A multi-course golf holiday is one of the great travel experiences — waking up each day to a different course, a different challenge, a different landscape. But a trip that visits four or five courses across a region requires more planning than a single-resort holiday. Get the logistics wrong and you'll spend more time in the car than on the course. Here's how to build an itinerary that flows.
Step 1: Choose Your Region
The best multi-course trips are built around a geographic corridor rather than scattered locations. You want courses close enough together that you're driving 30-60 minutes between stops, not three hours.
Great corridors for multi-course trips:
- Scotland's East Coast: St Andrews → Kingsbarns → Crail → Carnoustie → Montrose. Five outstanding courses within an hour's drive.
- Ireland's Southwest: Ballybunion → Tralee → Waterville → Dingle → Lahinch. The Kerry/Clare coast is the densest concentration of links golf in the world.
- Portugal's Algarve: Vilamoura → Quinta do Lago → Vale do Lobo → Palmares. A dozen courses within 45 minutes.
- Oregon Coast: Bandon Dunes' five courses can fill a week without ever leaving the resort.
- Thailand's Hua Hin: Black Mountain → Banyan → Sea Pines → Majestic Creek. Four top courses in a beach-town setting.
Step 2: Set Your Pace
The most common mistake in golf trip planning is trying to play too much. Here's a realistic framework:
- 3-night trip: 3 rounds. One round per day, with evenings free.
- 5-night trip: 4-5 rounds. Include one rest day or half-day for sightseeing.
- 7-night trip: 5-6 rounds. Two rest days. This is the sweet spot for most destinations.
Playing 36 holes in a day is fine occasionally, but doing it every day turns a holiday into an endurance test. You'll enjoy each round more if you're fresh, and you'll have energy for dinners, exploring, and the experiences that make travel memorable.
Pro tip: Schedule your marquee course for day two or three, not day one. You'll be over the jet lag, warmed up, and playing your best golf.
Step 3: Route It Logically
Plot your courses on a map and create a route that moves in one direction rather than backtracking. The ideal routing is either:
- Linear: A → B → C → D, staying at a different location every 1-2 nights
- Hub-and-spoke: Base yourself in one central location and drive to courses in different directions each day
Linear works best for longer trips and regions with distinct areas (like Ireland's coast). Hub-and-spoke works best for concentrated areas (like the Algarve or Scottsdale) where everything is within an hour.
For linear trips, minimise single-night stays. Moving hotels every day is exhausting. Try to stay at least two nights in each location.
Step 4: Book Strategically
Timing matters enormously for tee times at popular courses:
- 6-12 months ahead: Book the headline courses first. St Andrews ballot, Pebble Beach, Royal County Down — these fill early.
- 3-6 months ahead: Book secondary courses, accommodation, and car rental.
- 1-3 months ahead: Fine-tune the itinerary. Fill gaps with less-known courses that have availability.
- 2 weeks ahead: Confirm all tee times. Some clubs require reconfirmation.
Booking tips:
- Always book morning tee times for links courses — afternoon wind can be brutal
- Ask about cancellation policies — weather and travel disruptions happen
- Group bookings (8+ players) often qualify for discounts and priority booking
- Call the pro shop directly for courses that don't have online booking — a friendly conversation goes further than an email
Step 5: Use Planning Tools
Building a multi-course itinerary manually — calculating distances, checking tee time availability, finding nearby accommodation — is time-consuming. The Links Marker trip planner lets you:
- Browse courses by region and filter by type, price, and rating
- Add courses to a trip and see them plotted on a map
- Check distances between courses to optimise your routing
- Find nearby accommodation and restaurants
- Save and share itineraries with your travel group
Start by browsing our course listings for your target region, save the ones that interest you, and build your route from there.
Step 6: Handle the Logistics
Flights: Book open-jaw tickets if your trip is linear (fly into one city, out of another). This eliminates the need to backtrack to your starting point.
Car rental: Essential for most multi-course trips outside resort destinations. Book the smallest car that fits your group and luggage — narrow roads in Scotland, Ireland, and rural Europe make compact cars much easier.
Accommodation: Mix it up. A couple of nights at a golf resort (convenient, often includes tee times) and a couple at a local B&B or small hotel (more authentic, usually cheaper) gives variety.
Clubs: If you're playing 5+ rounds, bring your own clubs. The cost of shipping or airline fees is justified. For shorter trips, consider renting — many courses offer top-tier rental sets.
Step 7: Build in Flexibility
The best golf trips leave room for the unexpected. That might mean:
- An extra round at a course you loved
- A spontaneous nine holes at a course you stumble upon
- A rest day when the weather turns
- A detour to a town, beach, or pub that someone recommends
Don't book every minute. Schedule your must-play courses firmly, but leave at least one or two days with only loose plans. Some of the best golf trip memories come from the unplanned moments.
Sample Itinerary: Southwest Ireland (7 Nights)
- Day 1: Arrive Shannon, drive to Lahinch. Settle in, walk the town.
- Day 2: Lahinch Old Course (morning). Explore the Cliffs of Moher (afternoon).
- Day 3: Drive to Ballybunion. Play the Old Course.
- Day 4: Tralee Golf Club (morning). Drive to Waterville.
- Day 5: Waterville Golf Links. One of the great days in golf.
- Day 6: Rest day. Ring of Kerry drive, pub lunch in Kenmare.
- Day 7: Old Head of Kinsale. Drive to Cork.
- Day 8: Fly home from Cork.
That's five rounds across seven days, with driving times kept under 90 minutes, two base locations, and a full rest day. It's ambitious enough to feel like a proper golf trip but relaxed enough to actually enjoy.
The key to a great multi-course golf holiday is simple: plan the framework carefully, then let the experience unfold. The courses are the reason you go, but the journey between them is where the magic happens.
