The PGA championship gets underway today in New Jersey, just under a fortnight after the Open concluded in dramatic fashion at the Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland. With such a stacked month of golf, interest in the sport is at a fever pitch, so we decided it would be the perfect time to take a look at what the sport can offer holidaymakers in the UK. The UK boasts some of the best Golf courses anywhere in the world, as was excellently demonstrated by the hosts of this years Open in South Ayrshire, Scotland. Over the years venues all over the UK have hosted major Golfing events, but booking a tee time for these more illustrious and internationally prestigious courses can be as difficult as hitting a hole in one! Instead, we have uncovered a few of golf’s hidden gems scattered throughout the UK (one from each country).
Fortrose and Rosemarkie Golf Club SCOTLAND (Fortrose, Highland)
With over 500 courses to boast, Scotland is home to some of the most famous courses worldwide. It also houses a number of equally impressive, but far less well known, courses that are scattered throughout the country. Despite their quality and excellence, these hidden gems remain less well known and are subsequently ideal for holidaymakers. The Fortrose and Rosemarkie course near Inverness is one excellent example of this. The course is found on a spectacular landscape that stretches all the way from the clubhouse to a distant lighthouse situated at the far end of the beautiful coast line and offers up breathtaking views of the ocean surrounding Canonry Ness. For spectacle and scenery, the course is second-to-none.
Chiltern Forest Golf Club- ENGLAND (Buckinghamshire)
Set within the Chiltern Hills AONB, this outstanding 18 hole course is set against the stunning and postcard-worthy Wendover Woods and offers up some truly unforgettable and picturesque views of the Aylesbury Vale. The chalk escarpment foundation of the course means that it remains playable all year round, making it a fantastic course for holidaymakers in and around the Chiltern areas (which lays just NW of London and connects the counties of Berkshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire).
North Wales Golf Club – Wales (Llandudno)
Locted in the seaside town of Llandudno, the North Wales club comes with stunning views of the Conwy estuary all the way to Anglesey as well as parts of the famous and impressive Snowdonia Mountain range. Despite being less well known internationally, the course is among the finest and holds itself to the highest of standards (previously hosting more national and regional championships such as the Welsh Team Championships).
Belvoir Park NORTHERN IRELAND (Belfast)
A tranquil 136 acres of woodland houses this fantastic course. Users are treated to a day of superb golf in a setting that feels so secluded and rural that it could be 100 miles from the nearest urban dwellings, when in fact the city centre of Belfast lies just 2 miles away. Much like North Wales Golf Club, the course has a history of hosting more regional championships and as such it too prides itself on been impeccably kept. The club is also home to the highly rated ‘The View at Belvoir’ restaurant which offers a relaxed, informal atmosphere with high-quality food and unbeatable views of the city. The course effortlessly blends rural and urban to give holidaymakers to the area a unique experience that is hard to replicate.
These hidden gems really just offer an absolute fraction of the superb courses available to you when on your luxury self-catering holiday in the UK. Each part of the country offers its own unique and impressive landscapes and settings that help to make for some wonderful courses. If your Cottage Gems holiday rental happens to be in the areas above, then be sure to give them a go, if not do some research and see what gems you can unearth near you. After that, all that is left to do is play!
