Championship Golf Courses With Great Whiskies to Match

Golf and whisky just go hand in hand. It makes sense, after all, as the game was cultivated in a region where, for just as long, whiskies were crafted with similar attention to detail, care, and passion. And nothing celebrates a day on the links better than a dram.

When the game was first introduced stateside in the late 19th century, it brought whisky enjoyment with it. Golf resorts have since flourished, both in the U. S. and throughout the British Isles, and so we celebrate golf courses with whisky programs that match the elevated level of their play. A visit to one of the following seven destinations will find exceptional whiskies being poured once the day’s final putts are holed.

Adare Manor

COUNTY LIMERICK, IRELAND

For first-time guests, visiting Adare Manor can be an overwhelming experience. Located just over 10 miles outside the southwest city of Limerick, this five-star luxury resort is home to a sparkling Irish manor house designed in the Gothic Revival style, and the entirety of the property’s 842 acres is maintained to a pristine level. Such attention to detail reflects the ownership of Irish businessman J.P. McManus, who purchased the property 10 years ago. In particular, the golf course has been completely renovated by Fazio Golf Course Designers in preparation for the Ryder Cup in 2027.

With artfully shaped bunkers, no discernible rough (the second cut is mowed less than two inches high), tightly mown runoff areas around the greens, and plenty of babbling brooks, creeks, and small water hazards scattered across its 170 acres, the 7,509-yard championship course draws a number of parallels to Augusta National, which isn’t a surprise given that Fazio annually updates and enhances the course that hosts The Masters.

Once a round is complete, players can adjourn to The Tack Room, where more than 160 rare whiskies from around the world are on the menu. If you’re looking to taste something truly unique, inquire about the resort’s single-cask Very Rare collaborations with Midleton Distillery. Additionally, a trio of tasting experiences can be reserved in advance (¤125-¤500/$135-$540), some featuring Irish whiskeys that are no longer in production, like Yellow Spot 13 year old and Teeling Revival 14 year old.

Portmarnock Resort

PORTMARNOCK, IRELAND

The contemporary links course at Portmarnock Resort was recently renamed Jameson Golf Links, but these 6,605 yards of firm and fast Irish terrain benefited from more than just a new name. Located only 20 minutes from the center of Dublin, the course’s original design was created by two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer in 1995; however, as part of its rebranding, the course was comprehensively renovated and redesigned last year. In particular, a good portion of the back nine was rerouted, which not only changed how the course plays but also introduced more frequent views of the adjacent Irish Sea.

Those with an interest in history will appreciate that a rudimentary golf course previously existed here, one built by John Jameson III during the middle of the 19th century. In fact, that famous Irish distilling family lived here in a sprawling 10-bedroom estate, St. Marnocks House, which today is part of the resort. Following a round of golf, it’s all but mandatory to pop into the resort’s Jameson Bar, where more than 50 whiskies grace the backbar. The vast majority of those are predictably Irish, and given the resort’s location, pours of a native tipple won’t set you back too far; the most expensive of the lot, Midleton Very Rare Barry Crockett Legacy, is priced at €49/$54.

Gleneagles

AUCHTERARDER, UK

Gleneagles resort actually has three golf courses. In recent years, the PGA Centenary course—Jack Nicklaus’s only design in Scotland—has hogged most of the spotlight, having served as the host course when both the Ryder Cup and the Solheim Cup were contested here (in 2014 and 2019, respectively). The course is routed over Perthshire’s rolling hills in a classic way, but this stern test, built in 1993, is laden with plenty of forced carries and lurking water features that reflect Nicklaus’s American design sensibilities. Elsewhere at the resort, the King’s and Queen’s courses, both designed by five-time Open champion James Braid in the early 20th century, offer classic heathland golfing experiences. At the end of his career, Braid declared the 6,790-yard King’s Course to be his best design, and the 106 year old course is widely considered Gleneagles’s crown jewel.

Away from the links, whisky enthusiasts, especially those with deep pockets, will be delighted by the whisky offerings at The Century Bar. Some drams, such as Talisker 25 year old, cost £115/$149, whereas a pour of Springbank Chieftains 40 year old will set you back £1,200/$1,550. In total, more than 400 single malt, blended scotch, and Japanese whiskies are available, some by the glass, others by the flight, and nearly 150 by the bottle. Organized by flavor and body (as opposed to region), the menu makes it easy to find what fits your mood, with categories that include blends or light malts; peated, mineral, and rich whiskies; creamy, opulent, and full-bodied whiskies; and occasion whiskies, which may otherwise be described as “rare and peculiar.” Of particular interest are the resort’s 78 vintage bottlings, 10 of which were bottled more than 45 years ago. Standouts include a 1953 Glenfarclas Coronation (£2,000/$2,583 per pour), a 1969 Dalmore Constellation (£3,200/$4,133 per pour), and a 1979 Port Ellen (£650/$840 per pour).

Dundonald Links

IRVINE, UK

When it comes to exceptional whisky and golf, Dundonald Links epitomizes the top three rules of real estate: location, location, location. Based in northern Troon, only 40 minutes south of Glasgow, the boutique resort is a short drive from Royal Troon and Prestwick Golf Clubs, two venues with Open Championship heritage, the latter of which is where the Open was born. Two more historic and highly regarded courses are only minutes away, too. With its gorse and heather- lined fairways, Gailes Links Golf Course, home to the Glasgow Golf Club (the world’s ninth-oldest club), is enchanting. Western Gailes, by contrast, offers a memorable round with a series of north-facing holes that are tightly routed along railroad tracks, and south-facing holes that play alongside the Firth of Clyde. That said, Dundonald’s links course, a contemporary design conceived by Kyle Phillips, offers thrills all its own with rumpled fairways, steep-faced pot bunkers, and dune-like mounding blanketed by thick maritime grasses.

When it comes to whisky, Dundonald is unsurpassed in the region. The resort’s Whisky Room, created via a collaboration with whisky broker and consultant Blair Bowman, is known for two things: a unique barrel of Canasta cream sherry-finished Bunnahabhain, circa 1980, and dozens of four-dram flights. The Four Corners flight (£50/$65), for example, includes 12 to 15 year old whiskies sourced from Speyside, the Highlands, Islay, and the Lowlands. The “top shelf” flight (£1,400/$1,808) features the aforementioned cask of Bunnahabhain, as well as 40 year old Highland Park and Macallan M. But the Arran flight (£60/$78) may be the most unique, as it offers tastes of 10, 18, 21, and Quarter Cask bottlings from this distillery located on the Isle of Arran, less than 30 miles to the west.

Pinehurst Resort

PINEHURST, NORTH CAROLINA

For good reason, Pinehurst Resort has long garnered the nickname “The Cradle of American Golf.” With roots that can be traced back to 1895, the resort is one of the United States’ four national landmarks in golf—and the only one accessible to the public—which means golf travelers will always plan pilgrimages there to soak up its history. Presently home to 10 full-length courses of varying fame, Pinehurst will always be known first for the No. 2 course—a championship layout designed by Donald Ross in 1935, restored by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw in 2014, and now serving as an anchor site for the U.S. Open. The new No. 10 course, the first full-length layout to be built at the resort in three decades, opened for play last year and has since mesmerized golfers with boldly contoured topography that’s as challenging to play as it is fun and inventive.

In the evenings, whisky connoisseurs can venture to The Manor; more specifically, to the North & South Bar, which takes its name from one of the country’s oldest amateur championships played annually at the resort. Here, classic cocktails like smoked Old Fashioneds, Brooklyn Manhattans, and Sazeracs are mixed with precision, while more than 170 bottles of whisky are generally available too. Bourbon is the belle of the ball at the North & South, and classics like Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel and Wild Turkey Rare Breed are always at the ready. Those looking to try something more unique should ask about the limited-edition bottlings of Woodford Reserve ($21.25/2 oz.) and Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel ($33), which were made exclusively for the resort.

Kohler

KOHLER, WISCONSIN

Twenty years ago, Whistling Straits was perhaps the best-kept secret in American golf. At the very least, the two courses there—The Irish and The Straits—were diamonds in the rough. Today, having hosted three PGA Championships, a Senior U.S. Open, and most recently the Ryder Cup, Whistling Straits is a bucket-list destination that lives up to the hype. So too is the pair of courses at Blackwolf Run—The River and Meadow Valleys—which were built a decade earlier and hosted major championships of their own (the U.S. Women’s Open in 1998 and 2012).

Needless to say, a whisky raised in celebration is essential after any round at the resort, and the best place to do it, oddly enough, is at The Immigrant Restaurant’s bar, The Winery, inside Kohler’s luxuriously appointed hotel, the American Club. Currently the bar’s whisky menu is nearly 170 bottles strong, offering a good mix of bourbon and single malt scotch. With plans to soon invest more resources into its bourbon lineup, the bar’s current offerings in that category are headlined by 2023 Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Voyage ($45) and Elijah Craig 18 year old ($36), but there’s also no shortage of noteworthy drams on the scotch whisky side. For example, the bar boasts 10 selections from independent bottler That Boutique-y Whisky Company, as well as 47, 48, and 50 year old expressions from The Last Drop.

The Retreat at Silvie’s Valley Ranch

SENECA, OREGON

There is no easy way to get to Silvie’s Retreat, but taking the road less traveled pays dividends, both in the way of unique golfing experiences and extensive whisky selections. This boutique resort is set on a working cattle ranch covering more than 140,000 acres in eastern Oregon, and it’s home to two short courses, an absolutely addictive reversible putting course, a reversible 18-hole golf course that traverses more than 7,000 yards in each direction, and— oh yes—a herd of goat caddies (you read that right). The reversible full-length course is notoriously fun since it features expansive fairways that allow mid to high-handicappers to swing away off the tee, but it also brings you through valleys and into hillsides dotted with ponderosa pines—all of which deliver a serene sense of place.

The wall of whiskies towering over the bar inside the lodge feels just as massive as the reversible golf course, while a quick glance at the menu suggests that the owners recognize size does matter. Sure, you could order a standard two-ounce “City Shot,” but you could also go big with a “Cowboy Shot” or a “Silvie’s Shot,” which are three and four ounces, respectively. Deciding what you want to drink will likely be more difficult than how much of it you want, as the resort’s whisky list exceeds 200 bottles. Single malt scotch standouts include Springbank 15 year old, Balblair 2003 12 year old, and Oban Distillers Edition. Pours of other sought-after whiskies, like Yamazaki 12 year old and Weller 12 year old, are surprisingly affordable, priced at $18 and $24.50 respectively for two-ounce pours.