Keeping your next golf trip affordable can sometimes be tough…So, we asked TSG travel partners at Golf Escapes to write a piece for those looking for golf on a budget and how you can beat the high prices!
Of course, everyone wants to play the best courses and stay in the nicest hotels possible, but often, it cannot be done for the set budget.
If you can be flexible with your dates, then there are always some little periods in the year where there is a deal to be had.
So here are our top tips of when to stay and play at certain hotels and courses for the 2019/20 season…
Our first visit is to Las Colinas golf course on the border of the Costa Blanca and Murcia regions.
Voted Spain’s best course 3 years in a row at the World Golf Awards, this is one that should be on everyone’s list to play.
Littered with bunkers and huge water hazards, it is a course that is very pleasant to the eye.
With little else around the course too, it is a peaceful experience, which helps as you work your way around this challenging course.
But when should you play it?
September. Las Colinas class September as their ‘low season’, even though it is the region’s most popular month for golfers.
They cut the prices by 25% and makes one of Europe’s best courses a very affordable round of golf.
Coming in at below £80 per person with a buggy included too, you have to include it in your itinerary for anybody staying from La Manga right up to Benidorm.
It is well worth the journey.
Next is an option for groups on a budget. Mar Menor Golf Resort in Murcia is a resort that continues to baffle everyone here at Golf Escapes, but for all the right reasons.
The resort has a 5-star hotel (4-star apartments) and a good selection of bars and restaurants.
Oh, and a lovely Jack Nicklaus golf course all within a stone’s throw of each other.
Yet the apartments known as ‘The Residences at Mar Menor’ is one of the cheapest and best value packages available in Europe.
The resort is cheap all year round and perfect for those looking for golf on a budget.
However, to make it even better, they class the ‘peak season’ of May as their ‘low season’.
So let’s talk numbers. 3 nights 2 rounds from £159 & 7 nights 4 rounds from £309 in May, yes May!
Not only is there a great course on site, but there are also 6 other courses that you can play for no extra cost.
And all golfers can use the free shuttle bus provided by the resort to take them there too.
We hope to see you there in May because we will be.
The next stop is in the Eastern Algarve and we are going to talk luxury.
Not just luxury accommodation, but a golf course to match it too.
Monte Rei Golf & Country Club is one of Portugal’s finest golf resorts, perhaps even the best.
Its huge Villas are traditional in design with modern touches throughout, making it the perfect place to relax before tackling the demanding course on site.
The Nicklaus course of Monte Rei is a Golf Escapes favourite and has to be considered a bucket list course that competes with some of the best courses in the world.
Perfectly maintained all year, stunning surroundings and a level of service you can’t imagine are why this course is so superior to many others.
Sounds expensive right?
For a resort this good, it is worth paying for, but in the prime golfing period between 1st – 14th March.
For instance, you could do 3 nights and 2 rounds (with buggies and range balls) from £359 per person!
So, I bet we can guess where you will be going next March!
Praia D’el Rey, I am sure most of you have heard of the resort north of Lisbon and most would think of it as a prestigious golf course.
That’s because it is. It has recently had a rather good addition to the resort too.
West Cliffs golf course opened 18 months ago and has quickly become one of the most ‘sort after’ courses in the country.
These two courses mixed with Royal Obidos and Bom Sucesso (all within 15 minutes of each other) make for one of the best selections of courses to play in Europe.
However, back to the question of when to visit though…
To be honest, we’ve cheated with this one. Go at any time.
Anywhere from April until June and from September until the end of October is when we would recommend though.
It can be a bit chillier here in the lower seasons, so nice to wait until the weather warms up, but when it does, it is a place of stunning natural beauty.
Prices at either the 5-star Marriot Praia D’el Rey Hotel or the Praia D’el Rey Village (apartments and villas) are fantastic value for money during these periods.
It is another resort that is hard to understand why it is so cheap considering the quality of golf courses.
With 4 nights and 3 rounds staying in the village starting from £245, this package would be at least double the price if the resort was based in the Algarve.
Golf Escapes really can’t applaud this resort highly enough as it is a truly unbelievable destination for the keenest of golfers.
Last but certainly not least… The Conrad Algarve
Voted in the top 5 hotels in the Algarve on TripAdvisor, a Michelin Star restaurant, and awards under its belt such as having the best spa and the best hotel suite in Europe.
The hotel is situated in the perfect location of the classy town, Quinta do Lago.
Opposite bars and restaurants and 3 world-class golf courses (Quinta do Lago North, South & Laranjal) within 5 minutes, this hotel has everything to offer.
The hotel is luxury in every sense of the word and is one of the most expensive hotels in the Algarve and rightly so.
It is quite simply outstanding.
Of course, it wouldn’t be in this article if it didn’t have a sneaky period where it becomes a place where anybody can visit.
This period is from the beginning of March until the beginning of April, the perfect time of the year for golfers.
It is literally half the price in March compared to June & September.
A Golf Escape of pure quality throughout is very possible, and more than affordable in the month of March.
And if you wanted to treat yourself next year, get it booked sooner rather than later for even further discounts.
Known for its steady warm temperatures all year round, making it a fantastic winter golf destination.
Get away from the rain, wind, and snow in the UK for some golf in the sun.
The golf courses know this though and for that reason, their high seasons are from October through to April.
So why don’t we go there in May or September? Same weather, the same golf courses, but a fraction of the price.
For example Costa Adeje Golf in Tenerife…
If you were to play this course on the 1st of May or September, compared to the 1st of November or February you would save over £35 per round!
The same for Salobre Old Course in Gran Canaria.
You would save over £25 per round at this golf course.
These are just two examples, but similar savings are to be had at all courses in Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura during the ‘summer’ months.
It seems strange to think things would be cheaper at these times of the year, but it really is the case, we promise.
When you think of a good time of year to play golf abroad, most people would say April, May & September give you the full package.
Sun, but not too hot, and also not paying the high hotel prices that June, July, and August bring.
Nestled right in the center of Paphos’ new town is the Dionysos Hotel and this property offer unbelievable prices for those looking for golf on a budget and especially in April.
Peak golf season and with average temperatures of 21 degrees, this has to be the perfect opportunity to visit such a fantastic golf destination.
The 3-star hotel in a perfect location is £20 per person, per night cheaper in April than it is in September!
This hotel is paired with the fabulous courses the island has to offer.
Aphrodite Hills, Secret Valley, Elea and Minthis make for the perfect golfing getaway for couples and groups alike.
They very much look forward to welcoming you in the most wonderful Cypriot manor.
We hope this might have helped plan your holiday for this year and next.
Be as flexible as possible with your dates and you never know what deals might just be a few days away from the dates you were first thinking.
By Stuart Ridley
