There are few better places to play golf than in the mountains. The air is clear, the light is long on a summer evening, and every tee seems to frame a peak, a glacier or a lake. At altitude the ball flies further, which makes everyone feel like a better player, and the best mountain courses are as much about the walk and the wildlife as the score: elk on the fairways in the Rockies, marmots in the Alps, condors over Patagonia.
These are nine of the greatest golf courses in the mountains, and some of the most scenic golf courses in the world, with views of glaciers, lakes and snow-capped peaks from almost every tee. Each has a hotel in our collection on the doorstep, so you can play in the morning and spend the afternoon at the spa.
9 great mountain golf courses at a glance
- Most famous: Banff Springs, Canadian Rockies
- Best for wildlife: Jasper Park Lodge, Canadian Rockies
- Best championship history: The Broadmoor, Colorado
- Best lake views: Edgewood Tahoe, Lake Tahoe
- Best in the eastern US: Primland, Virginia
- Best for a ski-and-golf resort: Fairmont Chateau Whistler, British Columbia
- Best in the Alps: Andermatt Swiss Alps, Switzerland
- Most historic in Europe: St. Moritz and the Engadine, Switzerland
- Most remote: Llao Llao, Patagonia
1. Banff Springs Golf Course, Canadian Rockies
Stay at: Fairmont Banff Springs
The most famous mountain golf course in the world winds along the Bow River beneath Mount Rundle, below the turrets of the "Castle in the Rockies". Laid out by the great Canadian architect Stanley Thompson in the late 1920s, the Stanley Thompson 18 is a par 71 of around 6,900 yards from the back tees, with a further nine holes, the Tunnel Mountain 9, added in 1989. Its signature hole is the 4th, the Devil's Cauldron, a par 3 of about 200 yards from an elevated tee over a glacial pond, with the cliffs of Mount Rundle behind the green. Elk graze on the fairways, and the course is usually open from May to October. Read our review of Fairmont Banff Springs.
2. Jasper Park Lodge Golf Course, Canadian Rockies
Stay at: Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge
Stanley Thompson designed Jasper first, and many golfers think it is his masterpiece. Opened in 1925, it winds through forest and around glacial lakes beneath the peaks of Jasper National Park, with holes framed by mountain views. Wildlife is part of the round: elk on the fairways are common, and deer and the occasional bear are seen in the surrounding forest. The lodge itself is a village of log cabins and cedar chalets on the shore of Lac Beauvert, in one of the world's largest dark-sky preserves. Read our review of Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge.
3. The Broadmoor, Colorado
Stay at: The Broadmoor
The Broadmoor's first golf course, designed by Donald Ross, opened on 4 July 1918, the day the hotel opened, at the foot of Cheyenne Mountain outside Colorado Springs. Today there are two championship courses, the East and the West, which combine holes by Ross and Robert Trent Jones. The East Course has hosted the US Women's Open in 1995 and 2011 and the US Senior Open in 2008, 2018 and 2025, and it is where a 19-year-old Jack Nicklaus won his first major title, the 1959 US Amateur. The resort has held a Forbes Five-Star rating every year since 1960. Read our review of The Broadmoor.
4. Edgewood Tahoe, Lake Tahoe
Stay at: Edgewood Tahoe Resort
Edgewood runs along the south shore of Lake Tahoe, with the deep blue water on one side and the Sierra Nevada on the other. Designed by George Fazio and opened in 1968, and refined over the years by his nephew Tom Fazio, it is regularly ranked among the best public courses in America. It hosted the US Senior Open in 1985 and has been the home of the American Century Championship, the famous celebrity golf tournament, every July since 1990. The lodge beside it has a private sandy beach and a spa, and Heavenly's ski slopes are a short drive away in winter. Read our review of Edgewood Tahoe Resort.
5. The Highland Course at Primland, Virginia
Stay at: Primland
High in the Blue Ridge Mountains, on a 12,000-acre estate above the Dan River Gorge, the Highland Course was designed by the British architect Donald Steel and is one of America's top-ranked mountain courses. It plays over 7,000 yards along ridges and valleys, with long views across the Blue Ridge, and October, when the forests turn red and gold, is the most beautiful time to play. Primland also has cedar tree houses on the edge of the gorge and a domed observatory with a resident astronomer, so the evening can end with the stars. Read our review of Primland.
6. Fairmont Chateau Whistler Golf Club, British Columbia
Stay at: Fairmont Chateau Whistler
Whistler is best known for skiing, but in summer the valley becomes one of the great golf destinations in western Canada. The hotel's own 18-hole course, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., climbs the lower slopes of Blackcomb Mountain, with mountain creeks and sweeping views across the valley to the Coast Mountains. The hotel is a ski-in, ski-out resort in winter, with the Vida Spa and plenty of space for families, and in summer there is world-class mountain biking, hiking and lakes in the valley as well as golf. Read our review of Fairmont Chateau Whistler.
7. Andermatt Swiss Alps Golf Course, Switzerland
Stay at: The Chedi Andermatt
The finest new golf course in the Alps lies in the high Urseren Valley, at around 1,400 metres, in the very heart of Switzerland. Designed by Kurt Rossknecht and opened in 2016, the 18-hole, par-72 course has a links-like feel, with long rough, almost no trees, mountain streams running through it and peaks on every side. It hosted the Swiss PGA Championship in its first year. The Chedi Andermatt, with its 2,400-square-metre spa and Japanese restaurant, is the obvious place to stay, and the high passes and the Glacier Express are on the doorstep. Read our review of The Chedi Andermatt.
8. St. Moritz and the Engadine, Switzerland
Stay at: Kulm Hotel St. Moritz or Suvretta House
The Engadine valley is the home of Swiss golf. The Engadine Golf Club, founded in 1893, is the oldest golf club in Switzerland, with two courses: the classic Samedan course on the valley floor and the newer Zuoz-Madulain course, opened in 2003, which climbs through pine forest on the mountainside. In St. Moritz itself, the Kulm Hotel has its own nine-hole course, the only hotel golf course in town, and Suvretta House has a small course with its own golf school. Summer in the Engadine is sunny and fresh, with lakes for swimming and sailing, hiking and the grand hotels of St. Moritz at their most relaxed. Read our review of the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz and our guide to the best luxury hotels in St. Moritz.
9. Llao Llao, Patagonia
Stay at: Llao Llao Hotel & Resort
On a peninsula between two lakes in Argentine Patagonia, Llao Llao is one of the most beautiful places to play golf in South America. Its 18-hole course is framed by Lake Nahuel Huapi and Lake Moreno and by forests of coihue and cypress, with the snowy peaks of the Andes beyond, and the hotel itself, designed by Alejandro Bustillo and opened in 1938, is a national icon. The seasons are reversed: the best months for golf are December to March, the Patagonian summer, which makes it a perfect winter escape from the northern hemisphere. Read our review of Llao Llao Hotel & Resort.
Also worth playing
In Switzerland, Crans-sur-Sierre, at around 1,500 metres in the Valais, hosts the European Masters each summer, with views across the Rhône valley to the Matterhorn. In Austria, Kitzbühel has several courses within easy reach of Tennerhof Kitzbühel. In the US, Sun Valley Lodge in Idaho and Montage Big Sky in Montana pair summer golf with fly fishing and hiking, and Mohonk Mountain House in New York has a historic course above its lake. In Kenya, the Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club has a nine-hole course in its gardens, with views of Mount Kenya.
The golf holes with the best mountain views
- Banff Springs, 4th hole (the Devil's Cauldron): a par 3 over a glacial pond, with the cliffs of Mount Rundle rising behind the green.
- Edgewood Tahoe, the lakeside holes: the closing stretch runs along the shore of Lake Tahoe, with the Sierra Nevada across the water.
- Jasper Park Lodge: holes framed by the peaks of Jasper National Park and the glacial waters of Lac Beauvert.
- Andermatt Swiss Alps: an open, almost treeless course, so the mountains of the Urseren Valley are in view on every hole.
- Llao Llao: fairways between two Patagonian lakes, with the snow-capped Andes beyond.
Tips for playing golf in the mountains
- Allow for altitude. The ball flies further in thin air, by several per cent, and more the higher you go, so you may need to club down.
- Book tee times early. The season is short, and famous courses such as Banff and Edgewood fill months ahead for July and August.
- Start early. Mornings are calm and clear, and afternoon thunderstorms are common in the mountains in summer.
- Watch for wildlife. Elk and other animals have right of way on courses such as Banff and Jasper, so keep your distance.
- Pack layers and sunscreen. It can be cool on the first tee and hot by the turn, and the sun is stronger at altitude.
When to play golf in the mountains
In the Alps and the Rockies, the golf season usually runs from May or June to September or October, depending on the altitude and the snow. July and August are the warmest and busiest months, while June and September are quieter and often the best value. Lower courses, such as The Broadmoor and Primland, have a longer season, and in Patagonia the best months are December to March.
For more summer ideas, see our summer mountain hotels, our pick of the best hiking hotels in the Alps and our guide to the Canadian Rockies.
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