What Golf Travelers Actually Want Going into 2027

by | Oct 7, 2026

Two major 2026 studies, one American and one British, point to the same conclusion: the golf trip is no longer just about the golf.

Ask most people what makes a great golf trip and they’ll name a course. Ask the people who actually take those trips, thousands of them, and a different picture comes back. The courses still matter. But who you’re with, what you eat, where you sleep and whether the trip felt worth the money matter just as much, and for a growing slice of golfers, more.

Two recently released surveys give us the clearest look yet at what’s driving golf travel decisions. The 2025 Buffalo Groupe Golf Travel Study, released in February, surveyed engaged U.S. golf travelers. The Golfbreaks and Golfshake Golf Travel Trends Report polled 2,500 golfers in the UK in March 2026. Different countries, different methods, remarkably similar answers.

The money is still there, but golfers are watching it closer

Golf travelers aren’t cutting back. Nearly 9 in 10 U.S. golfers in the Buffalo Groupe study plan to spend the same or more on golf travel in 2026, and half keep an annual golf travel budget of $5,000 or more. Seventy-one percent said they feel optimistic or confident about the U.S. economy.

What’s changing is how they spend it. Buffalo Groupe found the biggest spenders, those with budgets over $15,000, pulled back somewhat in 2025, with many settling into the $7,500 to $10,000 range. The company’s read: golfers may be swapping one marquee trip for several shorter getaways spread across the year.

They’re also less forgiving. Hidden fees and pricing that doesn’t match the experience were named as key deterrents. Across the Atlantic, value for money was the single most important booking factor in every segment of the UK survey, regardless of age, gender or experience.

The lesson for anyone planning a trip: the resort fee, the cart fee and the “twilight rate that isn’t really twilight” register more than ever. The lesson for destinations is the same, just with higher stakes.

Where they want to go: the Southeast still rules

The Southeast remains the top domestic draw. In the Buffalo Groupe study it accounted for two-thirds of the five most desired U.S. golf destinations. The study also flagged rising interest in two regions that don’t usually top these lists: the Gulf Coast and the Upper Midwest.

Internationally, Scotland and Ireland are still the bucket-list leaders. Southern Europe is the one gaining ground. Spain, Portugal and Italy are drawing golfers who want what Buffalo Groupe calls a “golf-plus” trip, one that mixes in culture, food, scenery and weather. The UK survey agreed: its respondents named Portugal their top golf destination.

The common thread is that the course gets you interested in a place, but the rest of the place closes the deal.

It’s about who you’re with, not what you shoot

If there’s one finding that cuts across every age group, it’s this: golfers travel to play with their friends. In the UK survey, a trip with friends was the top choice in every age bracket, from 81.8% of golfers aged 25 to 34 down to 71.4% of those aged 45 to 54. Only 3.1% said their ideal trip involved a competition.

That doesn’t mean every group wants the same evening. Nightlife is where the generations split hardest. Among golfers aged 25 to 34, 52.9% want a lively night out (and still want to make the morning tee time). Among those 65 and older, it’s 25.1%. Older golfers aren’t less social; they just trade the bar crawl for a long dinner and a few quiet drinks.

Younger golfers are also the ones running the show. Nearly half (46.9%) of 25-to-34-year-olds described themselves as “The Organiser” of their group’s trip, compared with 30.8% of golfers 65 and up.

Anyone who has organized a buddies trip knows the real challenge isn’t picking courses. It’s building an itinerary that works for the guy who wants to close down the bar and the guy who wants to be in bed by ten.

The next wave of golf travelers wants the whole trip

The sharpest contrast in the UK data is between new and experienced golfers. Among golfers with less than a year in the game, 73% rated food and drink as important to a trip. Only 29% said the same about playing incredible courses. Flip to golfers with six or more years of experience and 66% put great courses at the top.

In between, resorts win. Sixty-three percent of golfers with one to two years of experience picked resort courses as their preferred type, because one property with multiple courses, decent lodging and a lively clubhouse takes the guesswork out of the trip. By three to five years, golfers start chasing more distinctive and iconic courses.

Women are a big part of this newer group. They made up 8% of the overall UK sample but 52% of golfers with less than two years’ experience. Their priorities track with the trip-as-a-whole mindset:

  • 80% cited value for money as a key booking factor.
  • 67% said quality accommodation was among the most important factors in choosing a destination.
  • 75% preferred relaxed dining and social evenings over nightlife.
  • 50% chose resort courses as their preferred type.

For destinations, this is the opportunity. The golfers just entering the travel market aren’t comparing slope ratings. They’re comparing the whole weekend.

How trips get planned: video first, then the booking

Golf trips increasingly start on a screen. Buffalo Groupe found YouTube is still the leading platform for golf travel content, especially among golfers under 45. Golfers want to see the course, the lodging and the town before they commit.

Booking itself has moved online too, but not completely. In the UK survey, 86.9% of golfers aged 35 to 44 prefer to book online. Among golfers 65 and older, 31.1% still prefer to pick up the phone. For bigger group trips and overseas itineraries, a lot of golfers still want a person on the other end of the line.

What it means for your next trip

Put the two studies side by side and the 2026 golf traveler comes into focus:

  • Plan around the group, not the scorecard. Friends rank first in every age bracket. Build the trip around the people going.
  • Price the whole trip, not just green fees. Golfers are spending, but hidden fees are a deal-breaker. Ask what’s included before you book.
  • Mix the evenings. If your group spans generations, plan one big night out and one long dinner.
  • Consider two shorter trips instead of one big one. Even the biggest spenders are heading that direction.
  • Pick a destination that works off the course. The places gaining ground, from southern Europe to the Gulf Coast, sell the whole experience.

Fifteen years of covering golf travel has taught us the same thing these numbers show: the round you’ll talk about for years usually has as much to do with the people and the place as with the course.

About the studies

The 2025 Buffalo Groupe Golf Travel Study surveyed U.S. golfers in fall 2025 who had played more than five rounds in the past year and taken a golf-focused trip within the past five years. The Golfbreaks and Golfshake Golf Travel Trends Report surveyed 2,500 UK golfers in March 2026; 79% of its respondents were 55 or older.

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