10 Top International Golf Destinations for 2026

As one year turns into another, it’s only natural to reminisce about the great courses you played during the past golf season—and to look ahead with wonder at those that await you in the year to come. Local courses, U.S. courses, international destinations—they all beckon like sirens hoping to attract wayward sailors to their shores. Few dates on the calendar hold more allure than scheduled golf trips, especially if they involve travel to exotic overseas locations. If you haven’t already been pondering your next golf junket, you probably will be soon.

In an era where impulse buying and overnight delivery have conspired to elevate instant gratification to unprecedented levels, it’s important to remember that no matter how many frequent flyer miles you may have, international golf trips take some planning. Tee times at the world’s trophy courses and the hotel rooms around them book up many months in advance—to the point that you’ll be hard-pressed to get high-season 2026 tee times on many top courses even now. But it’s not too late to plan your trip to many destinations. And the world has a lot of great ones to choose from.

Once you’ve picked your preferred destination, the next step is to contact a good golf tour operator. Yes, you could try to handle all the bookings yourself, but you’ll never know as much as the professional tour ops do. And if anything goes wrong when you’re traveling, trust me, it’s a great feeling to know you’ve got a pro in your corner to shift tee times, alter a hotel booking, or just to recommend a great restaurant or off-course excursion. You’ll pay a premium, but it’ll be worth every penny.

Here’s a list of 10 outstanding golf destinations to consider for your 2026 golf getaway. Will your passport get stamped at one of them this year?

Barbados

Barbados may be famous for its white-sand beaches, rum shops, and relaxed sophistication, but it has also earned a well-deserved reputation as one of the Caribbean’s premier golf destinations. With dramatic landscapes, warm and welcoming people, and equally warm weather year-round, the small and easy to navigate island offers a world-class lineup of courses that consistently delight traveling golfers. Leading the charge is Apes Hill, a revitalized resort course set nearly 1,000 feet above sea level in the island’s lush interior. Rolling fairways wind through tropical jungle, framed by sea grape, frangipani, and flamboyant trees, while elevated tees reveal sweeping views stretching to the Atlantic. Not far away, Sandy Lane’s Green Monkey course is the most coveted tee time in Barbados. (Tiger Woods rented out this entire resort when he got married there.) Carved from an old limestone quarry, its back nine plays through towering coral walls that create a look unlike anything else in the Caribbean. Access is very limited, but the experience is unforgettable. Sandy Lane’s more accessible Country Club course offers another excellent option, with immaculate conditioning. Rounding out Barbados’s elite trio is Royal Westmoreland, a Robert Trent Jones II design defined by rolling terrain, white-sand bunkers, water features, and slick, grainy greens that demand a confident putting stroke. With easy access from North America and a culture that blends British tradition with Caribbean sunshine, Barbados delivers a golf experience that feels both refined and refreshingly relaxed. For golfers chasing warm weather, scenery, and compelling golf, this island’s many treasures are hiding in plain sight.

Costa Rica

The Central American country of Costa Rica attracts more than a million U.S. visitors annually, lured by its beaches, rainforests, colorful places to eat and drink, and its commitment to ecotourism. On Costa Rica’s golf courses, nature becomes your gallery in the form of macaws soaring overhead, monkeys clapping from the trees, and coatis casually crossing the fairways mid-round. The heart of Costa Rican golf lies in Guanacaste, the sun-drenched northwest region known for its dry climate and ideal playing conditions. The standout courses there are all within easy reach of the international airport in the capital, San José. The northernmost of these is the Arnold Palmer-designed Ocean Course at the Four Seasons Peninsula Papagayo. Carved into a lush hillside on an ancient lava flow, it offers dramatic elevation changes, constant Pacific views, and a postcard-perfect par-three 17th that’s even more brilliant at sunset. Just south is Reserva Conchal, a Robert Trent Jones II design that rewards both power and precision. Rolling terrain, banyan-lined fairways, and water-guarded greens keep players engaged, while mountain vistas and the occasional flock of flamingos remind you that this is anything but an ordinary round. Nearby in Tamarindo, Hacienda Pinilla Golf Club provides a longer, more open test, highlighted by a par-three green perched on the edge of the ocean amid black volcanic rock. Farther down the coast, La Iguana at the Los Sueños Marriott immerses golfers in dense rainforest before finishing beside the beach. Inland near San José, Cariari Country Club and Parque Valle del Sol showcase a more traditional parkland style, with tight tree-lined holes, strategic water hazards, and sweeping views of mountain ranges and volcanoes. Whether you’re playing until you drop or mixing golf with ziplining, hot springs, and sunset catamaran cruises, Costa Rica delivers the game with a generous dose of pura vida, the relaxed national spirit of Costa Rica representing peace, happiness, and harmony with nature.

Tuscany, Italy

Tuscany is rightly famous for its world-class wines, stunning scenery, charming medieval towns, and spectacular cuisine. But this historic region offers golf that’s just as good. Begin your journey in Florence, Tuscany’s capital, where you can view Michaelangelo’s David, tour the Cathedral de Santa Maria del Fiore, walk the famous Ponte Vecchio, and enjoy what’s likely to be the best dining you’ve ever imagined. Then it’s off to golf in the Mugello Hills at Poggio dei Medici, an open parkland course with ridges, valleys, and water to negotiate, along with captivating scenery and a historic clubhouse that’s set in a 16th Century hunting lodge. Next, head to the gently rolling hills south of Sienna to the Robert Trent Jones II design at Royal Golf La Bagnaia, where the links-like course winds through five lakes and the rustic setting transports you back centuries to the days of the Medicis. Finally, head to the 800-year-old estate at Castiglion del Bosco, one of Italy’s premier wine estates and home to the nation’s only private members’ club. The estate comprises the old castle’s ruins, a pair of small villages, vineyards, and a spectacular Tom Weiskopf-designed course that sits on the Tuscan landscape as perfectly as the area’s Brunello di Montalcinos sit on one’s palate. The course even has what it calls a “Brunello” hole, a 19th hole where wagers can be played out. You’ll need to stay in one of the estate’s tranquil villas or suites to access tee times at this course, but it will be eminently worth it to avail yourself of all that this estate, and Tuscany, have to offer its fortunate guests.