20 Golf Courses That You Must Play On A Golf Break

By: Golfshake Editor | Thu 08 Jun 2023

When embarking on a golf break abroad, you research a variety of important criteria to decide on your destination; the location, climate, hotels, facilities, restaurants, accessibility and wider attractions, but chief among those is the course itself.

Ultimately, when you return home following a refreshing holiday, it's often the quality of the layouts you played that will resonate longest in the memory.

Helping you to discover some of the best to build your next adventure around, we have gone through the Golfshake Course Section to discover the top reviewed non-UK courses from 2022, which boasted a minimum of five independent reviews and achieved a perfect, 100% Highly Recommended rating.

From Turkey to Portugal, France, Spain and Dubai, there is something for everyone below as we present courses that you really must play on a golf holiday!

Gloria Golf Resort

Location: Belek, Turkey

Average 2022 Rating: 4.92

Review Comment: "No better resort I've been to. There is nothing more a golfer could ask for. Amazing facilities, three great courses and fantastic helpful staff. Brilliant in every way."

Dom Pedro Old Course

Location: Vilamoura, Portugal

Average 2022 Rating: 4.90

Review Comment: "This is an excellent course in pristine condition. The layout is beautiful, with some parts evoking Augusta. It is a real challenge and the scenery is lovely. The clubhouse is also in great condition. I really enjoyed playing here and would definitely recommend it."

Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course

Location: Vilamoura, Portugal

Average 2022 Rating: 4.70

Review Comment: "This course is a great place to play. The layout is challenging and the holes are varied and interesting. The condition of the course is excellent and the staff are friendly and helpful. The pace of play is good and the clubhouse is lovely. I had never played here before, but I found it to be an enjoyable experience. The holes were spectacular and the challenge of the course was top-class."

West Cliffs

Location: Silver Coast, Portugal

Average 2022 Rating: 4.60

Review Comment: "This course is in amazing condition and the views are absolutely stunning. It's a great test of golf with beautiful scenery. The price is reasonable and it's easy to get tee times. I would highly recommend this course to anyone."

Las Colinas Golf & Country Club

Location: Alicante, Spain

Average 2022 Rating: 4.75

Review Comment: "Absolutely superb first class venue in a fantastic setting and location. Course is tough but fair and provides a challenge for all golfers. Worth a buggy due to some of the elevations and walks but nothing major and most will get away using a trolley. Difficult to pick up a signature hole because there are so many that are good! Highly recommended!"

Calanova Golf Club

Location: Malaga, Spain

Average 2022 Rating: 4.50

Review Comment: "This course is stunning and so is the clubhouse, especially the views. This must also have the largest pro shop I've ever seen, we were like kids in a sweet shop."

Palmares Golf

Location: Lagos, Portugal

Average 2022 Rating: 4.40

Review Comment: "Third time playing Palmares, its clubhouse has been rebuilt since last here and looks stunning. Played the Alvor/Lagos combination which is the best 18 in my opinion. Some nice looking holes playing down to the sea."

Santa Clara Golf Marbella

Location: Malaga, Spain

Average 2022 Rating: 4.50

Review Comment: "As they say this is "a legend reborn". The condition of the course is superb. A very friendly staff (all over the course, including starter and marshals). Just refurbished restaurant with nice views to the course and excellent menu."

Pestana Golf Resort - Vale da Pinta & Gramacho

Location: Carvoeiro, Portugal

Average 2022 Rating: 4.20

Review Comment: "Both of these courses offer challenge but are different. Well kept and Gramacho is the prettier of the two, with lovely features. But would play both again. Fairways and greens in good condition, which is saying something as it is getting to the end of summer. Well watered."

Mijas Golf

Location: Malaga, Spain

Average 2022 Rating: 4.33

Review Comment: "I have played Los Lagos a number of times. It is a big, wide-open course that is great for holiday golf. As the name suggests, there is a lot of water but the fairways are wide, the rough is short and the greens are big and fairly flat. The course conditions were excellent, greens were fast and fairways were pristine. It is surprisingly scoreable for a long course and is probably our favourite course around Malaga."

Espiche Golf

Location: Lagos, Portugal

Average 2022 Rating: 4.38

Review Comment: "Really fun course, beautiful clubhouse, worth a visit to it if happy to travel a little further from Vilamoura (about 50 mins). Greens ran very true and good pace too."

Trump International Golf Club Dubai

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Average 2022 Rating: 4.50

Review Comment: "Long course, wide fairways, some challenging holes. Spectacular views of the beautiful clubhouse. The day we played the greens were very fast and with multiple layers difficult to read."

Lo Romero Golf

Location: Alicante, Spain

Average 2022 Rating: 4.29

Review Comment: "Unbelievably good. One of the best courses I've played, it has everything that makes you play shots."

Abu Dhabi Golf Club

Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Average 2022 Rating: 4.50

Review Comment: "Very well maintained and iconic course - a good challenge for all levels of golfers and a must play for any UAE visitor."

Santa Maria Golf & Country Club

Location: Malaga, Spain

Average 2022 Rating: 4.38

Review Comment: "I really like this course because when you get to the ninth the views are just spectacular. It meanders up into the hills for nine holes and then back again. It provides a good test of golf requiring accuracy over length. The fairways and greens were a delight to play on this occasion. "

Golf Costa Adeje

Location: Tenerife, Canary Islands

Average 2022 Rating: 4.17

Review Comment: "I would describe the course as challenging. The greens are superb, fast and difficult to read because of the undulations. Course was busy and we got teamed up with two ladies from Amsterdam and enjoyed a good round of golf."

Golf d'Hardelot

Location: Pas de Calais, France

Average 2022 Rating: 4.62

Review Comment: "Lovely course in a beautiful part of northern France! The club house is good and staff also. Lots of very large trees, beautiful greens but very difficult to read, hence high scores!"

Quinta do Lago - South

Location: Faro, Portugal

Average 2022 Rating: 4.25

Review Comment: "Great, amazing course. Voted best golf club in the world in 2022. Greens are nice and difficult. Bunkers are amazing."

Font del Llop Golf Resort

Location: Alicante, Spain

Average 2022 Rating: 4.10

Review Comment: "The greens are outstanding, the fairways are varied, and the scenery is fantastic. The maintenance is excellent and the staff are very friendly. It's a challenging course, but definitely worth it."

Pestana Golf Resort - Alto Golf

Location: Alvor, Portugal

Average 2022 Rating: 4.00

Review Comment: "Another superb course as part of the Pestana facilities, easily in the best condition (compared to Gramacho and Silves) although the other courses were nothing to complain about. A large clubhouse, again with friendly staff and the same menu is exactly what we wanted after the round. Pace of play was a little slow but nothing to really complain about on a holiday tour. Tee shots are often tight and (as with the other courses) driver is often not the club. The course was challenging but not to the extent that the group didn't enjoy the round."