Golf tourism is growing, but travelers are calculating more carefully how much they will pay for a round
Golf tourism has in recent years turned into one of the most visible segments of sports travel: from Scottish links courses and Portugal’s Algarve to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina and Scottsdale in Arizona, destinations that built their reputation among players for decades are now recording strong demand and an increasingly diverse audience. Growth is coming not only from experienced club members who want to play on famous courses, but also from recreational players, groups of friends, couples and travelers who combine golf with gastronomy, wellness and sightseeing at the destination. At the same time, more expensive flights, higher accommodation costs, baggage fees and variable tee time prices are forcing travelers into a new tactic: a golf vacation is no longer planned only according to the prestige of the course, but according to the total cost of each day of the trip.
According to available data from industry and tourism organizations, golf retained part of its newly gained popularity after the pandemic period, and demand also expanded to formats outside classic on-course play. In its 2025 overview edition, the American National Golf Foundation states that it tracks both traditional on-course players and the growing circle of those who engage in golf in off-course formats, which is important because these new participants later more often become travelers interested in golf destinations. In Europe, a similar trend can be seen in the strengthening of tourism promotion for Portugal, Scotland and Spain, while American destinations such as Myrtle Beach and Scottsdale appear with a large number of available courses, group packages and an extended season.
Why golf trips are no longer reserved only for the luxury segment
Although golf still has a strong connection with luxury resorts, today’s market growth cannot be explained only by the most expensive trips. In practice, two parallel movements are appearing: prestigious courses and tournament locations attract travelers willing to pay more, while a larger number of recreational players seek smarter ways to play more rounds for the same money. This is especially visible in destinations with a high concentration of courses, where competition among courses, hotels and travel organizers enables package prices, group discounts and combinations of accommodation with multiple rounds of golf.
Myrtle Beach is an example of such a model. The local tourism organization states that the wider area has approximately 80 golf courses and around 3.02 million rounds played annually according to 2024 data, which gives the destination a major negotiating and organizational advantage. A traveler who does not insist on the most sought-after morning tee time on the best-known course can choose among a larger number of courses, different price classes and packages that include accommodation. This breadth of supply is one of the reasons why golf tourism is increasingly sold as a flexible product, and not exclusively as an expensive, predefined trip.
Scottsdale positions itself differently, but with the same economic logic for travelers. The official destination organization Experience Scottsdale points out that the wider area has more than 200 golf courses, along with a large number of resorts and almost year-round sunny weather. Such capacity creates room for different types of guests: those who want the experience of a tournament course can pay for a premium tee time, while others can play on less publicized but high-quality courses, choose later tee times or combine golf with a shorter stay in the city. In conditions in which prices for popular tee times are rising, it is precisely the diversity of supply that becomes the most important tool for cost control.
Scotland and Portugal show how much golf means to the tourism economy
In global golf tourism, Scotland relies on the historical status of the “home of golf”, but also on a serious economic strategy. VisitScotland states in its document on the development of the visitor economy for the period 2025–2028 that The Open was held in Scotland ten times from 2005 to 2024 and that in that period it generated £1.36 billion in economic benefit. The same strategy connects major tournaments with jobs, local suppliers, transport, hospitality and smaller businesses, which shows that golf tourism is not only a matter of green fees, but of a broader chain of spending.
In separate insights on golf tourism, VisitScotland also states that golf in St Andrews alone is worth more than £300 million per year to the Scottish economy. Such data explains why famous destinations are attractive and expensive at the same time: travelers are not paying only for a round, but for access to a symbolic space, tradition and infrastructure that has been built over decades. That is exactly why travelers who want Scotland but want to avoid the highest cost tier are increasingly considering lesser-known regions, playing outside the peak season, combining a famous course with several more affordable rounds and booking accommodation earlier.
Portugal offers a different example: there, golf is strongly tied to year-round tourism, climate and regional diversification. Turismo de Portugal announced that Portugal was again named the world’s best golf destination at the 2025 World Golf Awards, along with confirmation of its status as Europe’s best golf destination for the fourth year in a row. The same announcement states that Portugal has 89 golf courses spread across seven tourist regions, with particular emphasis on the Algarve, Lisbon, Porto and the north of the country. For travelers who want to reduce costs, this means that an alternative to the most expensive resorts exists within the same country: changing the region, month of travel or type of accommodation can significantly change the total bill.
The Portuguese tourism sector is generally recording growth. According to Turismo de Portugal’s 2025 overview, the sector achieved growth in overnight stays, guests and tourism revenue, and total tourism revenue in the 12 months to 2025 reached €29.1 billion. In such an environment, golf trips become part of broader competition for accommodation, airline capacity and local services, which can increase prices in the most sought-after periods. Still, the same market strength also increases the number of specialized arrangements, early offers and trips outside the summer peak, which is a key opportunity for more budget-conscious golfers.
How travelers reduce costs without giving up quality courses
The most common strategy is shifting travel from the peak season to the so-called “shoulder” season, that is, the period immediately before or after the most expensive months. In golf tourism, this often makes more sense than in a classic beach holiday: the temperature is more pleasant for play, courses are less congested, and accommodation and tee time prices can be lower. In Scotland this can mean avoiding the busiest summer weeks, in Portugal choosing spring or autumn, and in Arizona carefully planning outside the most sought-after winter dates. Travelers must at the same time accept a higher risk of changeable weather in some destinations, but the savings can be large enough to justify the compromise.
The second tactic is choosing later tee times, especially afternoon and twilight rounds. Many courses charge the highest prices for morning tee times, when the temperature is most pleasant and when players have enough time for a full 18 holes. Later tee times can be significantly cheaper, and in destinations with long days and good organization they still allow quality play. For travelers who do not necessarily need to finish a full competitive round every day, a combination of one more expensive morning round and several cheaper afternoon tee times can be a reasonable balance between experience and budget.
The third tactic is using packages that connect accommodation, transport and tee time. Such packages are not always the cheapest at first glance, but they can reduce unpredictable costs and simplify logistics, especially for groups. When traveling with four, eight or more players, organizers can often offer a better schedule and more favorable conditions than an individual would get through separate bookings. It is important, however, to compare the package price with the individual components: an affordable package stops being affordable if it includes a course the group does not want to play, distant accommodation or additional fees that are not clearly displayed.
Equipment, baggage and transport have become an important part of the calculation
The cost of a golf trip does not end with paying for the course. Transporting equipment can significantly change the total price, especially on air trips with layovers or carriers that charge for sports equipment according to special rules. Because of this, some travelers compare three options: carrying their own clubs as airline baggage, shipping equipment through a specialized delivery service or renting clubs at the destination. The cheapest option depends on the length of stay, number of rounds, value of the equipment, airline rules and availability of quality rental equipment at the course.
For experienced players, their own clubs have a major advantage because they are used to their weight, length and feel at impact. But for a shorter vacation with one or two rounds, renting can be more rational than paying for extra baggage and taking on the risk of damage or delayed equipment. In destinations such as Scottsdale, Myrtle Beach or the Algarve, where golf infrastructure is developed, equipment rental and pro shops at courses are often more available than in smaller destinations. Travelers who want to reduce costs therefore increasingly check rental conditions before buying the airline ticket, not only after arrival.
Transport between hotels and courses can also be a hidden cost. Resorts with their own courses may seem more expensive, but they eliminate part of the costs of car rental, parking or long transfers. On the other hand, accommodation outside a resort can be significantly more affordable if the group shares a car and plays on several nearby courses. In destinations with a large number of courses in a small area, such as Myrtle Beach, that calculation often favors flexible accommodation. In more spread-out destinations, where courses are farther apart, time and transport costs need to be calculated more carefully.
The rise in popularity is also changing the profile of the golf tourist
One of the important shifts in golf tourism is the broadening of the audience. Golf is no longer exclusively a vacation for groups of experienced men from clubs, but increasingly part of a lifestyle in which sport is combined with socializing, wellness, gastronomy and business travel. Industry sources track the growth of beginners, women, younger players and participants who first get to know golf through simulators, driving range centers or entertaining off-course formats. Such players may not immediately want to play the most difficult and most expensive courses, but they want a trip that includes lessons, a relaxed atmosphere and the possibility of combining golf with other activities.
This creates room for shorter trips and different products. Instead of seven days filled exclusively with rounds, some guests choose a long weekend with two rounds, one lesson and additional programs. For destinations, this is useful because it broadens the visitor base, and for travelers because it reduces pressure on the budget. A shorter stay with carefully selected courses can provide a better experience than an overloaded schedule in which every day brings a new cost and logistical effort.
At the same time, popularity can increase prices in the most sought-after places. When a destination receives an international award, hosts a major tournament or goes viral on social media, demand quickly spills over into accommodation and tee times. That is why more budget-conscious travelers do not give up on famous regions, but use them as a starting point for a broader search. In practice, this means not booking only “Scottsdale”, but also looking at nearby places in the Phoenix Valley; not looking only for the best-known part of the Algarve, but more regions in Portugal; not planning only St Andrews, but also other Scottish courses with a strong identity and lower prices.
The biggest savings come from flexibility, not from giving things up
Travelers who do best in golf tourism today generally do not choose the cheapest possible option, but the smartest combination of value. This means they will pay for one special round on a course that matters to them, but will build the rest of the trip around more affordable tee times, less publicized courses and accommodation that reduces additional costs. Such an approach preserves what golf trips are planned for in the first place: the feeling of playing on a new course, socializing and encountering the destination. The difference is that prestige is no longer taken for granted, but is carefully compared with the price.
For the industry, this is an important message. The growth of golf tourism is not an unlimited permission to raise prices, but an opportunity to develop different levels of supply. Destinations that offer clear prices, reliable information, flexible packages, accessible tee times and quality courses outside the highest price tier will have an advantage among travelers who want to play more, but do not want every round to become financial pressure. In a period when tourism in general is becoming more expensive, golf destinations that manage to combine experience and value could have the most stable growth.
Golf tourism is therefore entering a phase of more mature planning. Scotland, Portugal, Myrtle Beach and Scottsdale show different models of success, but they share the same challenge: how to satisfy growing demand while retaining a feeling of accessibility. Travelers have already begun responding with their own methods — they travel outside the peak, compare regions, choose later tee times, reassess the cost of equipment and increasingly look at total value, not only the name of the course. It is precisely this change that could mark the next phase of growth: the golf vacation remains desirable, but it increasingly belongs to those who plan it strategically.
Sources:- National Golf Foundation – overview of golf participation in the U.S. for 2025 and trends among players- VisitScotland – insights on golf tourism, visitor spending and the strategy for Scottish golf tourism- VisitScotland – visitor economy development strategy 2025–2028 and the economic impact of major golf events- Turismo de Portugal – Portugal as the world’s and Europe’s best golf destination in 2025- Turismo de Portugal – overview of Portugal’s tourism results for 2025- Myrtle Beach Area CVB – data on golf courses and the annual number of rounds played- Experience Scottsdale – official overview of the golf offer in the Scottsdale area
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