The perfect trip for many golfers, and for the partner who does not play, is one that pairs a great course with a great beach. Tee off in the morning, swim in the afternoon, dine by the ocean at night. Here are the ten destinations in the world that do golf and beach best, ranked for the quality of both, with our verdict on each and how to plan it.
Photograph: Strand Golf AB, Strand Golf AB, via Google
A golf and beach trip lives or dies on the weakest half. Plenty of destinations have wonderful golf and a thin, rocky strip of coast, or glorious beaches and ordinary golf. The places on this list earn their ranking by being genuinely excellent at both, where the course you cross off a bucket list sits a short stroll or drive from a beach worth a holiday in its own right, and where the resorts, the dining and the climate make the whole thing effortless.
We weighed the quality and pedigree of the golf, the quality of the beaches and swimming, how close together the two sit, and the overall strength of the resorts and the climate. We leaned toward destinations that work for a mixed group, where one half plays and the other suns, because that is what most of these trips really are. Designers and host events were checked at the time of writing. The order and the verdicts are our editors' view, so reasonable people will reorder it depending on how far and how warm they want to travel. If you want any of these built into a costed trip, that is what our concierge does.
The finest concentration of golf and beach on earth. Maui delivers Kapalua's Plantation Course, the Coore and Crenshaw layout that opens the PGA Tour season, minutes from world class sand, while Kauai pairs the cliffside Princeville courses with some of the most beautiful beaches anywhere. Add the Big Island's lava framed ocean holes and you have a destination where every round ends within reach of a swim. The benchmark, if you can reach it.
The most famous coastal golf on the planet, where Pebble Beach Golf Links runs along Carmel Bay with the public beach sitting right beneath the ninth and tenth, joined by Spyglass Hill and Spanish Bay on the Monterey Peninsula. The water is cooler than the tropics, so this is beach as scenery and coastal walks rather than swimming, but no golf coastline is more spectacular. A pure pilgrimage with the Pacific at your shoulder.
The dream tropical golf and beach island, where turquoise lagoons and white sand fringe a small but excellent set of courses, led by the Heritage Golf Club, the seaside Constance courses at Belle Mare Plage and the Ernie Els designed Anahita. The resorts are some of the best in the Indian Ocean, the beaches are postcard perfect, and the golf and the sand sit on the same estates. Far to travel, faultless once there.
The Caribbean's golf and beach heavyweight, where Jack Nicklaus's Punta Espada and Tom Fazio's Corales, a regular PGA Tour host, deliver thrilling oceanside holes a few minutes from miles of palm backed white sand. The all inclusive and luxury resorts are built for a mixed group, with the beach, the spa and the golf all on tap. The easiest long haul tropical golf and beach trip from the eastern United States.
Desert meets ocean at the tip of Baja, where Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio, Tiger Woods and Davis Love have built dramatic cliff and beach golf at Quivira, Cabo del Sol and Diamante, beside the warm Sea of Cortez. The east cape beaches are swimmable while the Pacific side offers wild surf and scenery, and the resorts are first class. A bold, sun drenched golf and beach trip with genuine architectural pedigree.
Europe's most complete golf and beach coast, with more than 50 courses, headlined by Quinta do Lago, Vale do Lobo and San Lorenzo, set behind some of the prettiest beaches and golden cliffs in the Mediterranean world. The golf is excellent and plentiful, the beaches are a short hop from the fairways, and the food and value are superb. The natural choice for a golf and beach trip without the long haul flight.
A barrier island south of Charleston where Pete Dye's fearsome Ocean Course, host of the 1991 Ryder Cup and the 2012 and 2021 PGA Championships, runs straight along the Atlantic dunes beside ten miles of broad sandy beach. Add the island's other resort courses and the genteel charm of nearby Charleston, and Kiawah is the United States' best combination of championship golf and a true beach holiday outside the tropics.
Southeast Asia's leading golf and beach island, where lush, well conditioned courses such as Blue Canyon and Red Mountain sit within easy reach of the famous Andaman Sea beaches, all wrapped in five star resorts and legendary Thai service and value. The golf is genuinely good and the beach, spa and food scene are world class, which makes Phuket a favourite for travellers wanting tropical luxury at a gentler price.
The original Costa del Golf, with more than 50 courses around Marbella and Sotogrande, including Valderrama and Finca Cortesin, strung behind a long, sunny Mediterranean shoreline. The beaches are lively rather than secluded, and the sea is warmest in summer and autumn, but the strength and choice of the golf, the dining and the buzz of Marbella make it a dependable golf and beach base a short flight from northern Europe.
Australia's golf and beach playground, where a cluster of resort courses including Sanctuary Cove and Royal Pines sits just inland of a famous run of surf beaches around Surfers Paradise. The climate is warm and sunny, the beaches are superb, and the relaxed resort scene suits families and mixed groups. Far from Europe and North America, but for those in the region it is the definitive golf and beach combination.
Designers and host events verified June 2026 where stated; destinations are described by their verified character. Climate and swimming conditions vary by season. We are a guide and trip planner, not the operator, so always confirm access and fees directly before booking. Compare beach resort stays.
Tell us whether you dream of Hawaii, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean or a short hop to the Algarve, your group size, who plays and who suns, and roughly when. One concierge arranges the tee times and the beach resort and costs the trip to the head, with no obligation.
Hawaii offers the best concentration of world class golf and beaches anywhere, with championship courses by the ocean on Maui and Kauai a short drive from some of the finest beaches on earth. Pebble Beach in California and Mauritius in the Indian Ocean are its closest rivals, while Punta Cana and Los Cabos lead the tropical pack. Reasonable people reorder the top depending on how warm and how far they want to travel.
All ten here are chosen precisely because the beach, spa and dining are as strong as the golf. Mauritius, Punta Cana and Phuket are built around luxurious beach resorts with the golf alongside, which suits a couple or family where only one plays. Hawaii, Los Cabos and the Algarve balance serious golf with superb beaches, so everyone wins. The concierge tailors each day to the group.
It depends on the hemisphere and the climate. Hawaii, Mexico and the Caribbean are best from roughly November to April, avoiding the Atlantic hurricane season for Punta Cana. The Algarve and Costa del Sol peak in spring and autumn, Phuket is driest from November to April, and Australia's Gold Coast is a summer beach destination from December to March. Always confirm conditions before booking.
In several cases yes. At Pebble Beach the public beach sits right beneath the ninth and tenth, while many Mauritius, Punta Cana, Los Cabos and Hawaii resorts place the golf and the sand within the same property. Some courses sit on cliffs above swimmable bays rather than on the beach itself, so we match each resort to whether you want to play and swim in the same afternoon. Always confirm directly before booking.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designers and host events verified June 2026 where stated. Last reviewed June 2026.