Best Golf Resorts in Europe 2023

Since 2016 Leading Courses has published a ranking for the Best Golf Resorts in Europe every year (except in 2021 due to COVID-19). The Best Golf Resort ranking has always sparked the interest of our community and other golfers alike, as it inspires them and helps them discover great (new) golf resorts! We use our own review data for golf courses (50%) and our hotel partner Booking.com's reviews (50%) to provide a comprehensive list of the Best Golf Resorts in Europe.

For the first time since the inauguration of the ranking, we have factored in the number of holes a golf resort has in the algorithm that calculates the overall rating. Although you can certainly enjoy yourself at a golf resort that has 18 holes and all the other amenities you might expect at a resort, we feel it is definitely a plus if you can choose from multiple courses or holes during your stay, without leaving the resort. 

That is why all golf resorts in the ranking have been given a bonus of 0.005 points per hole that the golf resort has. That way golf resorts with more than 18 holes have a little bit of an edge over other resorts.

In this ranking, we only list 'golf resorts'. You can read what our criteria for a golf resort are at the bottom of this article. This ranking was created in May 2023.

Because of the algorithm change, we have a new #1 Golf Resort in 2023 and the rest of the top 10 has also been shaken up quite a bit! You can read in detail about the first 10 Best Golf Resorts and below that you'll find the complete top 100 including scores and links to their profiles. If resorts have the same overall score, the rating for the golf club is the determining factor. 

A new number one in our Best Golf Resorts in Europe ranking! It's the immaculate Costa Navarino in Greece! With a whopping 72 golf holes, Costa Navarino is the perfect holiday destination for golfers.

Costa Navarino is located in Messinia in the southwest Peloponnese, in one of the most unspoiled and breathtaking landscapes in the Mediterranean. Costa Navarino offers a world-class golf experience with four 18-hole signature courses. The resort offers 4 hotels, with The Westin and The Romanos at the heart of what has been voted one of the best destinations in Greece and one of the foremost holiday destinations in Europe. 

For Costa Navarino it all started with the impressive seaside Dunes Course which was the first signature golf course in Greece, set in a diverse natural landscape with spectacular sea and river views. 

The second signature golf course in Greece, The Bay Course, is situated just a short drive from Navarino Dunes and offers an alternative golfing experience in a different landscape. This 18-hole seaside course meanders through three natural landscapes – Seaside, Canyon and Grove – providing striking contrasts and views of the sea and mountains for a truly memorable golfing experience.

The "new kids on the block" are the International Olympic Academy Golf Course and the Hills Course which are both located at Navarino Hills and which complete the full 72 hole experience at Costa Navarino. 

After being crowned Best Golf Resort in Europe four times, Finca Cortesin Hotel Golf & Spa has now dropped to second place. However, they still score a whopping 9.44 overall, which is very impressive if you consider they have "only" 18 holes. The golf club is rated with a 9.1 and the Finca Cortesin Hotel with a 9.6 out of 10. The Finca Cortesin Hotel boasts 67 spacious suites and the golf course consists of an 18-hole Championship Course. Not surprisingly Finca Cortesin’s golf course also ranks very high in Leading Courses' annual Golfers’ Choice Rankings in Spain.

There are 4 golf courses at Gleneagles, the King's Course, the Queen's Course, The PGA Centenary Course and the Wee Course. The King's Course at Gleneagles was designed by the legendary James Braid and is one of the best golf courses in Scotland. The Queen’s Course is home to high ridges, woodland settings, lochans and water hazards. The PGA Centenary Course was created by 18-time major winner, Jack Nicklaus and played host to the heart-stopping excitement of both the Ryder and Solheim Cups and the Wee Course is the perfect place to learn to fall in love with golf over nine delightful par 3 holes.

Besides golf, Gleneagles offers an array of attractions, including luxury hotel accommodation, a range of bespoke suites, an award-winning spa and restaurant Andrew Fairlie, the only restaurant in Scotland to hold two Michelin stars.

The Trump Turnberry Resort – Home of the Championship Ailsa course – in South Ayrshire, Scotland is a magnificent resort with a Championship golf course that has hosted The Open Championship four times. Besides the Alisa, Trump Turnberry also has the King Robert the Bruce course, which was inaugurated in 2017 and the 9 holes Arran course which is great for beginners or to practise your short game. 

A big leap for Der Öschberghof in the Best Golf Resorts ranking. Last year they made it into the top 10 for the first time with a tenth place, this year, they only just missed the podium. Nestled in the gently rolling hills of the Baar Der Öschberghof is your perfect vacation spot in Germany. It lies just between the Black Forest, Switzerland and Lake Constance and offers 2 18-hole courses and a 9-hole course, all rated high on Leading Courses. 

Trump International Golf Links & Hotel Doonbeg, located on the stunning southwest coast of Ireland only 45 minutes from Shannon International Airport, is one of Ireland's premier luxury destinations. Their Greg Norman-designed course was recently redesigned by Martin Hawtree. 

Maxx Royal Belek Golf Resort is a 5-star hotel offering an exceptional holiday experience for families and couples alike. Every guest room has been designed as a suite, offering spacious luxury accommodation and breathtaking views across the Belek coastline.

Nestled in the Scottish dunes of a pristine seven-mile beach on the stunning Hebridean island of Islay lies The Machrie, a modern, relaxed hotel with a world-renowned championship golf links. The Machrie offers 47 rooms, suites and lodges have stunning views over the Islay countryside, or the links course with sea views beyond.

Monte Rei Golf and Country Club have consistently ranked high in our Best Golf Resorts in Europe list. The overall service level at Monte Rei is high and the golf course itself is highly appreciated by golfers. Monte Rei offers expertly curated residences inspired by the lifestyle of the modern consumer. Once the second 18 holes Jack Nicklaus signature course at Monte Rei opens, they will without a doubt make an upward move in the ranking.

The K Club is a luxury resort nestled in the beautiful County of Kildare, where the River Liffey meanders through the soft green countryside. Don’t miss your chance to play the home of the 2006 Ryder Cup, 2016 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, and 13 European Opens! As you would expect their aim is to match and exceed customer expectations both on and off their two magnificent golf courses: The Ryder Cup Course and The Smurfit Course.

Below is the full list of Best Golf Resorts in Europe 2023. If a golf resort is missing this might be because the resort did not have enough reviews (either on Leading Courses or Booking.com), was not listed on Booking.com or did not have a rating high enough to make it into the top 100 list. Feel free to contact us if you think a golf resort is missing.

Please note that the ratings were gathered in May 2023, so the actual ratings can (and will) change as time goes by. In the table, you can see the rank of the resort, the name of the golf resort, the country in which the resort is, the rating on Leading Courses, the rating on Booking.com, the number of holes, the bonus points for those holes and the total score.

We love analysing our data to come up with interesting lists and rankings. Leading Courses is there to assist golfers in finding the best courses all over the world and that's what we're trying to do with the ‘Best Golf Resorts in Europe’ ranking too. As time went by, the list has improved significantly. A discussion we had over and over again at Leading Courses was: when does a combination of a golf course and a hotel qualify as a resort? Is St. Andrews with the Old Course Hotel a resort? Does Royal County Down with the Slieve Donard Hotel across the road qualify as a resort?

We turned to Wikipedia for an answer or at least a proper definition: “The term resort may be used for a hotel property that provides an array of amenities, typically including entertainment and recreational activities. A hotel is frequently a central feature of a resort” (source: Wikipedia). So, having a hotel and a golf course is not enough to be called a golf resort.

Below we have listed our criteria for golf resorts to be ranked in our Best Golf Resorts in Europe ranking:

• the rating of the golf club on Leadingcourses.com must be active, meaning the golf club needs to have a certain amount of points which they receive for (recent) reviews that have been written
• the rating of the resort or hotel on Booking.com must also be active
• the (official) hotel must be located very close to the golf course or must be located on the premises of the golf course.
• the resort should include more facilities in addition to having a golf course (for example a spa, tennis court, swimming pool, etc.)
• the golf club should explicitly mention or refer to the specific resort or hotel on its website (so linking to multiple hotels is not sufficient)

Because of the criteria above, some golf resorts did not make the top 100. This might seem unfair or incorrect, but we had to draw a line somewhere. However, not being on the list does not mean these golf resorts aren't any good. They just need some more reviews to get an active rating on Leading Courses or (need to be bookable on) Booking.com. 

Some of the resorts you might be missing because their hotel isn't on booking.com are for instance Adare Manor, Rosapenna Golf Resort, Druids Glen Hotel & Golf Resort, Real Club de Golf El Prat, Bogogno Golf Resort, Golfclub Bodensee Weissensberg and Stoke Park Country Club, Hotel & Spa.

Resorts that do not have enough reviews on Leading Courses (and therefore do not have an active rating) are (amongst others) Bowood Hotel, Spa, and Golf Resort, Spa & GolfResort Weimarer Land, Lough Erne Resort, Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort, Grand Resort Bad Ragaz.

We hope to see all these resorts in next year's ranking. You can do your part by writing a review about the golf resorts that you have visited.