Best Golf Resorts in Europe in 2022

In 2021 we did not publish a 'Best Golf Resorts' list due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but in 2022 the situation stabilised in many countries. In order to help golfers decide where to play and stay in 2022 and 2023, a new 'Best Golf Resorts' ranking was compiled. This is the perfect timing for a Best Golf Resorts ranking because the high season for golf breaks is about to start. We hope the 2022 list will inspire you and will help you discover great new golf resorts!

Leading Courses' Best Golf Resorts ranking has become the reference point for golfers in Europe looking for a great golf trip or golf break. We have been publishing the ranking for Best Golf Resorts in Europe since 2016 and ever since it has been very popular amongst our community. We use our own review data and the reviews of our hotel partner Booking.com to provide a comprehensive list of the Best Golf Resorts throughout Europe.

Please note that we only list 'golf resorts' and not golf courses with 'just a hotel'. Please check the criteria at the bottom of this article. The ranking was created in the last week of August 2022.

As usual, we kick off with the top 10 Best Golf Resorts in Europe in 2022. Although the number 1 did not change  - Finca Cortesin in Spain remains the Best Golf Resort - there are some new golf resorts in our top 10 this year. If resorts have the same overall score, the rating for the golf club is the determining factor. 

For the 4th time, Finca Cortesin Hotel Golf & Spa is crowned Best Golf Resort in Europe. They score a whopping 9.4 overall, combining the score of the golf club and its hotel. The golf club is rated with a 9.2 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.

The Trump Turnberry Resort – Home of the Championship Ailsa course – in South Ayrshire, Scotland is still number 2 in 2022, although it was a very close call this year. Although Trump Turnberry and Trump International Golf Links Doonbeg both scored a 9.19 out of 10 overall, Trump Turnberry was rated higher for its golf club (a 9.27 compared to a 9.08 for Doonbeg) which is why they eventually took second place. 

In 2020 Trump International Golf Links Doonbeg was number 19, so they made a huge step forward. Both their golf club and their hotel were rated much higher in 2022. Trump International Golf Links & Hotel Doonbeg, located on the stunning southwest coast of Ireland only 45 minutes from Shannon International Airport, is Ireland's new premier luxury destination. Their Greg Norman designed course was recently redesigned by Martin Hawtree. 

Monte Rei Golf and Country Club have consistently ranked high in our Best Golf Resorts in Europe list and this year they have made it to the top 5 yet again. 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. This year Monte Rei had the same overall rating as The Gleneagles Hotel but was awarded 4th place as their golf club was rated higher, a 9.20 compared to a 9.0 for Gleneagles. 

Gleneagles continues to offer an array of attractions, including luxury hotel accommodation, a range of bespoke suites, three championship golf courses, an award-winning spa, and restaurant Andrew Fairlie, the only restaurant in Scotland to hold two Michelin stars. Golf is at the very heart of The Gleneagles Hotel with its three championship golf courses and Scotland’s PGA National Golf Academy.

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.

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, but the Westin Resort has been voted one of the best resorts in Greece and one of the foremost holiday destinations in Europe. 

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.

Located at the very heart of Ayrshire’s golf coast lies a modern links golf masterpiece. Effortlessly combining heritage and tradition with contemporary surroundings and luxurious finishing touches, Dundonald Links is fast becoming one of the most sought-after golf resorts in Scotland. 

Nestled in the gently rolling hills of the Baar Der Öschberghof is your perfect vacation spot in Germany. It lies just between theBlack Forest, Switzerland and Lake Constance and offers 2 18-hole courses and a 9-hole course, all rated high on Leading Courses. It is the first time that Der Öschberghof has made it to our top-10 of Best Golf Resorts. 

Below is the full list of Best Golf Resorts in 2022 in Europe. 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 at the end of August 2022, so the actual ratings can (and will) differ as time goes by. Only the combined score - so combining the score for the golf club and the hotel - is shown below.

1. Finca Cortesín Golf Club 🇪🇸 9.39
2. Trump Turnberry Resort 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 9.19
3. Trump International Golf Links Doonbeg 🇮🇪 9.19
4. Monte Rei Golf & Country Club 🇵🇹 9.15
5. The Gleneagles Hotel 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 9.15
6. The Machrie Hotel & Golf Links 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 9.14
7. Costa Navarino (Bay Course) 🇬🇷 9.07
8. The Montgomerie Maxx Royal 🇹🇷 9.06
9. Dundonald Links 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 9.04
10. Der Öschberghof - Ösch Golf 🇩🇪 9.03
11. San Domenico Golf 🇮🇹 9.02
12. Terre Blanche Hotel Spa Golf Resort 🇫🇷 8.99
13. Golfclub Zillertal Uderns 🇦🇹 8.98
14. Golf De L'Isle Adam 🇫🇷 8.92
15. Gloria Golf Club 🇹🇷 8.91
16. The K Club Golf Resort 🇮🇪 8.89
17. Carya Golf Club 🇹🇷 8.88
18. BlackSeaRama Golf 🇧🇬 8.88
19. PGA Catalunya Resort 🇪🇸 8.86
20. Zala Springs Golf Resort 🇭🇺 8.86
21. Trevose Golf & Country Club 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 8.86
22. Gut Kaden Golf und Land Club 🇩🇪 8.86
23. Mount Juliet Estate 🇮🇪 8.85
24. Abama Golf 🇪🇸 8.85
25. Carton House Golf Club 🇮🇪 8.82
26. Domaine De Manville 🇫🇷 8.8
27. Toscana Resort Castelfalfi 🇮🇹 8.78
28. Fota Island Resort 🇮🇪 8.77
29. Lough Erne Resort 🇬🇧 8.76
30. Achental Golf 🇩🇪 8.74
31. Praia d'El Rey Golf & Beach Resort 🇵🇹 8.72
32. Villa Padierna Golf Club 🇪🇸 8.72
33. Golf Eichenheim 🇦🇹 8.71
34. Fairmont St Andrews 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 8.69
35. Buenavista Golf 🇪🇸 8.68
36. Golf & Country Club Lauswolt 🇳🇱 8.68
37. The Heritage Golf & Spa Resort 🇮🇪 8.67
38. Verdura Golf & Spa Resort 🇮🇹 8.67
39. Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort 🇩🇰 8.66
40. Golf Club Lignano 🇮🇹 8.63
41. Powerscourt Golf Club 🇮🇪 8.63
42. Vidago Palace Golf Club 🇵🇹 8.63
43. Diamond Country Club 🇦🇹 8.62
44. Thracian Cliffs Golf & Beach Resort 🇧🇬 8.61
45. Hardenberg GolfResort 🇩🇪 8.61
46. Salobre Golf Resort Gran Canaria 🇪🇸 8.59
47. Golf du Médoc Resort 🇫🇷 8.58
48. Club de Golf Peralada 🇪🇸 8.58
49. Aphrodite Hills Golf PGA National Cyprus 🇨🇾 8.57
50. Golf Club Budersand Sylt 🇩🇪 8.57
51. La Finca Golf – La Finca Resort 🇪🇸 8.56
52. Empordà Golf Resort 🇪🇸 8.56
53. Royal Óbidos Spa & Golf Resort 🇵🇹 8.55
54. La Cala Resort 🇪🇸 8.55
55. Fairplay Golf & Spa Resort 🇪🇸 8.55
56. Boavista Golf & Spa Resort 🇵🇹 8.55
57. Golf du Chateau D'Augerville 🇫🇷 8.54
58. Palmares Ocean Living & Golf 🇵🇹 8.53
59. Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links 🇮🇪 8.52
60. Penha Longa Resort 🇵🇹 8.52
61. Golf de Falgos 🇫🇷 8.51
62. Lopesan Meloneras Golf 🇪🇸 8.5
63. Son Vida Golf (ArabellaGolf) 🇪🇸 8.5
64. Kaya Palazzo Golf Club 🇹🇷 8.5
65. HEITLINGER Golf Resort GmbH 🇩🇪 8.49
66. Kikuoka Country Club 🇱🇺 8.48
67. Golfresort Haugschlag 🇩🇪 8.45
68. Amendoeira Golf Resort 🇵🇹 8.45
69. Udine Golf Club 🇮🇹 8.44
70. Isla Canela Old Course 🇪🇸 8.43
71. Kaskáda Golf Resort Brno 🇨🇿 8.42
72. Golfclub Hofgut Georgenthal 🇩🇪 8.42
73. TorreMirona Golf & Spa Resort 🇪🇸 8.42
74. Fürstliches Golf-Resort Bad Waldsee 🇩🇪 8.4
75. Vale Resort 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 8.39
76. Oitavos Dunes Natural Links Golf 🇵🇹 8.39
77. Tulfarris Hotel & Golf Resort 🇮🇪 8.38
78. El Rompido Golf & Beach Resort 🇪🇸 8.38
79. Robinson Golf Club Nobilis 🇹🇷 8.38
80. Golf De Saint Endréol 🇫🇷 8.37
81. Quinta da Ria Resort (Ria/Cima) 🇵🇹 8.36
82. Golfclub St. Wendel 🇩🇪 8.35
83. The Celtic Manor Resort 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 8.33
84. Castro Marim Golfe and Country Club 🇵🇹 8.33
85. Golf Club Castelconturbia 🇮🇹 8.32
86. Quinta do Lago 🇵🇹 8.32
87. Vale Do Lobo 🇵🇹 8.32
88. Cornelia Golf Club 🇹🇷 8.32
89. Moyvalley Hotel & Golf Resort 🇮🇪 8.32
90. Donau Golf Club Passau-Raßbach e.V. 🇩🇪 8.31
91. Quellness & Golf Resort 🇩🇪 8.3
92. Royal Golf La Bagnaia 🇮🇹 8.3
93. Golfclub Bodensee Weissensberg 🇩🇪 8.3
94. Son Muntaner Golf (ArabellaGolf) 🇪🇸 8.3
95. Dolce CampoReal Golf Resort & Spa 🇵🇹 8.29
96. Golf Du Roncemay 🇫🇷 8.29
97. Islantilla Golf Resort 🇪🇸 8.29
98. Naxhelet Golf Club 🇧🇪 8.29
99. Le Golf Parc Robert Hersant 🇫🇷 8.26
100. Valle del Este Golf Resort 🇪🇸 8.26

We love to analyse the reviews of our users to come up with  interesting lists. This is also how the ‘Best Golf Resorts in Europe’  ranking started. As time went by, the list has improved significantly.  Last year we decided to totally revamp our Best Golf Resorts in Europe list. One of the major discussions within Leadingcourses.com was: when does a combination of a golf course and 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 felt not.

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 just not enough to be called a golf resort.

We have checked many rankings concerning ‘golf resorts’, but most of them do not really point out what they are listing. We wanted to change that. So, below we have listed our criteria to be in our Best Golf Resorts in Europe rankings:

• the rating of the golf club on Leadingcourses.com must be active, so we should have enough (recent) reviews 
• the rating of the resort or hotel on Booking.com must also be active
• the (official) hotel must be located next 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)