The Best Golf Destinations in April
April is golf's great transition month. The American Southeast is in glorious Masters month form, the Mediterranean and the desert are warm but not yet hot, and the prices ease back from the winter peak before the summer rush. The northern links are still cold, so April rewards the golfer who heads south and west. Here are the ten destinations we send golfers to in April, ranked, with our verdict on the weather, the courses and the value, plus the spring window that makes this such a clever month to travel.
Photo: Pinehurst No. 2 via Google.
How we ranked them
This list weighs what matters most in April: warm, settled spring weather, courses in peak condition as the growing season returns, and the value window that opens as winter high season prices fall and before the summer peak arrives. We have leaned into the American Southeast and the desert, both at their finest in Masters month, and into southern Europe and the Mediterranean, where spring is close to perfect, while leaving the great northern links for the warmer months. Every destination here links through to our fuller guide so you can go deeper, and every fee is a guide only, always to be confirmed directly before booking.
The 10 best April golf destinations
Pinehurst and the Sandhills, USA
April is when the Carolina Sandhills are at their absolute best. Pinehurst No. 2, the restored Donald Ross masterpiece and a regular US Open host, plays firm and fast in warm, dry Masters month weather, the dogwoods and azaleas in bloom and the sandy turf running true. The village of Pinehurst, with its nine resort courses and the neighbouring Tobacco Road, Mid Pines and Pine Needles, is the densest concentration of classic American golf there is, and April shows it off. For the travelling golfer it is the dream spring trip, and it takes top spot.
Verdict: classic American golf at its dogwood, Masters month finest.The Algarve, Portugal
The Algarve in April is a delight, warm and settled before the summer heat, the courses green and immaculate and the fees easing back from the winter peak. The marquee names of the western Algarve, Monte Rei, San Lorenzo, the Quinta do Lago and Vale do Lobo courses, are in superb condition, and the wider region offers a deep choice of resort golf at every price. With short flights from across Europe and a warm, easy welcome, it is the continent's best value spring trip.
Verdict: Europe's finest spring value, before the summer crowds.Arizona and Scottsdale, USA
April is the sweet spot in the Sonoran Desert, warm and dry but before the searing summer when golf becomes a dawn affair. The Scottsdale corridor, with the TPC Stadium Course, the Troon courses, We-Ko-Pa and the Boulders, is in peak condition, the desert in spring bloom and the evenings warm enough to dine outside. It is polished, sunny, resort golf at its best, with great practice facilities and a lively scene, and April catches it just before the prices and the temperatures climb.
Verdict: the desert at its spring peak, just before the heat.Andalucia and the Costa del Sol, Spain
Spring is glorious on the Costa del Sol, the courses lush and the weather warm and reliable along the stretch they call the Costa del Golf. April brings out the best of the great Andalucian names, Valderrama, Sotogrande's Real Club, Finca Cortesin and the cluster around Marbella and Estepona, with the mountains still green and the fees off their winter high. It is easy, sunny, high quality golf with superb food and short transfers, one of the most dependable spring trips in Europe.
Verdict: dependable spring sun and a deep run of great courses.Charleston and Kiawah, USA
The South Carolina lowcountry is a spring jewel, and April brings warm, breezy days perfect for the great coastal courses around Charleston. Kiawah Island's Ocean Course, the Pete Dye links that hosted the 2012 and 2021 PGA Championships, is the headline, a brutal, beautiful test along the Atlantic, with the rest of the island and the historic city's restaurants making the trip. The spring weather is kinder than the humid summer and the marshland scenery is at its greenest.
Verdict: the Ocean Course and historic Charleston in soft spring light.Belek and Antalya, Turkey
Belek on Turkey's Mediterranean coast is one of April's best value picks, warm and settled in the spring shoulder when the all inclusive resorts and championship courses are in fine trim and prices sit below the winter peak. The cluster of courses, the Montgomerie Maxx Royal, the Carya heathland, the National and the PGA Sultan among them, sit minutes apart behind a long beach, making for an easy, golf rich week with the spend kept under control.
Verdict: warm, value packed resort golf in the spring shoulder.Marrakech, Morocco
April is a lovely month in Marrakech, warm and comfortable before the high summer heat, the courses green against the snow capped Atlas Mountains. The city's golf, the Robert Trent Jones Royal Golf, the Amelkis, Al Maaden and the PalmGolf courses, pairs beautifully with the souks, the riads and the food, making for an exotic, characterful spring trip just over three hours from much of Europe. It is golf with a sense of place, and April is the time to play it.
Verdict: green fairways against the Atlas, golf with real character.Cyprus
Cyprus enjoys a long, warm spring, and April is an excellent month to play the island's small but high quality cluster of courses around Paphos, led by Aphrodite Hills, Secret Valley and the Elea estate. The weather is reliably sunny, the courses are quiet and in good condition, and the wider island offers history, beaches and excellent food. For a relaxed, warm spring week away from the crowds, the eastern Mediterranean delivers, and Cyprus is its golfing heart.
Verdict: quiet, sunny spring golf in the eastern Mediterranean.Sicily and southern Italy
Southern Italy comes alive in April, the spring warmth bringing out the best of Sicily's golf, above all Verdura, the Kyle Phillips resort on the south coast with its two seaside courses, and the layouts of Puglia and the mainland south. The weather is warm and settled, the scenery and the food are superb, and the golf is paired with some of the most rewarding travel in Europe. For golfers who want their week to be about more than the courses, April in the Italian south is a joy.
Verdict: seaside Sicilian golf and the best food in the game.Japan
April is cherry blossom season in Japan, and the golf season opens with the courses immaculate and the famous spring blossoms framing the fairways. The great parkland layouts around Tokyo and the Kansai region, conditioned to a standard found almost nowhere else, are a revelation for the travelling golfer, and the wider culture, food and service make Japan one of the most memorable golf destinations on earth. It rounds out the ten on novelty, quality and the magic of blossom season.
Verdict: immaculate parkland golf framed by the cherry blossom.Indicative conditions and seasonal value for April. Weather, green fees and tee sheets change, so always confirm directly before booking. Check April tee time availability.
Plan your April golf trip
Tell us where the spring is calling you, Pinehurst and the Sandhills, the Algarve, Scottsdale or Andalucia, and roughly when and who is travelling. One concierge builds the order, holds the tee times and the rooms and costs the week to the head, with no obligation.
April golf questions
Where is the best golf in April?
April is the great transition month, and our pick is Pinehurst and the Carolina Sandhills, where the famous No. 2 and its neighbours play in warm, dry Masters month conditions amid the dogwoods and pines. The Algarve and Andalucia run it close in their gorgeous spring window before the summer heat and crowds, with Scottsdale, Charleston, Turkey, Morocco, Cyprus, southern Italy and Japan all at or near their best. April is when the northern courses wake up and the southern ones have not yet baked.
Is April a good time for a golf trip?
April is one of the best value months in golf. The southern United States, the Mediterranean and the desert resorts are in peak spring condition, warm but not yet hot, the courses are immaculate and the prices ease back from the winter high season before the summer rush. The British and Irish links are stirring but still cool, so April leans to the south and the desert. Book the Masters week itself well ahead, as demand around it is intense.
Is April too early for golf in Europe?
For the great links of Britain and Ireland, April can still be cold, wet and windy, so it is early for a northern trip. For the south of Europe it is close to perfect. The Algarve, Andalucia, the Spanish costas, Cyprus, Sicily and southern Italy all enjoy warm, settled spring weather in April, with the courses green and the fees gentler than in peak winter. Head south and April is an excellent month for European golf.
Should you plan a golf trip around the Masters in April?
The Masters in the second week of April lifts the whole of the American Southeast into its finest golfing window, and Pinehurst, the Carolinas and the Sandhills are at their dogwood best around it. Tickets for Augusta National itself are famously hard to come by, but a golf trip to the region in Masters month delivers superb weather and conditioning whether or not you are inside the gates. Book courses and rooms early, as the area is busy. Always confirm current rates and availability directly before booking.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Seasonal conditions and indicative value verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.