Journal · Golf · Europe
Golf near Europe's great cities: where to play on a city break
From the Ryder Cup courses of Paris and Rome to a club high above Monaco, these 27 courses can all be played on a city break, most within an hour of the centre.
Before you book
Most private European clubs accept visitors on weekdays only and ask for a handicap certificate, usually a maximum of 28 to 36. Book ahead, bring proof of handicap and check the dress code: collared shirts and no denim almost everywhere.
The courses
- Le Golf National · Paris
France's national course and home of the Open de France since 1991. - Wentworth Club · London
The home of the BMW PGA Championship, set among the pines of Surrey. - Sunningdale Golf Club · London
Two celebrated heathland courses, Old and New, regularly ranked among the finest in Britain. - Golf- und Land-Club Berlin-Wannsee · Berlin
Berlin's grand old club, founded in 1895, set beside the lakes of the city's south-west. - Hamburger Golf-Club Falkenstein · Hamburg
A classic 1930s heathland course in Hamburg's west, often listed among the best in Germany. - Albatross Golf Resort · Prague
An 18-hole par-72 course on the edge of the Bohemian Karst, host of the Czech Masters on the European Tour and ranked the top course in the Czech Republic. - Camiral Golf & Wellness (Stadium) · Barcelona
Formerly PGA Catalunya, ranked by Golf Digest among the top ten courses in Continental Europe and chosen to host the Ryder Cup in 2031. - Golfclub München Eichenried · Munich
Host course of the BMW International Open on the DP World Tour. - Oitavos Dunes · Lisbon
A links-style course in the dunes of the Sintra-Cascais nature park, with Atlantic views, about 30 minutes from Lisbon. - Penha Longa · Lisbon
A championship course in the hills of Sintra, within a historic estate now run as a resort. - Golf-Club Wien · Vienna
Founded in 1901, Austria's traditional golf club plays across the Freudenau in the Prater, only minutes from St Stephen's Cathedral. - Frankfurter Golf Club · Frankfurt
Founded in 1913, with a course laid out in 1928 by Harry Colt's firm in the Frankfurt city forest. - Monte-Carlo Golf Club · Monaco
Founded in 1911 high on Mont Agel above the Principality, about 900 metres up, with views down to the Mediterranean. - Golf Club Milano · Milan
Opened in May 1928 inside the walled royal park of Monza, with 27 holes beneath old trees. - Golf Club de Genève · Geneva
A Robert Trent Jones parkland course on the hills above the city, with views of the lake, the Alps and Mont Blanc. - The International · Amsterdam
An inland links designed by Ian Woosnam beside Schiphol's runways, host of the Dutch Open in 2019 and 2024. - Club de Campo Villa de Madrid · Madrid
Javier Arana's Black course on the edge of the Casa de Campo has hosted the Open de España nine times. - Marco Simone Golf & Country Club · Rome
Host of the 2023 Ryder Cup, the first in Italy, beneath an 11th-century castle about an hour from central Rome. - Muirfield · Edinburgh
Home of The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, founded in 1744, and one of the great Open Championship links, half an hour east of the city. - The Old Course, St Andrews · Edinburgh
The oldest and most famous course in the world, about ninety minutes from Edinburgh. - Gleneagles · Edinburgh
Three championship courses in the Perthshire hills, including the PGA Centenary, host of the 2014 Ryder Cup. - Royal Copenhagen Golf Club · Copenhagen
Denmark's oldest golf club, founded in 1898, plays through the royal deer park north of the city, among herds of red and fallow deer. - Bro Hof Slott Golf Club · Stockholm
A Robert Trent Jones Jr. - Real Club Valderrama · Marbella
Host of the 1997 Ryder Cup, the first played in continental Europe, and one of the most exclusive courses in Spain. - Real Club de Golf Las Brisas · Marbella
A Robert Trent Jones Sr. - Circolo Golf dell'Ugolino · Florence
One of Italy's oldest golf clubs, among cypresses and olive groves in the Chianti hills, twenty minutes from the Duomo. - Glyfada Golf Club of Athens · Athens
Athens's championship course, on the Athenian Riviera between the city and the sea.
