Family Resorts, Lannalodge Golf Resort golf course

Ranked · 10 resorts · updated 2026

The Best Family Golf Resorts

The best family golf trips keep everyone happy: serious championship golf for you, a kids club, a pool and a beach for the rest of the family. Here are the ten resorts we rate most highly for golfers traveling with children, ranked, with our verdict on the golf and what the resort lays on for families.

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By the GolfForKings editorial desk · How we rank · Last reviewed June 2026

Photograph: Lannalodge Golf Resort, David Oervell, via Google

How we chose them

A family golf resort has to clear two bars at once. The golf has to be good enough to justify the trip, and the resort has to keep partners and children genuinely happy while you play. We weighed the quality and breadth of the courses, the kids clubs and junior golf programs, the pools, beaches and off course activities, the range of lodging and dining, and the small touches that matter to families, like free or discounted junior golf and short courses the whole group can play together. We leaned toward resorts that make a multi generation trip feel effortless rather than a compromise.

Course architects, founding years and family programs were verified at the time of writing. Policies such as junior green fees and kids club ages change, so confirm the current details with each resort, but the broad strengths described here are well established. The verdicts and the order are ours, and the right pick depends on the ages of your children and whether you want a beach, a lake or the mountains. If you want a family golf trip built around any of these, with the golf and the childcare both handled, that is exactly what our concierge does.

The ranking

Pinehurst Resort

North Carolina · ten courses · The Cradle and a kids club

The cradle of American golf is also a surprisingly easy family base. While you play Ross's No. 2 or Doak's new No. 10, the resort runs a kids club for children roughly three to twelve, with pools and a spa to fill the day. The masterstroke for families is The Cradle, Gil Hanse's nine hole short course where beginners, children and scratch golfers all have fun together over an hour. History, depth of golf and a short course the whole family can enjoy make it our top family pick in the United States.

Plan a Pinehurst family trip

Sea Island Resort

Georgia · three courses · under 19s play free

Perhaps the most complete family golf resort in America, on the south Georgia coast. Three championship courses and a vast golf performance center cover the golf, while a beach, pools, tennis, fishing, sailing, riding and biking cover everyone else. The clincher for families is that golfers under nineteen never pay a green fee, and the resort runs family golf clinics and lessons. With the five star Cloister and Lodge and the Lowcountry setting, it is built from the ground up for golfing families.

Plan a Sea Island family trip

Kiawah Island Golf Resort

South Carolina · five courses · Kamp Kiawah

A barrier island near Charleston that pairs Pete Dye's fearsome Ocean Course with one of the best family setups in golf. Five courses give the golfers plenty, while Kamp Kiawah keeps children busy and the island lays on swimming, tennis, biking, kayaking, paddleboarding and nature hikes along ten miles of beach. The five star Sanctuary hotel and a range of villas suit groups of every size. World class golf on the coast with a properly run kids program is a rare and winning combination.

Plan a Kiawah family trip

Gleneagles

Scotland · three championship courses · The Little Glen

The grande dame of Scottish resort golf in Perthshire, with three championship courses including the Ryder Cup hosting PGA Centenary. For families it is exceptional: The Little Glen creche looks after the youngest, while The Den gives older children a space with games consoles, board games and a cinema room. Add riding, falconry, a spa and the grand hotel itself, and it becomes a Highland estate the whole family can enjoy while you play championship golf. The classic choice for a family golf trip in the United Kingdom.

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Reynolds Lake Oconee

Georgia · six courses · lakeside Ritz Carlton

A sprawling lakeside resort an hour from Atlanta that is tailor made for families who golf. Six courses from Nicklaus, Fazio, Rees Jones and others keep golfers busy for days, while Lake Oconee itself adds a marina, boating, fishing and a sandy beach club. The Ritz Carlton Reynolds on the shore gives five star lodging, a spa and kids activities. With this much water and space to roam, the non golfers are as well served as the golfers, which is exactly what a family trip needs.

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The Broadmoor

Colorado · classic mountain resort · since 1918

A grand mountain resort at the foot of the Rockies that has entertained families for over a century. The Donald Ross founded golf, expanded over the decades, has hosted multiple USGA championships, and the thin air makes every drive soar. Off the course there is a lake, a pool complex, a wilderness experience, falconry, hiking and a children's program, all wrapped in Forbes five star service. For families who want cooler summer temperatures and a sense of old world grandeur rather than a beach, The Broadmoor is hard to beat.

Plan a Broadmoor family trip

Quinta do Lago

Portugal · the Algarve · three courses and The Campus

The polished heart of the Algarve's golf coast, with three courses including the celebrated South layout and a wealth of family activities in a pine and lake setting. The resort's sport and lifestyle hub, The Campus, runs coaching across many sports, there is a huge lake, a beach a short hop away, cycling, tennis and padel, and a long list of restaurants. Mild winters and warm summers make it a year round family base, and the easy flights from northern Europe seal it as a top family choice in the Mediterranean.

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Westin Kierland

Arizona · Scottsdale · water park and junior golf

A Scottsdale resort built for families who want sunshine, golf and a serious pool day. The Westin Kierland pairs a 27 hole course with an adventure water park, complete with a 110 foot water slide and a lazy river, plus kids clubs for different ages. Junior green fees and club rentals are discounted, so children can learn the game, and the desert sun shines almost year round. For a winter golf trip where the family wants a water park as much as a tee time, this is the easy answer.

Plan a Scottsdale family trip

JW Marriott Desert Springs

California · Palm Desert · kids under 15 golf free

A Palm Desert classic in the Coachella Valley with two championship courses, complimentary daily golf clinics and a relaxed family feel. Children fifteen and under play golf free with a paying adult after three in the afternoon, which is a genuine boon for families teaching the game. Boats glide along the resort's interior waterways, the pools are extensive, and the desert weather is glorious in winter and spring. An easygoing, value conscious family golf base within reach of Los Angeles and Palm Springs.

Plan a Palm Desert family trip

The Sea Pines Resort

Hilton Head · South Carolina · Harbour Town

The original Hilton Head resort and still one of the best for families, anchored by Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus's iconic Harbour Town Golf Links beneath its candy striped lighthouse. Beyond the PGA Tour pedigree there are miles of beach, a forest preserve, biking trails, a marina, tennis and a long roster of children's activities. The mix of championship golf, the Lowcountry beach and a genuinely walkable, bike friendly community has made Sea Pines a multi generation family favorite for decades.

Plan a Hilton Head family trip

Course architects, founding years and family programs verified June 2026. Junior green fee policies and kids club ages change with the season; always confirm current details and rates directly before booking. Check tee time availability. For where to stay, see our partner hotel rates.

Plan a family golf trip

Tell us the ages of your children, how much golf you want to play and whether you lean beach, lake or mountains. One concierge balances the tee times with the kids club and the pool, and costs the trip to the head, with no obligation.

Family golf resort questions

What is the best family golf resort?

Pinehurst in North Carolina is our overall pick, combining ten courses, a kids club and The Cradle short course that the whole family can play together. Sea Island in Georgia runs it close, with under 19s playing free, and Kiawah Island offers the best beach and Kamp Kiawah kids program alongside championship golf.

Which golf resorts let kids play free?

Sea Island in Georgia lets golfers under nineteen play with no green fee, and JW Marriott Desert Springs in California lets children fifteen and under play free with a paying adult after three in the afternoon. Many resorts also discount junior green fees and rentals. Always confirm the current junior policy when booking.

Are golf resorts suitable for non golfers?

The best ones are. Kiawah, Sea Island, Reynolds Lake Oconee, Gleneagles and Quinta do Lago all offer beaches or lakes, pools, spas, kids clubs and a long list of activities, so partners and children are fully occupied while you play. We specifically rank for off course breadth, not just the golf.

When is the best time for a family golf trip?

It depends on the resort. The US coastal and Algarve resorts are best in spring and fall, when it is warm but not too hot and schools allow. Arizona and Palm Desert shine in winter and spring. Scotland's Gleneagles is a summer trip. Plan around school holidays and the resort's peak season for the smoothest experience.

The Tee Sheet

Family golf openings, junior programs and the school holiday dates worth booking early. Every other week.

Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course designers, founding years and host events verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.