MEDIA BRIEFING

Trends, data, destinations and story ideas for travel journalists

Why golf tourism matters

Golf Holidays by Morgan is an upscale, tailor-made tour operator specialising in five-star and boutique properties around the world. From Le Touquet to Tasmania, and from Barcelona to Bled, the golfing world is open to our clients.

At a glance: evidence from 483 requested holidays

The typical booking values above are before additional local spending on food, drinks, shopping and entertainment.

Five golf-travel trends to watch

• Boutique, authentic and locally connected properties are gaining appeal against increasingly similar mega-resorts.
• Shoulder-season demand remains central: May and September account for 40% of departures in our data; June and October together account for 22%.
• Clients are booking with renewed confidence: more than half of confirmed holidays are booked at least six months ahead.
• Group travel matters: one quarter of confirmed bookings are for eight or more passengers.
• Luxury is becoming more experiential, with golf increasingly combined with food, wine, wellness, wildlife, culture and conservation.

Destinations and market insights

France

Our largest destination at every stage of the customer journey, from initial quotation through to confirmed travel.

Spain and Portugal

Spain generates more initial interest, while Portugal’s confirmed bookings are larger. Portugal attracts around six passengers per booking, compared with just over four for Spain, suggesting particular strength among organised groups.

Greece

Now one of our leading destinations for enquiries and bookings. Costa Navarino appears repeatedly in the customer data and has helped establish Greece as a respected, high-quality golf destination.

Turkey

A consistent and important group destination. Confirmed Turkish holidays average more than eight passengers per booking.

Slovenia

Still a niche destination, but Royal Bled has firmly placed the country on the golf-travel map. Two other courses have been updated and Ljubljana adds a well-liked city component.

Mauritius

Higher prices have not eliminated demand for long-haul resort holidays. Mauritius continues to attract enquiries and bookings despite an average confirmed value approaching £5,800 per passenger.

Defying the gloom

Despite inflation and significant increases in hotel and green-fee prices, demand for premium golf holidays remains surprisingly resilient. The quality, imagination and locations of resorts and courses continue to stimulate demand.

We expect some correction as €500-plus bedrooms and €300-plus green fees become more common. At the same time, clients increasingly appear drawn to smaller, authentic and locally connected properties rather than automated mega-resorts.

Morgan’s favourite boutique golf resorts around the world

Many luxury golf resorts are beautiful. A few become unforgettable. The following properties stand out for personality, location, quality of accommodation and golf, and a genuine sense of place.

In-depth focus: South Africa

South Africa’s tourism story is changing, and golf is one of the most interesting ways to see it. The established icons remain: Cape Town, the Winelands, the Garden Route and safari. Around them, a new generation of hotels, conservation projects, community-owned tourism, wellness experiences and specialist travel is creating fresh reasons to visit.

The country has more than 450 golf courses, but the real story is what surrounds them: wildlife, wine, food, mountains, coastlines, communities and increasingly sophisticated luxury hospitality.

Golf holidays are becoming multi-experience holidays

South Africa makes it possible to build a golf itinerary where the golf is only one part of the experience. A golfer might play in the Winelands in the morning and taste wine in the afternoon; play the Garden Route and then head into the wilderness; or combine Cape Town golf with food and design.

This is particularly relevant to couples and mixed-interest groups. The golfer gets exceptional courses; the travelling companion can choose wine, wildlife, wellness, food, beaches, culture and scenery.

Luxury is becoming about where you are, not what you have

A new generation of South African properties is moving away from conspicuous luxury towards space, nature, privacy and a sense of place. The course remains important, but so does the setting in which it is experienced.

New and notable accommodation

Club Med South Africa Beach & Safari, KwaZulu-Natal

Opened September 2026. Club Med’s first South African resort combines a beach resort on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast with a safari component. The development is notable for its employment and local-procurement potential, and for combining two traditionally separate holiday experiences.

The Cape Town EDITION, V&A Waterfront

Opening November 2026. Africa’s first EDITION hotel is planned as a 142-room property with 27 suites, a rooftop pool, spa and three restaurants, with local craft and Cape Winelands/coastal influences in the design.

Mantis Hiddn in Addo, Eastern Cape

Opened March 2026. A 14-suite-and-villa, off-grid mountain sanctuary on an 800-hectare private reserve, combining wilderness, rewilding, wellness and personalised experiences.

South Africa: community and conservation

Some travellers increasingly want to understand what happens beyond the course. South Africa has strong stories connecting high-value tourism, protected landscapes, local ownership and enterprise.

GweGwe Beach Lodge: community-owned land

The Mkambati Nature Reserve is owned by the local community through the Mkambati Land Trust. Tourism supports conservation, employment and local enterprise. The community receives 9% of lodge gross turnover and has committed to expanding the reserve by 40% for conservation.

Phinda: land returned to ancestral owners

At &Beyond Phinda, 9,085 hectares of wilderness were returned to the original community owners in 2007. The communities entered a long-term tourism lease, creating an economic relationship between conservation and land ownership.

Grootbos: biodiversity with a social economy

Grootbos protects 3,500 hectares of botanical wilderness containing more than 1,000 plant species, including seven described as new to science. Its Foundation covers green-skills training, enterprise and youth development.

Singita: conservation alongside communities

Singita’s South African work includes biodiversity, rhino rehabilitation, local enterprise, environmental education and community programmes. Its Lowveld Trust works with communities living alongside wilderness areas.

In-depth focus: Mauritius

Why Mauritius is relevant to today’s traveller

Golf is becoming a luxury lifestyle experience rather than simply a sport. One of the most important developments is the rise of the “non-golfer golf holiday”: couples and families choose golf resorts even when only one person plays.

• At Constance Belle Mare Plage, a golfer can play the Legend or Links course while family members enjoy the spa, water sports, beaches or culinary experiences.
• At Heritage Resorts, golfers can play Le Château or La Réserve while non-golfers explore Bel Ombre Nature Reserve, wellness facilities or cultural experiences.

Sustainability is becoming a luxury differentiator

• Heritage Resorts: carbon-neutral stay initiatives, local reforestation and food-redistribution programmes.
• La Réserve Golf Links: one of a small number of African golf developments to achieve GEO Certified Development status.
• Constance Belle Mare Plage: Green Globe Platinum Certification and food-waste reduction initiatives.

Nine golf courses, nine different stories

Luxury travel is becoming more experiential

• Playing golf on a private island at Île aux Cerfs.
• Taking a catamaran to see dolphins in Tamarin Bay.
• Hiking UNESCO-listed Le Morne Brabant.
• Learning about coral conservation through marine education programmes.
• Enjoying locally sourced cuisine and authentic cultural experiences.

Value and length of stay

Once in Mauritius, travellers receive a luxury beach holiday, high-quality accommodation, dining, spa facilities and championship golf in one destination. But the 12-hour flight starts at around £700 return and Business Class can cost around £4,000 return; we are seeing clients stay longer to justify and spread the flight cost.

A quick guide to golf in Asia

Asia offers one of the world’s most varied golf-travel experiences, but its appeal extends far beyond the courses. A journey might pair golf with a Vietnamese heritage town, a Thai vineyard, Cambodian temples, Japanese hot springs or Malaysian rainforest.

• Thailand: established golf towns, tropical islands, caddies and deep tourism infrastructure.
• Vietnam: fast-developing coastal golf, dramatic landscapes, food and historic cities.
• Cambodia: championship courses alongside Khmer heritage.
• Malaysia: city, island and rainforest golf.
• Indonesia: volcanic, highland and coastal settings.
• Japan: polished service, distinctive seasons and cultural immersion.
• South Korea: modern golf culture, technology and advanced practice facilities.
• China: island, highland and major-city experiences.

Thailand: Asia’s most complete golf-holiday destination

• Bangkok for city life, dining, shopping and courses outside the capital.
• Hua Hin for a relaxed seaside atmosphere and established pedigree.
• Pattaya for a particularly high concentration of courses.
• Phuket and Koh Samui for beaches, spas and resort stays.
• Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai for northern scenery and a cooler atmosphere.

Professional caddies are integral to the Thai experience. Their knowledge of courses, greens and local conditions adds a social and cultural dimension unfamiliar to many British golfers.

Hua Hin: golf with history and a sense of place

Hua Hin developed from a fishing village into Thailand’s original seaside resort after the royal family began visiting in the early twentieth century. The town’s first course opened in 1924.

Black Mountain was created in a valley formerly occupied by jungle and pineapple fields. It now has 27 holes, tournament credentials and a residential community. Putahracsa Hua Hin, meanwhile, evolved from a family beach house into a 67-room-and-villa boutique resort.

Vietnam: Asia’s most exciting developing golf story

Vietnam combines modern courses with coastlines, mountains, historic cities and distinctive food. Its main regions include Hanoi and Northern Vietnam, Da Nang and Central Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang and Phu Quoc.

Da Nang and Central Vietnam

Da Nang is one of Asia’s most complete coastal bases. Nearby Hoi An creates a powerful cultural counterpoint, allowing a journey to combine golf with an historic trading town rather than becoming a resort-only itinerary.

• Ba Na Hills: a Luke Donald design with a mountain backdrop.
• Hoiana Shores: a Robert Trent Jones II design near Hoi An.
• Da Nang also includes courses associated with Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman.
• Laguna Golf Lăng Cô: an 18-hole, par-71 Sir Nick Faldo design towards Hue.

Banyan Tree Lăng Cô

Laguna Golf Lăng Cô moves through coastline, jungle, rice fields and mountain scenery. The course measures up to 6,961 yards and has a recognisably Vietnamese character rather than feeling like a generic resort layout.

The surrounding itinerary can include the imperial heritage of Hue, Hoi An, beaches, spas and Vietnamese cooking.

Phu Quoc: from island escape to varied luxury destination

A golf visitor is not restricted to a conventional golf hotel. Phu Quoc offers boutique colonial-style accommodation, luxury beachfront resorts, villas, family hotels, design-led properties and integrated resort-and-golf experiences.

More Asian story opportunities

Cambodia: golf as a gateway to culture

Phnom Penh and Siem Reap allow travellers to combine championship golf with Angkor’s temples, local food, markets, boutique accommodation and time in the capital. Golf enhances rather than replaces the cultural itinerary.

Malaysia: rainforest, islands and city golf

Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi, Penang and Johor offer different combinations of city, island and tropical golf. The Datai provides rainforest luxury, while nearby Els Club Teluk Datai offers golf between ancient rainforest and the Andaman Sea.

Indonesia: far more than Bali’s beaches

Golf in Bali, Jakarta, Java and Bintan brings together volcanic landscapes, highlands, coastlines, wellness and culture. West Java moves the story beyond familiar Bali, while Bintan works well as an island extension to Singapore.

Japan and South Korea: a different experience

Japan combines highly developed service traditions, seasonal scenery and cultural depth. Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Kyoto, Osaka and Hokkaido can sit within a wider itinerary involving food, rail travel and historic cities.

South Korea has a highly developed modern golf culture, advanced practice facilities and strong domestic demand. Prices are relatively high for Asia but can still compare favourably with premium European and American venues.

Suggested story angles

• Why Vietnam is becoming Asia’s most interesting luxury golf destination.
• Hua Hin: inside Thailand’s original seaside golf town.
• A non-golfer’s guide to an Asian golf holiday.
• Golf after Angkor: combining Cambodian culture with championship courses.
• Banyan Tree Lăng Cô: where villas, wellness and golf meet.
• Asia’s boutique golf hotels, from Hua Hin to Phu Quoc.
• Golf and UNESCO: building itineraries around heritage.
• The new golf traveller: interested in spas, food and culture as much as courses.
• Golf as a route into Asia’s less-visited regions.
• South Africa: where golf leads to wine, wildlife and conservation.
• Mauritius: nine golf courses, nine destination stories.
• Why boutique golf resorts are challenging the mega-resort model.

About Golf Holidays by Morgan

Golf Holidays by Morgan creates upscale, tailor-made golf holidays built around personal service, carefully selected accommodation and distinctive courses. The company’s role is to combine the golf with the wider destination experience, including flights, transfers, touring, food, culture and non-golf activities.

Press enquiries

Morgan Clarke
Golf Holidays by Morgan
Telephone: 0207 870 1258 / 07730 037373
Email: [email protected]
Website: golfholidaysbymorgan.com