Belgium Golf Course Renovations to Watch in 2026
Belgium's best golf is old golf, and its custodians are investing to protect it. A careful restoration on the coast leads a quiet wave of work in 2026 that is sharpening the country's classic links and parkland. Here is what is changing and what it means for visiting golfers.
The headline: Royal Zoute restores its dunes
The project to watch is at Royal Zoute Golf Club on the North Sea coast at Knokke-Heist, the finest course in Belgium and one of the best on mainland Europe. In 2023 the club appointed the British architects Mackenzie and Ebert, among the most respected hands in links restoration, to advise on both of its courses. The work focuses on bunker upgrades, improving the green surrounds and restoring the dune landscape that gives the championship course its character.
This is restoration rather than redesign, the most encouraging kind of project for a classic course. The aim is to recover lost width, sharpen the bunkering and let the natural dune contours breathe again, returning the course to the strategic ideals it was built on rather than imposing a modern look. For travelling golfers it means the headline round of any Belgian trip is being lovingly tuned, not torn up.
The wider picture
Belgium's golf is concentrated in a small number of high quality clubs, many of them more than a century old, so the trend here is preservation and presentation rather than a rush of new builds. Royal Golf Club of Belgium at Ravenstein, the historic Brussels parkland that has hosted national opens, has been reported in excellent condition through recent seasons, tees, fairways, bunkers and greens all presenting well, the product of steady investment rather than a single dramatic project.
That conservative instinct suits the country. The great Belgian courses are heathland and links treasures whose value lies in their pedigree, so the most valuable work is the unglamorous kind: drainage, turf health, bunker sand and the patient recovery of original design features. It is exactly the sort of care that keeps a classic playing as well at a hundred years old as it did when it opened.
What it means for your trip
For a 2026 Belgian golf trip the practical takeaways are straightforward. Royal Zoute is mid restoration, so if the championship course is your priority it is worth confirming which holes, bunkers or areas are under work for your dates, since coastal restoration is usually staged out of the main season. Off season visits in particular can coincide with project work, so a quick check before you commit avoids surprises.
Belgium pairs naturally with a wider trip. The coast around Knokke is an easy add to a Netherlands or northern France golf itinerary, and the Brussels and Antwerp clubs make a compact inland loop. Among the courses we profile, the seaside class of Royal Zoute and the heathland pedigree of Royal Antwerp are the obvious anchors.
Our take
We are glad to see Belgium's best clubs spending on restoration rather than reinvention. A Mackenzie and Ebert plan at Royal Zoute is a sign the club understands what it has, a course whose greatness lies in its dunes and its strategy, not in length or novelty. The honest advice for travellers is to play it now and play it later, because a thoughtful restoration tends to make a classic better. Just confirm the state of play for your dates, and let one of Europe's underrated golf countries surprise you.
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Questions
What is being renovated at Royal Zoute?
Royal Zoute appointed the architects Mackenzie and Ebert in 2023 to advise on its courses, with work focused on bunker upgrades, green surrounds and restoration of the dune landscape on the championship course.
Is Royal Zoute open to visitors during the work?
Royal Zoute generally remains open to visiting golfers, but restoration is often staged, so confirm which areas are affected for your dates before booking.
When is the best time to play golf in Belgium?
The Belgian season runs roughly April to October, with the coastal links best in late spring through early autumn; winter is when most restoration work tends to take place.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Renovation details verified June 2026 from course and architect sources; projects and schedules change, so always confirm directly. Last reviewed June 2026.