United Kingdom
in Northern Europe
Europe
Ireland- Currency and Currency Code:
- Pound - GBP
- Spoken languages:
- English, Welsh, Scottish Gaelic
- Local electricity:
- 230 V - 50 Hz (plugs: G)
- Mobile phone / cellular frequencies (MHz):
- 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 3G, 4G
- ISO 2-Letter code:
- GB
- Internet top level domain:
- .uk
- Country phone prefix:
- +44
- Local Time (capital):
- Timezone:
- UTC/GMT offset: hours
Playing Golf in United Kingdom
The United Kingdom can definitely offer a lot to the dedicated golf player, both in terms of contemporary golf pleasures and an educative retrospection into the history of golf. In fact the country provides a combination between a long-standing golf tradition and accessible and modern golf sites, topped with well-developed golf tourism. Britain’s insular climate and topography are the homeland of the game and there is something definitely thrilling in swinging the club as the British do it. The UK is a really convenient destination for a short golf break, for a golf cultural travel or for visiting a golf tournament.
Golf facilities in the UK
If you want to take a golf break or an educational golf course in the UK, you can easily find a nice spot that suits your personal tastes and preferences. There are golf courses pretty much everywhere in the country, so all you have to do is a little research of what else you want to see in addition and go for it. The popularity of the sport makes it convenient to combine cultural tourism with golf by lodging in a hotel nearby a golf course. If you, however, want to emerge fully into a luxurious golf atmosphere, you can easily find golf resorts that accommodate all touristic needs and much more. Many golf sites in the UK are also open to hosting different types of golf events, which allows you to go ahead with corporate golf travels, team-buildings, educational golf-trips and even petit golf-competitions. For a golf holiday, the prices that most of the venues offer and that include one night’s dinner, bed and breakfast and one or two golf rounds range between 50 and 100 pounds a night.
Competitions and Tournaments
There are plenty of golf tournaments in Britain, and the long-standing tradition of the sport there attracts not only many competitors, but many viewers as well. The open golf competitions are becoming increasingly appealing to the general public. If you are willing to see an amateur golf competition in a nice environment and are willing to pay the entrance fee, more often than not you can get a complement meal or snack to it. In fact, the number of golf championships in the UK is really significant. There is something for every age group and golf-mastership level. There are many professional and amateur tournaments. There are also golf competitions organized under the auspices of big brands like Coca Cola, BMW, Volvo, etc. British Open, a professional golf championship, has emerged to be among the most prestigious golf competitions. It is said to be Tiger Woods’ favorite tournament. British Open attracts attention of viewers and golf fans too and has turned into a kind of a Wimbledon for golf. The tournament that started in 1860 awards a prize of above million dollars to its winner and is the single significant master tournament in Europe that is held in such a high esteem as the other three leading professional golf tournaments – the Masters, U.S. Open and PGA Championship that are all are held in America.
Golf in the UK
On the Old Continent the United Kingdom is by far the most accomplished golf destination. Suffice it to say that it was in Scotland in the 15th century that the game as we know it nowadays came into being. On global scale, the UK is second in terms of number of golf courses and with its roughly 2700 sites it accounts for 8% of the golf venues worldwide, preceded only by the USA. So for people interested in a golf training course or a brief golf holiday (a golf break as the British call it), UK seems to be a rather easy and have-it-all golf destination (that is if you are OK with the British accent of course). With its green fields, moderate climate and topographic variety Britain offers plenty of fulfilling golf-holiday opportunities throughout the entire year, which makes it a nice choice especially for those golfers or golfers-to-be that want to plan their golf vacation within a short notice.
Climate
Being an island country, the United Kingdom combines moist maritime air with dry continental air. Because of their proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, Northern Ireland, Wales, and the western parts of England and Scotland in general have the mildest climate conditions. On the east the weather is drier, cooler, yet there is less wind. What is good news is that no particular extremities in the temperatures of the Island are observed, which makes it more or less a reliable destination for golf travelers throughout the whole year. It should be observed, however, that during the summer it is possible at 30° degrees in London the temperatures in the north of Scotland and south-east of England to be about 10-15°. This is actually not bad because it provides golfers with a choice depending on whether they prefer cool or warm weather. Nowadays there are smart phone apps available for download which provide instant information on the golf weather in the UK.
History of golf in the UK
The contemporary 18-hole golf game is generally considered to have originated in green Scotland in the middle ages. In the 19th century the game spread in Britain and from there went international to the British Empire and to the United States of America. A curious fact is that in the 15th Century golf was banned by the British monarchs because it was considered a useless sport that distracted the army from more useful activities like…archery. Britain does also take pride in the first golf instructions and rules. Dedicated golf lovers might be interested in taking a look at a copy of the 1744-published Honorable Company of English Golfers that outlines the first put on paper rules of this gentlemanly game. The manual is now kept in the National Library of Scotland.
The green Scotland, in addition to being the homeland of golf, is actually among the countries with most golf courses per capita, along with New Zealand, Australia, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, the USA, England, and surprise, a non-English speaking country Sweden. If you want to go deeper into the historical spirit of golf, you can simply visit the Scottish town of St. Andrews that is considered the birthplace of the game. There you can see what is regarded as the oldest golf course and learn a whole lot about golf by visiting the British Golf Museum that hosts all kinds of interactive exhibitions on all aspects of golf and is also interesting for kids.
| Golf Club Name | City | State / Province |
|---|---|---|
| Balnagask Golf Club | Aberdeen | Aberdeen City |
| Hazlehead Golf Club | Aberdeen | Aberdeen City |
| Kings Links Golf Course | Aberdeen | Aberdeen City |
| Paul Lawrie Golf Center | Aberdeen | Aberdeen City |
| Aboyne Golf Club | Aboyne | Aberdeenshire |
| Banchory Golf Club | Banchory | Aberdeenshire |
| Inchmarlo Golf Course | Banchory | Aberdeenshire |
| Duff House Royal Golf Club | Banff | Aberdeenshire |
| Deeside Golf Club | Bieldside | Aberdeenshire |
| Braemar Golf Course | Braemar | Aberdeenshire |
| Murcar Links Golf Club | Bridge of Don | Aberdeenshire |
| Royal Aberdeen Golf Club | Bridge of Don | Aberdeenshire |
| Craibstone Golf Club | Bucksburn | Aberdeenshire |
| Cruden Bay Golf Club | Cruden Bay | Aberdeenshire |
| Macdonald Golf Club | Ellon | Aberdeenshire |
| Newburgh-On-Ythan Golf Club | Ellon | Aberdeenshire |
| Fraserburgh Golf Club | Fraserburgh | Aberdeenshire |
| Inverallochy Golf Club | Fraserburgh | Aberdeenshire |
| Fyvie Golf Course | Fyvie | Aberdeenshire |
| Huntly Golf Course | Huntly | Aberdeenshire |
| Insch Golf Club | Insch | Aberdeenshire |
| Inverurie Golf Club | Inverurie | Aberdeenshire |
| Kemnay Golf Club | Kemnay | Aberdeenshire |
| Kintore Golf Club | Kintore | Aberdeenshire |
| Auchenblae Golf Course | Laurencekirk | Aberdeenshire |
| Royal Tarlair Golf Club | Macduff | Aberdeenshire |
| Kippie Lodge Golf Club | Milltimber | Aberdeenshire |
| Newmachar Golf Club | Newmachar | Aberdeenshire |
| Meldrum House Golf Club | Oldmeldrum | Aberdeenshire |
| Oldmeldrum Golf Club | Oldmeldrum | Aberdeenshire |
| Peterculter Golf Club | Peterculter? | Aberdeenshire |
| Longside Golf Club | Peterhead | Aberdeenshire |
| Peterhead Golf Club | Peterhead | Aberdeenshire |
| Portlethen Golf Club | Portlethen | Aberdeenshire |
| Dunecht House Golf Club | Skene | Aberdeenshire |
| Stonehaven Golf Club | Stonehaven | Aberdeenshire |
| Turriff Golf Club | Turriff | Aberdeenshire |
| Auchmill Golf Club | West Heatheryfold | Aberdeenshire |
| Letham Grange Golf Club | Arbroath | Angus |
| Ballumbie Castle Golf Club | Ballumbie | Angus |
| Brechin Golf Club | Brechin | Angus |
| Carnoustie Buddon Links | Carnoustie | Angus |
| Camperdown Golf Course | Dundee | Angus |
| Edzell Golf Club | Edzell | Angus |
| Forfar Golf Course | Forfar | Angus |
| Kirriemuir Golf Club | Kirriemuir | Angus |
| Montrose Golf Links | Montrose | Angus |
| Greenacres DC Golf Club | Ballyclare | Antrim |
| Carrickfergus Golf Club | Carrickfergus | Antrim |
| Down Royal Golf Course | Lisburn | Antrim |