Beginner Golf Holidays

A beginner golf holiday is one of the best ways to kickstart your game, combining quality coaching, purpose-built practice facilities and forgiving courses with the enjoyment of a proper getaway.

Whether you're picking up a club for the first time or looking to build confidence before tackling your home course, this guide covers everything you need to plan your first golf trip: where to go, what to look for in a resort, and how to get the most out of your experience without feeling out of your depth.

A beginner golf holiday lets you learn the game in a relaxed, purpose-built environment, combining coaching, practice facilities, and forgiving courses with the enjoyment of a proper getaway.

You'll improve faster than slogging through crowded driving ranges back home, and you'll actually enjoy the process.

• Dedicated practice facilities: Academies with driving ranges, putting greens and short game zones
• Beginner-friendly layouts: Short, wide and forgiving courses designed for learners
• Better atmosphere: Learn the game while soaking up sun, scenery and good vibes
• Hassle-free booking: Packages that bundle accommodation, golf and often coaching

Start with beginner-friendly courses
Look for resorts with wide fairways, shorter layouts and limited hazards. Many of our featured destinations also have academy or par-3 courses, ideal for building confidence before tackling a full 18.

Consider booking lessons with your package
If you're still learning the ropes, a golf holiday that includes lessons from PGA professionals is a fantastic way to improve. You can curate your beginner's golf break to give dedicated time with a coach alongside casual rounds to practice what you've learned.

Travel during quieter periods
Midweek trips or off-peak seasons (early spring, late autumn) mean quieter courses, better tee time availability and lower prices, perfect conditions for learning without feeling rushed.

Ask our Golf Travel Experts
Our team knows which resorts go the extra mile for beginners. Whether you want a lesson-focused trip or a more casual break with optional golf, we'll help you find a package that suits your comfort level, goals, and budget. Just let us know what you need!

Earn rewards as you learn
Sign up for YGT Clubhouse Rewards and start collecting points from your very first booking. Redeem them for savings on future trips, and enjoy exclusive member-only offers, perfect motivation for planning your next golf adventure.

Whether you want a quiet countryside escape, a sunny beachside break, or a resort with expert tuition on tap, the destinations below tick every beginner-friendly box. Each offers relaxed courses, welcoming atmospheres and solid value.

What is a golf break?

A golf break is a holiday where you combine playing at a golf course, as well as staying away from home to enjoy a night or two in a hotel while also making use of restaurants, bars, and leisure facilities to suit your every need.

A golf break is a great way to enjoy the game of golf and to learn more about it. Golf resorts have excellent practice facilities and often offer cheap golf lessons, so they are a perfect place for players who wish to improve their game, as well as those who like to make the most of their time on the golf course just as much as they look forward to relaxing during their time away from the fairways.

For those who have finally decided to take up the game of golf, staying closer to home for your first golf break might be the way to go. From Cornwall’s south coast right up to the Highlands of Scotland, the UK is home to some of the best golf courses in the world and plenty of top-class stay & play golf resorts to boot.

While playing the world’s best golf courses is what we all aim for eventually, some of these may just be too difficult for beginner golfers. We all want to have fun when we’re playing golf, so which resorts, hotels and courses are the best for beginner golfers looking to head off on their first golf break?

If heading up to Scotland, the spectacular Trump Turnberry resort is perfect for a beginner seeking some award-winning luxury on their trip. Admittedly the famed Ailsa Course might be a stretch too far but the excellent Wee Links course is the perfect place for a beginner to hone their skills while enjoying the stunning scenery afforded by the Ayrshire coastline.

Decide where to go
This is, for obvious reasons, the biggest decision you’ll make throughout the whole process, but don’t let that put you off. While it’s easiest to just blindly choose one of the most popular destinations, sometimes that won’t meet your criteria, whatever that might be.

So, here are things to consider when choosing where to go on a golf holiday:

How much will a golf holiday cost?
Your destination will largely be determined by your budget, so it’s the best place to start. Of course, you are able to get bargains in every corner of the globe, but let us give you some guidelines.

UK golf breaks
As you might have guessed, staying closer to home is the cheapest option when it comes to booking a golf break, largely due to the reduced travel costs.

The beauty about playing golf in the UK is the variety, in both style and price point, allowing you to have full control.

Some packages can see you spend a weekend at a golf resort, playing two rounds of golf and only spending £60. However, as with anything, if you want to experience the best, you’ll have to pay; Trump Turnberry, Gleneagles and the Old Course at St Andrews are examples of the upper echelon of UK golf.

If you’re wanting to keep to a strict budget, check out our Best Golf Breaks under £100.

Golf holidays in Europe
With the risk of listing out every European golf holiday in this paragraph, let’s keep it to the most popular destination, of which the choice is varied.

One thing that is constant though is the value for money; play at Ryder Cup courses like Le Golf National, head to the best the Algarve has to offer or experience five-star luxury in southern Spain – all for under £300.

If you’re after a longer stay, rounds at more premium golf courses or the choice of all-inclusive golf holidays then these too are available for as cheap as £500 in destinations like Turkey and Morocco.

For some inspiration, take a look at our list of the Best Courses in the Costa Del Sol.

America has regions like Florida and South Carolina which are populated with some of the most famous courses in the world, South Africa boasts venues like Pinnacle Point and Fancourt and then the Caribbean offers all-inclusive luxury in destinations like the Dominican Republic and Barbados.

The added bonus of our long haul golf holidays is that many of them come with flights, leaving you with nothing else to focus on than your golf.

With price out the way, now you should think about when you want to travel, because contributing factors like the weather, how busy the courses are and availability all change depending on your travel dates.

The rule of thumb is usually that travelling during peak season you’ll experience the resorts at their very best, but pay a premium, while off-season will see you pay less but might not get the high temperatures of the summer months.

Destinations like the Algarve and Andalucia benefit from nearly 300 days of sunshine per year, which makes it easier to choose your travel dates, while the unpredictability of the UK climate leaves many playing a guessing game outside of June, July and August.

The final consideration for your destination choice are the flight times. This may not seem the be all and end all of your holiday, but if you have a 10-hour flight each way for a four-day trip, you have to ask is it really worth it?

Of course, if you are flying, the best times are to arrive early morning and leave in the evening, giving your arrival and departure days enough time for golf, but with budget and practicality in mind, you may have to compromise.

My suggestion is that if you’re on a long distance flight, you stay for a longer period of time so you don’t feel like the majority of your getaway was spent on a plane and if it’s a shorter journey, get out there as early as possible and book a late flight home.

Once you’ve chosen where you’re going, you need a means of travel.

If you’re set on a flight inclusive package, then your mind is made up for you, much like a trip to many overseas destinations…but not all of them.

The exception to the rule is France, where many of our deals to magnificent venues like Le Touquet Golf and Golf D’Hardelot include Eurotunnel travel; taking just under 40 minutes to cross the channel, this is an extremely affordable, convenient and popular way to experience some of Europe’s top courses.

In the UK, you have more options but really are you going to travel on a train with your golf gear? We suggest driving yourself in the UK if a short to medium length journey, but if its a Southampton to Newcastle round trip, perhaps a domestic flight would be best.

With the golf the top priority on golf holidays, and rightly so, it’s easy to neglect the importance of clean, practical and suitable accommodation.

For instance, it’s unlikely you’ll decide you want to stay in a hotel and then see which golf courses surround it, but instead the other way round.

That said, if you’re travelling in a large group, you may be more comfortable in a self-catering apartment or villa than in an all-inclusive hotel? Destinations like Pestana Carvoeiro offer brilliant self-catering villas at outrageously good prices, while El Rompido has an amazing five-star hotel with everything on site; choose wisely.

If you’ve ever learnt to drive, you’ll remember the transition from your instructor’s car to your own. Despite passing, your car feels unfamiliar and perhaps you might stall it once or twice in the first couple of weeks, which is normal.

That’s the same concept as using someone else’s or hiring clubs on a golf holiday, that stall could be a shank, and worse still it could be on the first tee. While it can sometimes be cheaper to hire clubs, taking your own is our advice, especially if you’re having a wager with your mates.

Book a long-haul golf holiday with us and our preferred partner, British Airways, and get free club carriage when you fly.

How to get to the courses?
You’ve finally landed at your destination, your luggage was collected without any hassle and you’re now ready for your golf holiday.

But how will you get to your hotel? This is another 50:50 decision for you to make and one that, once again, will probably depend on a few things.

• How many golfers are there?
• How many courses are you playing?
• How far away is the airport?
• Comfortable driving yourself?

Decide on after-golf activities
Unless you choose one of our unlimited golf packages, you will come across free time on your trip, some of which is probably unaccounted for.

Many of you will hit the beach or sunbathe by the pool, but most golfing regions offer much more away from the fairways. When planning activities, be conscious of your group and understand that not every activity will be a crowd pleaser, especially if the ages of golfers vary.

In the evening, perhaps go for dinner and then drinks, so if anyone wants to tail off and be fresh for the morning tee time, they can. Lastly, weigh up if you actually need to go seeking bars and activities; golf resorts around the world are becoming so advanced and are more like little villages, especially those in Turkey.