Seven world’s best winter golf destinations

As the summer draws to a close and autumn arrives for the northern hemisphere, attention turns to the best winter sun opportunities around the world.

After the industry experts researched world’s top courses in incredible locations, all those golfers looking for the best winter sun options have been told the seven best winter sun destinations to head to this year.

The experts have recommended the most magnificent courses to play at each destination and have urged golfers to plan ahead to find the very best deals and secure those valuable tee times.

Winter golf in the northern hemisphere can be a struggle due to shorter days, cold temperatures and varying conditions such as torrential rain, heavy frost and boggy courses.

An increasing number of tourist destinations are offering golfing breaks and the choice for lovers of the sport is now greater than it has ever been.

For Europeans, Mediterranean countries have always offered winter golf, but by travelling a little further afield to the Canary Islands or Dubai, golfers can find a truly unique winter getaway in an even warmer climate.

North Americans are spoilt for choice with the USA boasting nearly half of all the golf courses in the world with many to be found in Orlando and South Florida making it an ideal winter golf destination.

Nothing beats the sensation of boarding a plane in the snow and getting off it under balmy sunshine.

Fortunately, there are a lot of different destinations with great golf that can be reached with a short flight and drive after picking up a car at your destination airport, just remember to plan ahead to avoid disappointment.

The Canary Islands have been an incredibly popular location for golfing breaks due to the fantastic climate and the proximity of the courses to the main resorts.

The Algarve is a safe bet as there are so many incredible courses to choose from, but to almost guarantee a rain-free break, Dubai only has 7 days of rain a year and the sun is less relentless in winter when temperatures cool.

And you can’t go wrong with a winter golf trip to Florida.

The tough part is which course do you choose?

Florida

Florida’s weather is tailor-made for golf. For generations, architects have taken advantage of Florida’s climate with well-designed courses. The Seminole Golf Course between Orlando and Miami is the very best of what Florida has to offer or visit TPC Sawgrass near Jacksonville, the headquarters of the PGA.

Portugal

Boasting some of the best courses in Europe, Portugal is a golfer’s dream. The Algarve is famous for its variety of courses. Fly into Faro and you can drive to the incredible Monte Rei Golf & Country Club.

Spain

Golfers travelling to Spain need look no further than the venue that hosted the 32nd Ryder Cup when Seve Ballesteros captained the Europeans to a narrow victory at Valderrama Golf Club just 70 miles up the coast from Malaga.

Morocco

Morocco is one of the hottest golfing destinations in the world right now with all-year-round sun, lively souks and mouth-watering food, golfers can tee off at Royal Marrakech under the shadow of the Atlas Mountains.

Turkey

The Southeast of Europe doesn’t have much in the way of a golfing tradition, but Turkey’s Belek region on the Mediterranean coast with the Carya Golf & Spa Resort close to Antalya airport being the top pick.

Canary Islands

With year-round sunshine, the Canary Islands have the perfect climate for winter sun holidays. Tenerife has 6 courses while 5 can be found on Gran Canaria with Anfi Tauro being one not to miss.

UAE

The best golf courses in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) can be found in Dubai with 2 newly designed Greg Norman courses at Jumeirah Golf Estates called Fire and Ice challenging the traditional top pick of the Majlis course at The Emirates Club.