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Schwing! Tee off with golfing and camping

July 4, 2012
by Laura Canning | guides

Time to go in Ah, golf. The sport of Sundays. I have to fess up here that my own personal experience of hitting a white ball some distance is when I miscue at pool after a few shandies, but with a dad, brother and nephew all into golf I know a bit more about it than I’d probably like. There are loads of ways you can combine a golfing holiday with camping – here are our top tips:

Looking for a site with golf nearby - they're all over the shop - then use our 80+ filters to get the exact holiday you want – golfing then sleeping in a jumbo tent pitch , or one of the many campsites and parks with golf and fishing nearby . You can also search by location, amenities on site, family-friendly sites with golf nearby , or sites that are open all year . (Or both .)

For specific golf courses, St Andrews is of course a must, with seven golf courses, three clubhouses, four golf shops, the Golf Practice Centre and the Golf Academy. The St Andrews Links is the biggest public golf complex in Europe and is suitable for anyone who wants to play golf, at professional level or mine. We have sites in St Andrews with pitches for tents, tourers and motorhomes: overlook the golf course from your tent pitch at Nydie Caravan and Camping Site a few miles away.

Also in Scotland is Prestwick Golf Club , which has hosted the British Open 24 times, second only to St Andrews. There are also Open final qualifying courses within a 20 minute drive, including Glasgow Gailes, Western Gailes and Irvine Bogside. The club is five minutes’ drive from Ayr and 30 minutes from Glasgow, so any non-golfing members of the family can go sightseeing and shopping while you tee off to your heart’s content. Nearby Muirkirk Caravan Site is open all year and has grass pitches with optional electric, a rally field and a licensed club.

Going south from Scotland, Formby Golf Club is seven miles north of Liverpool; it’s set over 470 acres in a Site of Special Scientific Interest, hosted the Curtis Cup in 2004 and is near three other big courses – Liverpool, Birkdale and Lytham St Anne’s. Make it a Lancashire break with a stay at Oaklands Caravan Park less than 15 miles from the golf club, or book a Preston pod at Stanley Villa Farm Camping around 18 miles away.

Heading further south, there’s Sunningdale Golf Club in Berkshire with both new and old sandbelt courses to try. It’s rated as quite difficult for the average player, so a good one to try if you want a challenge. We have several sites within a 30 mile radius of the club in Surrey , Buckinghamshire, West Sussex and Hampshire – for tents, tourers and motorhomes there's the peaceful Etherley Farm , which has its own poultry produce to bag for the barbie; for golf glamping, fully-furnished bell tents are available at Lingfield's Southern Bells .

If you're in Wales, head to the Royal St Davids Golf Club with sand dunes and the medieval Harlech Castle in the background. The course is said to be tough, especially the last six holes, though you can look up at the castle for dreamy inspiration if it all gets too much. We have loads of options in Gwynedd - book a glamping bell tent at Dinas Caravan and Camping Park a couple of miles from Royal St Davids, or add some pony trekking to the golf hol at Bwlchgwyn Farm 11 miles away.

For Northern Ireland, a must is the Royal Portrush Golf Club , which hosted the Irish Open in 2012 and which is the only club in N Ireland to have hosted the British Open, the only time the tournament has been held outside Scotland or England. The Dunluce Links course at Portrush is considered one of the best courses in the world, ranked fourth in the British Isles by Golf World, and there are several other golf clubs in Portrush and nearby Portstewart. If you're teeing off at this Antrim coast spot, a good option to stay nearby is Glenmore Caravan and Camping Park in Ballycastle, 12 miles away from Royal Portrush and eight miles from Giant's Causeway.

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