Belgium: proof that a golf holiday does not need palm trees

When somebody says "golf holiday", most of us immediately picture the same scene.

Blue sky. Palm trees. Shorts. Perhaps a cold drink waiting somewhere near the 18th green.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with that picture.

But golf travel becomes considerably more interesting when we stop assuming that every worthwhile trip has to point south.

Which brings me to Belgium.

Belgium is part of our 2027 programme, and it appeals to me precisely because it is not the obvious choice.

It offers a very different sort of golf trip.

And sometimes different is exactly what we need.

Golf rather than resort golf

There is a distinction worth making between travelling somewhere that has golf and travelling somewhere where the courses have their own character.

Belgium has some wonderfully established golf environments.

South of Brussels, for example, Château de la Tournette sits within around 160 hectares of countryside and offers two championship courses around a historic estate. Sept Fontaines, also south of Brussels, has two 18-hole courses set through around 100 hectares of wooded parkland, with an 18th-century château forming part of the clubhouse setting.

That tells you something about the style of golf you can find here.

Trees.

Parkland.

Historic estates.

Courses that sit naturally within the landscape rather than feeling as though somebody has simply added eighteen holes beside a hotel.

As a golfer, I find that appealing.

You might need to keep the jumper in the bag

I should probably address the obvious point.

Nobody books Belgium because they have been promised Mediterranean temperatures.

And I actually think that is part of the charm.

Golf does not become less enjoyable because you are wearing trousers.

We sometimes get slightly carried away with the idea that a golf holiday needs to be a summer holiday with clubs attached.

It doesn't.

Sometimes the objective is simply to go somewhere interesting, play good courses, eat well and enjoy travelling with a group of golfers.

Belgium can offer precisely that.

Different golf creates different questions

One reason I enjoy taking golfers away from their usual surroundings is that a different course exposes different habits.

Take somebody who normally plays on a wide, relatively open course and put them among mature trees.

Suddenly position becomes more important.

The player who automatically takes driver on every par four starts asking better questions.

Do I actually need driver?

Which side of the fairway gives me the better angle?

If I miss here, where is the sensible place to miss?

Would a five wood followed by a seven iron make this hole considerably easier than trying to force a driver through a narrow landing area?

These are useful questions.

They are also questions golfers often stop asking at their home club because familiarity takes over.

You stand on the same tee every Saturday and reach for the same club.

Travel somewhere new and the brain switches back on.

Belgium gives you more than eighteen holes

Another attraction is that a golf break here need not revolve entirely around the golf course.

That matters to me.

A destination should still be interesting when you take your golf shoes off.

Belgium gives you historic cities, architecture, food and a strong sense of place. It also makes an appealing contrast with the resort-led golf holidays many of us already know well.

I want people who travel with me to remember the destination, not simply the scorecards.

If all we wanted was eighteen holes, we could have stayed at home.

What I like about the less obvious destination

There is something enjoyable about telling somebody where you are going and having them reply:

"Belgium? For golf?"

That usually means you are about to discover something.

We all know Spain.

We all know Portugal.

We know why they work, and I will happily continue travelling to both.

But I also want the programme to contain places that make golfers curious.

A good golf travel calendar should have some familiar names and one or two that make you reach for the map.

Belgium does that.

The coaching opportunity

For me, the golf itself is where things become particularly interesting.

Playing somewhere unfamiliar allows me to see how a golfer approaches the game rather than simply how they swing the club.

Do they choose sensible targets?

Do they notice where the trouble is?

Can they accept that a par four does not necessarily demand a driver?

What happens after a poor shot?

Do they recover, or immediately try to produce something spectacular?

Those observations tell me a great deal.

And quite often they reveal opportunities to improve without changing anything technical at all.

That is one of the reasons hosted golf travel works so well.

We have time.

We have real golf holes in front of us.

And we can talk about the game while actually playing it.

Perhaps golf travel should surprise us occasionally

I suspect most golfers already have a mental list of destinations they would like to visit.

There will probably be some famous names on it.

But I would leave space for one or two surprises.

Belgium might not be the country you first associate with a golf holiday.

Perhaps that is the best reason to consider it.

Interesting courses.

A different style of trip.

A proper European destination beyond the fairways.

And the opportunity to enjoy golf somewhere many of your playing partners probably have not yet discovered.

Sunshine is lovely.

But sometimes a golf holiday should give you a story as well.

Belgium forms part of Simon Buckley's 2027 hosted golf programme.

Register your interest to receive the full itinerary when trip details are released.