The Best Golf and Spa Resorts
The round in the morning, the spa in the afternoon, a great dinner to follow. These are the resorts that do both at the highest level, where the championship course is matched by a destination spa, perfect when not everyone in the party is playing. Our eight, ranked, with verdicts and how to plan them.
How we picked them
The best golf and spa resort is not simply a good course with a treatment room bolted on. It is a place where both halves stand on their own, a championship layout you would travel for and a spa serious enough to be a destination in its own right. We weighed the quality and pedigree of the golf first, then the standard of the spa and wellness offer, the dining and the overall trip the resort makes, especially for a group or couple where one person plays and the other does not.
Every fact here, the designers, the dates and the championships hosted, was checked at the time of writing. Green fees, treatments and room rates move hard with the season at every resort on this list, so treat any figure as a guide and always confirm directly before booking. The verdicts are ours. If you want any of these built into a costed itinerary, golf and spa together, that is exactly what our concierge does.
The ranking
- 1
Gleneagles, Scotland
Auchterarder, PerthshireThree courses · celebrated spaOur number one for the pairing. The great Perthshire hotel has three full courses, the James Braid designed heathland Kings and Queens from 1919 and the Jack Nicklaus designed PGA Centenary, which hosted the 2014 Ryder Cup and 2019 Solheim Cup. Add a celebrated spa, falconry, fine dining and the wider world of Scottish golf nearby, and Gleneagles is the most complete golf and spa resort in Britain, equally rewarding whether or not you play.
- 2
Terre Blanche, France
Tourrettes, ProvenceTwo courses · destination spaThe leading inland resort in southern France and home to one of the largest spas in Europe. Two Dave Thomas designed championship courses, Le Chateau and Le Riou, climb through Provencal countryside above the Cote d'Azur, while the vast spa, the five star hotel and a renowned golf academy make this a true dual purpose retreat. For a couple or group splitting time between the first tee and the treatment room, few resorts are better balanced.
- 3
Finca Cortesin, Spain
Casares, Costa del SolChampionship course · luxury spaHost of the 2023 Solheim Cup and one of the finest courses on the Costa del Sol, a generous, immaculate Cabell Robinson layout in the hills above Casares. The Andalusian style hotel holds one of the best spas in Spain, with serious thermal and wellness facilities and Michelin dining alongside. The combination of championship golf, a destination spa and the warmth of southern Spain makes it the pick of the region for a discerning trip.
- 4
Sea Island, Georgia
St Simons Island, GeorgiaThree courses · Forbes Five Star spaThe benchmark American golf and spa resort. The Seaside course, with roots in a Harry Colt design, hosts an annual PGA Tour event, joined by the Davis Love redesigned Plantation and the members' Retreat. The Spa at Sea Island runs to around 65,000 square feet and has been named a Forbes Five Star and one of the world's most luxurious spas. With the five star Cloister hotel and the Georgia coast at the door, it is a complete resort for golfers and non golfers alike.
- 5
The Greenbrier, West Virginia
White Sulphur Springs, West VirginiaHistoric course · mineral spaAmerica's grand old spa resort, drawing visitors to its mineral waters in the Allegheny Mountains since the 18th century. The Old White, a Charles Blair Macdonald design opened in 1914 with holes patterned after the great Scottish originals, long hosted a PGA Tour event and anchors a deep golf offer. With its famous mineral baths, classic spa and sprawling historic hotel, the Greenbrier is a singular American escape, golf and wellness wrapped in living history.
- 6
The Resort at Pelican Hill, California
Newport Coast, CaliforniaTwo ocean courses · resort spaA Italianate Riviera style resort on the Newport Coast bluffs with two Tom Fazio courses, the Ocean South opened in 1991 and the Ocean North in 1993, both serving up sweeping Pacific views. The Spa at Pelican Hill complements the golf with an extensive treatment menu in a serene coastal setting. Polished, sunny and supremely comfortable, it is the southern California pick for golf, spa and ocean in one.
- 7
Fairmont Banff Springs, Canada
Banff, AlbertaMountain course · Willow Stream SpaThe castle in the Canadian Rockies, where Stanley Thompson laid out one of the world's most scenic courses in 1928, winding along the Bow River beneath Mount Rundle and Sulphur Mountain. The Willow Stream Spa draws on the alpine air and the mineral hot springs that first brought travellers here, with pools, waterfalls and a vast wellness floor. For mountain drama paired with a serious spa, nothing in North America rivals it.
- 8
Costa Navarino, Greece
Messinia, PeloponneseFour courses · vast spaThe most complete multi course resort in Europe also runs one of its largest spas, built around ancient Greek and Messinian wellness traditions. Four championship courses, led by the Bernhard Langer designed Dunes, sit alongside an expansive thermal and treatment complex, several hotels and miles of Ionian coast. For a longer trip that mixes a week of golf with sun, sea and serious spa days, Costa Navarino is hard to beat.
Designers, dates and host history verified June 2026. These resorts span very different climates and seasons, so the best window for a links and heath trip differs from a warm weather escape. Green fees, treatments and room rates move with the season, so always confirm access and fees directly before booking.
Plan a golf and spa trip
Tell us which resort, or which region, and roughly when, and whether the party is all golfers or a mix. One concierge costs the whole trip to the head, tee times, treatments and rooms, and replies within one working day, with no obligation.
Golf and spa resort questions
What is the best golf and spa resort in the world?
Gleneagles in Scotland is our number one for the pairing, a great hotel with three championship courses, including the Ryder Cup hosting PGA Centenary, and a celebrated spa. Terre Blanche in Provence and Finca Cortesin in Spain run it close, each combining a top course with one of Europe's finest spas. The best choice depends on whether you want a links and heath trip or a warm weather escape.
Which golf resorts have the best spas?
Sea Island in Georgia has a Forbes Five Star spa of around 65,000 square feet, and Fairmont Banff Springs is built around the historic Willow Stream Spa and the region's natural hot springs. In Europe, Terre Blanche, Finca Cortesin and Gleneagles all pair a championship course with a destination spa, making them ideal when only one of the party is playing golf.
Are golf and spa resorts good for non golfers?
Yes, that is the point of this list. Every resort here offers a serious spa, fine dining and other activities alongside the golf, so a group split between golfers and non golfers is well catered for. Treat green fees, treatments and room rates as a guide, as they move with the season, and always confirm directly before booking.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Resort openings, shoulder season value and the trips worth taking. One considered email every other week.