of Georgian Bay overlooking the serene Lake Huron, the Cobble Beach Golf Links offers a great location to play a round of golf. The course was designed by prolific architect Doug Carrick, who created this fast-running green with small pot bunkers and fantastic lake views. After playing, guests can make use of the award-winning Nantucket-style Clubhouse and its Sweetwater Restaurant & Bar, with a wraparound terrace offering the perfect spot to sit back and take in the impressive views.

What: Play in one of Japan’s most beautiful golf courses

Where: Prince Kawana Hotel, Japan

Located on the Izu Peninsula, is home to two of Japan’s most spectacular golf courses and two of the best golf courses around the world: Fuji Course and Oshima Course. It was also Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio’s honeymoon destination. Surrounded by the beautiful greenery of the courses and blues of the Pacific, the hotel provides unprecedented access to some of Japan’s most sought after golfing spots. Exclusively available for hotel guests, the famous Fuji Course is considered among one of the best in the world for both its beauty and its challenges. Designed by C.H. Alison, the 18 hole course opened in 1936, and makes good use of the rich natural features of the area, ensuring golfers can enjoy the breath-taking scenery of the area whilst making their way around the course. Alternatively, the Oshima Course, framed by the impressive colours of Sagami Bay, makes for an enjoyable day for beginners. After a day of golfing, guests can enjoy a dip in the luxurious Brisa Marina Onsen with amazing sea views.

What: Enjoy golfing in the south of the island

Where: The Avalon Golf Estate, Mauritius 

Located in the heart of nature in Bois Cheri in the South of the island, this course is designed to offer golfers the chance to enjoy the natural beauty of the course and their surroundings as they play a round. It is the only inland course on the island, making it easily accessible from all areas of Mauritius and offering cooler temperatures amongst the south-central mountains of Mauritius. This 18-hole international standard golf course was designed by world-renowned South-African architect Peter Matkovich course and offers a diverse setting of tea plantations, rivers, ravines, mountains combined with a sweeping view of the Southern coastline and spectacular Indian Ocean.

What: Tee off with the Arabian Gulf as your backdrop

Where: Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, Abu Dhabi

Keen golfers staying at the Rixos Premium Saadiyat Island hotel are perfectly placed across the road from one of the best golf courses around the world and also one of the most spectacular – the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club. The Abu Dhabi course is billed as the Arabian Gulf’s first ocean-fronted course, meaning players can tee off alongside the azure coastline, with the chance to spot dolphins and turtles out at sea. The Gary Player-designed 18-hole championship course is a Par 72 course, designed with both amateurs and professionals in mind, weaving around five-star hotels, salt-water lakes and sand dunes, with six holes featuring panoramic Gulf views. Following a round, golfers can relax in the course’s Hawksbill Restaurant – named after the endangered turtles that lay their eggs on the nearby dunes – or head back to their hotel to take a dip in the warm sea and dine at one of the many a la carte restaurants.

What: Play legendary golfer, Jack Nicklaus’ favourite course

Where: A Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Puerto Rico

Last but not least in our list of best golf courses around the world is in Peurto Rico. Home to a hole proclaimed to be ‘one of the top 10 holes in the world’ by legendary golfer, Jack Nicklaus, Dorado Beach, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Puerto Rico offers golfers two challenging courses amongst island paradise. Designed by renowned golf architect Robert Trent Jones Sr, the resort’s two courses, East and Sugarcane, present players with both the joy and challenge of the sport. Designed to capture the beauty of nature, the courses offer 18 holes each and uses native sand, man-made rivers and contoured bunkers to test even the most seasoned golfer.

What are your thoughts on the best golf courses around the world? Let us know in the comments below!