Swing into paradise: 15 of the best golf courses in the world

From historic icons to rising stars, these are the golf courses worth the journey.

Mist lingers on the Swilcan Bridge as first light washes over the Old Course at St Andrews, a public links so treasured it turns into a town park every Sunday. Half a world away, gulls wheel above Pebble Beach’s tiny, cliff-perched seventh hole, where a wedge feels like a leap into the Pacific. In Georgia, azaleas ignite the slopes of Augusta National’s Amen Corner, a botanical blaze that frames golf’s most-watched three-hole stretch.

These moments – equal parts scenery, history and shot-making drama – explain why the best golf courses in the world capture our imagination long before we ever step onto the tee. In this guide, you’ll find 15 famous golf courses worth traveling for – some steeped in legend, others rising fast. From signature holes and design quirks to booking tips and unforgettable views, we’ve gathered the details that turn a great round into the trip of a lifetime.

Ranking golf courses to decide the best golf courses in the world

Golf publications try to distill greatness into neat percentages – Golf Digest scores shot options, aesthetics, conditioning and even a new “fun” factor, while Top 100 Golf Courses weighs history and character. Yet panelists still admit to personal bias. One writer confessed, “I can’t believe this course ranked so low! I’m guilty of these reactions all the time.”

Golf course designers are no less opinionated. “The designer’s chief object … is to imitate the beauties of nature so closely as to make his work indistinguishable from nature itself,” said Dr. Alister MacKenzie, architect of Augusta National and Royal Melbourne. Donald Ross put it more bluntly – “There is no such thing as a misplaced bunker. It is the player’s business to avoid it.”

That push and pull – between analytics and instinct, rules and romance – is part of what makes ranking golf courses so compelling. A spreadsheet can measure green speed and yardage, but only a golfer can explain why one round haunts them for years. That’s why our Top 15 best golf courses in the world isn’t just about numbers – it’s about memories that leave a mark.

Top golf courses in the world: nine famous golf courses you need to play

St Andrews Old Course – Fife, Scotland

The Old Course at St Andrews isn’t just one of the most famous golf courses in the world – it’s where the game began. Today, players navigate double greens shared by two holes at a time, bunkers with nicknames like Hell and Road, and a tee shot on the 17th that flies over the corner of a hotel.

“A puzzle no one will ever solve.”
— Tom Watson on St Andrews Old Course

Augusta National – Georgia, USA

Once a tree nursery, Augusta National now blooms with history and precision. Every hole has a botanical name, and none is more famous than the 13th – Azalea – a sharp dogleg that explodes in pink every April. It’s one of the best golf courses in the world, but you can’t just call for a tee time. Instead, hopeful fans enter a ticket lottery months in advance for the chance to walk the fairways during the Masters.

Pebble Beach Golf Links – California, USA

Playing Pebble Beach feels like walking a tightrope along the edge of the continent. The tiny 7th hole drops straight toward the pounding Pacific – just 100 yards, but with wind and nerves in play, it’s never simple. The 8th demands a bold shot over a deep ocean cove, and the 18th wraps dramatically around Carmel Bay. It’s truly one of the best golf courses in the world, where every hole blends scenery and strategy.

“If I had only one more round to play, I would choose Pebble.”
— Jack Nicklaus

Royal County Down – Newcastle, Northern Ireland

At Royal County Down, every shot feels like an adventure. You’ll hit blind drives over towering dunes, thread approaches past bunkers hidden in tall marram grass, and play with the Mourne Mountains rising behind you and the sea stretching out ahead. It’s one of the most visually striking and famous golf courses in the world, known for bold contours and unforgiving winds.

Scotland hosts about 560 courses – roughly one for every 9,000 residents – giving it the highest golf-course density on the planet.

Pine Valley Golf Club – New Jersey, USA

Pine Valley is a place of legends and landmines. George Crump carved the course through sandy pine barrens, creating dramatic fairways and hazards with names like Hell’s Half Acre. It’s consistently ranked as one of the best golf courses in the world, praised for its precision and difficulty.

Royal Melbourne West – Victoria, Australia

Dr. Alister MacKenzie’s Sandbelt masterpiece at Royal Melbourne West glows gold under the southern sun, with bunkers that blend effortlessly into firm, wiry turf. Short par-4s like the 4th tempt you to attack the green, then punish anything less than perfect.

No35, FINE DINING IN MELBOURNE

Where flavours swing with style

Elevated by the bold creativity of Chef John Savage and his team, each dish at No35 reveals the essence of Melbourne in harmony with the finesse of French cuisine. From a reimagined High Tea to a signature dinner with sweeping views of Port Phillip Bay, every moment captivates the senses. After a day on the golf course, savour a crescendo of tastes and textures.

Taste the best of Melbourne

Tara Iti Golf Club – Northland, New Zealand

Tara Iti is a private links course that flows through natural dunes beside New Zealand’s Hauraki Gulf. The fairways ripple like waves, bunkers appear as if shaped by the wind and greens seem to float above the beach.

The world’s longest hole in regular play is the 1,097-yard par-7 3rd at Gunsan Country Club, South Korea – nearly three-quarters of a mile from tee to cup.

Cape Kidnappers – Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand

At Cape Kidnappers, fairways run along cliffs 450 feet above the Pacific, daring bold carries across deep valleys. The 15th green clings to a rocky ledge, making this one of the most visually dramatic and best golf courses in the world.

Cypress Point Club – Monterey Peninsula, USA

“The Sistine Chapel of golf” strings forest, dunes and ocean into one round, culminating in the 231-yard 16th over open Pacific. Only about 30 players stroll these fairways daily, but legendary sportswriter Herbert Warren Wind insisted no walk in golf is more inspiring.

Stay and play: six of the most beautiful golf courses in the world

The nine icons above set the benchmark, but greatness is a moving target. Six of the fastest-rising courses are within an easy drive (or buggy ride) of a Sofitel front door, allowing you to combine championship drama, destination culture and pillow-top comfort into a single itinerary.

Sofitel Krabi Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort — Thailand

A 9-hole, par-28 layout snakes between lagoons and jungle, its downhill 4th demanding a 30-foot drop shot toward bunker-ringed turf. You can play Sofitel Krabi Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort at first light – ask the concierge to block a 6am slot so you finish just as speedboats depart for Hong Island. The resort’s vast pool doubles as hydro-therapy before sunset cocktails.

Book your Krabi golf escape

Sofitel Al Hamra Beach Resort — United Arab Emirates

Peter Harradine laced Al Hamra Golf Club around four tidal lagoons. Post-round, drift a few steps to Samphire, the poolside restaurant-bar at Sofitel Al Hamra Beach Resort that feels half Balinese beach club, half Mediterranean lounge.

Poolside indulgence

Gulf-view infinity pool

Unwind in the resort’s palm-fringed infinity pool that appears to spill into the Arabian Gulf. Between laps, order a cool mocktail from the adjacent beach bar or book a Clarins after-sun treatment – easy comforts your golf butler can arrange while re-spiking tomorrow’s shoe.

Reserve poolside bliss

Sofitel Kia Ora Moorea Beach Resort — French Polynesia

Jack Nicklaus routed Moorea Green Pearl through an old coral quarry: oceanside front nine, mountain-climbing back nine. Sofitel Kia Ora Moorea Beach Resort sits inside a marine reserve where paddleboards replace carts and reef sharks glide beneath glass-floored suites.

Sofitel Biarritz Le Miramar Thalassa Sea & Spa — France

Golf de Biarritz Le Phare (1888) compresses 70 bunkers into 5,476 yards and birthed the “Biarritz green” later cloned at Augusta’s par-3 4th. After 18, descend straight to Sofitel Biarritz Le Miramar’s seawater pool.

Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort — Cambodia

Phokeethra Country Club weaves between restored rice paddies and a moat that once irrigated Khmer kingdoms. Early-bird travelers can fuel up at the Champagne breakfast that Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort lays out from dawn, letting golfers catch the first shadows of Angkor Wat before tee-off.

Sofitel Buenos Aires Recoleta — Argentina

Alister MacKenzie’s Jockey Club Red Course (1930) lies just north of Buenos Aires, with bold bunkering and a par-3 13th that mirrors Augusta’s 16th. Sofitel Buenos Aires Recoleta can arrange tee times and post-round Malbec at the elegant Felicia bar — a perfect finish to a day on one of South America’s most historic courses.

Ready to find the greatest golf course in the world?

Whether you’re chasing legends at St Andrews or discovering new favorites in Moorea or Krabi, the best golf courses in the world offer more than great greens – they deliver stories, scenery and unforgettable moments. Every course in this list has earned its place among the most beautiful golf courses, but what elevates the experience is what comes after the final putt. Think sunset cocktails by the pool, spa treatments that reset your swing and world-class dining just steps from your room. Wherever your next round takes you, pair it with the kind of thoughtful hospitality only Sofitel can provide.

Book your golf getaway