Golf travel in Europe: course reviews, golf club guides and travel stories from across Europe.
The Salinas course is tough, with lots of lava and plenty of sand. Picture yourself hitting off on the first hole, a fairly gentle par 5, surrounded by lava rocks and, more often than not, a strong north wind. The view of the ocean is fantastic, though, when the sun is out, which it usually…
When Salinas de Antigua was finished in 2006, the surroundings were rough and tough. Now the club has started to find its place as one of Fuerteventura's real 18-hole golf courses. High above the Atlantic coast on the Canary volcanic island of Fuerteventura lies Salinas de Antigua. The clubhouse, with a small restaurant and shop,…
The whole course is like a small oasis with a good handful of ponds, where hoopoes and other flying creatures are always around. Still, it is not that easy to make a birdie, even though the slope rating is fairly gentle. The signature holes on this par-72, 18-hole course are the second, a fairly narrow…
Golfers from half of Europe jostle for tee times on Fuerteventura's fairly green course, a little oasis near the resort town of Caleta de Fuste on the Atlantic. As soon as you arrive at Fuerteventura Golf Club, which is part of the five-star Elba Palace hotel, the whole place breathes classic elegance. The interiors, with…
The course was designed in 2002 by Bengt Lorichs and Pierre Fulke. It is carefully laid out in the Östergötland countryside in a varied way. No hole is really like any other, so it may be wise to play the course at least twice. With a few exceptions the course is not particularly long, but…
Imagine playing on heathland surrounded by lush deciduous forest, with a view of the country's second-largest lake. Then you are at Omberg, right next to Lake Vättern, a deep rift lake. Here you find a fine 18-hole course that draws around ten thousand green-fee guests a year, and it is easy to see why. Ombergs…
Despite its relative youth, the Mauritzberg golf course on Vikbolandet feels finished. It is varied with an exciting layout, well kept from tee to green, open and therefore exposed to the wind, with the sea breeze right on the doorstep. Exactly what golfers want. When Robert Kains was asked to design an 18-hole course on…
A little under ten years ago a golf course was built on Vikbolandet, just under half an hour's drive from Norrköping. There was already a castle on the shore of Bråviken, with a wonderful view of the Baltic Sea. And the combination of castle and golf course is a winning concept. The golf club is…
Palheiro Golf, a British-style golf gem just over 600 meters above sea level overlooking Funchal and the Atlantic, has for a quarter of a century been a well-established course that offers most of what you could want, and the best of it. Short holes of barely a hundred meters over ravines alternate with sidehill par…
The course has a fairly gentle slope rating, but looks can be deceiving. The layout is exciting and the holes are easy to find, with no risk of getting lost. Many holes are narrow and some are on a sidehill. Some sit in wind tunnels and others run over or alongside ravines. The tee boxes…
The 12-hole course is a bit unique. Not only is it the first 12-hole course in Sweden, it is also the first 12-hole course with an official slope rating. Maybe the golf federation made a mistake when it rated the course? But now it is done, and the course is unique in the world. The…
The course was designed by Jan Sederholm and opened in 1996. More recently it has been renovated and upgraded by Peter Fjällman, work that will continue for another year or so. The course is mainly parkland, with some woodland elements. Already on the first hole the course tests whether you have your nerves under control,…