Top 10 most breathtaking golf courses in Europe

Did we leave out any of your favourites in our countdown of the Top 10 most breathtaking golf courses in Europe, and how many have you played?

10: Golf Course Eichenheim, Austria

Part of Grand Tirolia Hotel & Spa and nestled beneath the majestic peaks of the Austrian Alps is the Eichenheim Championship Golf Course, designed by Kyle Phillips in 2000, arguably Austria’s best course. It’s stunningly beautiful with incredible steep cliffs, natural streams and deciduous forests.

9: Winston Links, Germany

Designed by David Krause, 1.2 million cubic metres of earth was moved in the building process, resulting in a Scottish / Irish links experience – but inland in northern Germany. Massive slopes, high dunes, gorse and heather flank the fairways in what was once flat land. The design caused debate, but it’s undeniably like no other inland course in continental Europe.

8: Verdura, Sicily

The beautiful Kyle Phillips-designed East Course at the luxurious Verdura Resort on Sicily’s west coast borders olive groves and overlooks the Mediterranean. Early highlights include the short par-4 3rd and the 5th and 6th, each with stunning panoramic views. The back nine is more dramatic with the penultimate holes taking golfers up and down along the coastline, with a memorable elevated 18th tee.

7: Bro Hof Slott, Sweden

Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr, The Stadium Course at Bro Hof Slott Golf Club, northwest of Stockholm, opened in 2007 and is stunningly beautiful, situated directly on Lake Malaren and crowned by the majestic Bro Hof Castle. Measuring 8,054 yards, it’s long with manicured fairways and several large lakes playing both a strategic and picturesque aspect of this gorgeous design.

6: West Cliffs, Portugal

North of Lisbon on Portugal’s spectacular Silver Coast, West Cliffs is a Cynthia Dye design that opened in 2017. Both naturally beautiful but highly manicured, it offers fantastic views of the Atlantic, Berlengas Islands and Obidos Lagoon, along with rolling sand dunes and coastal vegetation.

5: Golf d’Etretat, France

A glorious championship links laid out along chalk cliffs to the north of Le Havre, with awesome views of the English Channel. The whole course is blessed in natural beauty, but the back nine is especially dramatic with many holes running right along the cliffs climaxing in a superb final hole that doglegs downhill to the green.

4: Costa Navarino, Greece

The Bay Course, designed by renowned architect Robert Trent Jones Jr, opened in 2011 and is one of four courses at the superb resort of Costa Navarino in the Greek Peloponnese. It’s a hilly layout which provides spectacular views over the historic Bay of Navarino. Two holes run right alongside the beach before it takes you up and down through beautiful canyons, hills and groves.

3: Thracian Cliffs, Bulgaria

Perched on a cliff overlooking the Black Sea, Thracian Cliffs is a signature championship course designed by Gary Player where the ocean is in view on every hole. The 6th is particularly memorable, on top of the cliff with the green set 40 meters below carved in to the hillside surrounded by lapping waves.

2: Lofoten Links, Norway

Set on the ancient Viking island of Gimsøya in Lofoten, this course is a classic links challenge but also a showcase for mother nature at her most dramatic. From August until October you might see the Northern Lights, while between May and August it’s one of the few courses in the world to offer golf 24 hours a day as the sun never sets. There’s 360-degree views of the mountains and neighbouring islands, while the ocean acts as the main water feature and the sandy beaches as the bunkers. Simply incredible.

1: Crans-Sur-Sierre Golf Club, Switzerland

Crans-Sur-Sierre Golf Club in the ski resort of Crans-Montana is set in the spectacular Swiss Alps and boasts courses designed by Seve Ballesteros and Jack Nicklaus. Seve’s course has jaw-dropping views of Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn and hosts the Omega European Masters on the DP World Tour. It has to be one of the most incredible settings for any tournament on the planet, with the 7th hole perhaps its most iconic. As golfers emerge from the 6th green through dense woodland they are treated to one of the most awe-inspiring views in all of golf, with the huge snow-capped Alps truly breathtaking.