How Much Does a Golf Trip to England Cost?
Important Cost Factors for England Golf Packages
If you've spent any amount of time researching your overseas golf trip on our website, you've likely arrived here with a variety of unanswered questions.
Perhaps you were inspired by The Open returning to Royal Birkdale and Royal Lytham, or you've started to wonder where else you should play golf in England beyond the marquee names.
Maybe you're trying to decide when to go, where to play, or you're comparing golf travel companies and are struggling to tell us all apart. Eventually, all of these questions lead to yet another…
How Much Does a Golf Trip to England Cost?
If you're looking for answers to these and other questions, you'll find in-depth guides to them all at the H&B Yardage Book. But on the topic of cost, as you peruse the pages of our website, you'll notice that there's no pricing.
And for very good reason.
At Haversham & Baker, we believe that the best golf travel experience is one that's custom tailored to the desires and expectations of your group. You won't find pricing here because a trip that's uniquely yours can never come wrapped in the same pre-packaged, standardized itinerary that's taken by everyone else.
When it comes to the cost of England golf trips, this approach has a major advantage working in its favor...
The Members of Fieldstone Golf Club beneath The Open's famous yellow scoreboard at Royal Liverpool.
As any experienced traveler knows well, price is only one half of the equation. The other, more important half, is value.
By first learning about you, your group, and your goals for the trip, our Expedition Planning Managers will craft an itinerary that is built solely around the places and experiences that bring value to all of the above.
Wherever your overall cost falls, you can rest assured knowing that every minute of your trip and every dollar out of your wallet is invested in the things that are important to you.
Put another way...
When you travel with Haversham & Baker, the first and most important factor that will influence the cost of your golf trip to England is… You.
So why would we write a guide on the cost of an England golf trip if there's no pricing and every trip is unique?
Throughout our over 30 years of sending golfers across the pond, we've learned that most in the early phase of planning aren't looking for an exact price. Instead, they seek to understand all of the factors and decisions that will drive their final total.
If you're wondering what separates the $7,000 Expedition from the $10,000 variety, here are the important factors which will influence your cost of a golf trip to England.
The Members of Greenbrier Golf & Country Club at Royal Birkdale.
A Realistic Price Range for England Golf Trips
Although fixed pricing doesn't exist at H&B since every Expedition is custom, we recognize that a working price range is helpful for groups in the early stages of planning.
A typical weeklong H&B Expedition to England will usually fall between $7,000 and $12,000 per person, including accommodations, daily golf, ground transportation, and Concierge planning for the Good Life off the course.
Several things will shift your total price up or down:
- Course mix. A bucket-list itinerary built around Royal Birkdale, Royal Liverpool, and Sunningdale plays differently on the budget than a lineup that mixes one or two marquee names with a handful of lesser-known peers.
- Hotel caliber. A four-star property near the golf is a very different number than a five-star country house estate in Surrey or a landmark hotel in the city.
- Single versus double occupancy. The single biggest accommodations lever, and one that varies group to group.
- Trip length. More on this in a moment.
- Time of year. Shoulder months can deliver meaningful savings without giving up much in the way of golf weather.
The lower end of that range tends to be a slightly shorter, self-drive trip, with comfortable four-star accommodations, and double occupancy throughout. The higher end is the full-experience version: longer trip, more bucket-list golf, premium accommodations, single rooms and a personal Driver-Host.
Wherever you ultimately land, the figure is a function of the trip you actually want, not a fixed package you're choosing from a shelf.
The Members of Hamilton Farm Golf Club at Royal Birkdale.
How Trip Length and Structure Influences Cost
One of the underappreciated facts about golf in England is that it lends itself to a shorter Expedition better than almost anywhere else across the pond. A 4 or 5 night trip with daily golf — and maybe a 36-hole day or two worked in — is a perfectly legitimate way to experience two of England's two primary golf regions.
Trimming nights off your itinerary obviously trims a measurable amount off your total, both in accommodations and the day-to-day expenses. For groups with limited time, or those looking to keep the figure tighter, a shorter Expedition is a genuine option in England.
A few things to weigh:
London is uniquely set up for the short-stay golfer. The volume of nonstop flights between major U.S. cities and London Heathrow makes shorter trip feasible in a way that simply isn't true of Glasgow, Edinburgh, or Shannon. You can leave home Sunday evening, be on a tee in Surrey on Monday morning, and be back home on Friday for the weekend with your family. It's not for every group, but for the group that wants it, the math actually works.
The same is true to some extent for the North West. Although fewer in quantity than London, Manchester's nonstop options from the U.S. make a focused England's Golf Coast Expedition workable on a tighter window, particularly for groups based in the Northeast.
What you give up is courses, not quality. A 4 or 5 night trip in the Surrey heathland will get you to the great courses in that region, but a trip combining the heathland with the Channel Coast links isn't really feasible at that length. To play the full heathland rota and the three Channel Coast links properly, you need the full week.
The right length isn't a function of budget alone. It's a function of how much of England you want to see, how much time your group can give it, and whether you'd rather take a shorter trip now and come back for the rest later. Your Expedition Planning Manager will help you work out which version fits.
The Members of Triple Crown Country Club at Royal St. George's
Where You Play
With 10 members of the current GOLF World Top 100 list, four of which are Open Championship venues, choosing where to play golf in England is no easy task. Yet this decision is certain to drive the overall cost of your England golf trip. If your itinerary is chocked full of bucket-list worthy golf courses, your price is sure to reflect it. But there's so much more to golf in England than just the famous names.
For example, St. George's Hill near London garners less notoriety than nearby Sunningdale Golf Club, even though both courses were designed by Harry Colt and are world-ranked. Along the Channel Coast, Royal Cinque Ports is a two-time host of The Open Championship but is often overshadowed by its famous neighbor: Royal St. George's Golf Club. In both of these examples, the headliner's greenfee is 30-50% more than the understudy. Then there's England's Golf Coast, where numerous historic, yet off the beaten path golf courses will provide more bang for your buck compared to their Royal neighbors.
None of this is to say that the marquee venues aren't worth the price of admission. Quite the opposite. But before you fill the itinerary with nothing but marquee golf courses, it helps to lean on the advice of an expert. Someone who can help you strike the right balance of courses and maybe even suggest a less-heralded option that's a better fit for your group than the world-ranked course nearby.
The Members of Scotts Bluff Country Club at Swinley Forest
Where You Stay
When it comes to the cost of an England golf trip, several decisions related to accommodations will influence your overall figure. The caliber of the hotel is one factor. The five-star estate in the English countryside will naturally cost more than the comfortable four-star property near the golf course. The same is true for that room with a view or the spacious suite. But of all the decisions related to your accommodations, nothing will impact the cost of your England golf trip more than the choice of single versus double occupancy.
This is where the expertise of your H&B Expedition Planning Manager can really pay dividends. By first gaining an understanding of the dynamic of your group, they'll be able to guide you to the accommodations which best align with your expectations. For example, The Dormy House at Royal Lytham is a unique option for golfers, but the value of that experience is likely lost on those traveling without golf clubs.
Our advice... If you intend to stay in the good graces of your travel companions, ensure that your accommodations of choice match with the group first and the budget second.
The Members of Hazeltine National Golf Club at Royal Liverpool
When You Go
As you'd expect with any kind of travel, when you take your England golf trip is certain to influence its final cost.
Generally speaking, the golf travel season in England runs from April through October. Thanks to more inviting weather, this is typically the best time of year to play golf in England. Of course, this is also when every other golfer wants to visit, say nothing of tourists in general, so both green fees and accommodations are priced accordingly.
A few timing details worth knowing as you weigh the cost: The shoulder months are quietly the best value. April and October bring cooler temperatures, but the impact on the cost of your trip can be significant — and the courses themselves are often in superb condition.
High summer carries a premium. June through August is the busiest stretch, and accommodations especially can move quickly at the top end.
Open Championship years move the needle in the host region. When The Open visits a North West England course, demand for accommodations and tee times across the entire region spikes for weeks before and after Championship week.
If your target year is an Open year in your target region, plan early.
The Members of Mission Hills Country Club at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.
How You Get Around
Of all the decisions that will shape both your cost and your overall experience, how you get around is one of the most consequential. Roughly nine out of ten H&B Expeditions to England use a private Driver-Host, and there's a reason for that.
Think of the Driver-Host the way you'd think of a caddie. Technically optional. Practically essential. They navigate the roads while you stay rested for the round. They know which side of the building the locker rooms are on and where the right pub is for a post-round pint. They adjust the day when weather rolls in. By the end of the trip, they've usually become part of the group's story.
Self-driving is a legitimate option for some groups, particularly smaller ones traveling on the lighter end. But for groups of eight or more, the cost difference between a Driver-Host and a self-drive setup is often minimal once you account for vehicle rental, fuel, parking, and the inevitable navigation headaches. The experience difference, however, is meaningful.
If you're weighing the decision, here's a deeper look at the benefits of a Driver-Host on an overseas golf trip.
Additional Cost Considerations
London Time
London is one of the iconic destinations in the world for travel, and it pairs naturally with golf in the Surrey heathland or on the Channel Coast. Most groups add two to three nights in the city either before or after the golf. Just know that everything carries a premium the closer you are to His Majesty's backyard, and central London hotels in summer move quickly at the top end of the market.
Airfare
Your flight across the pond is naturally an important cost consideration. Thankfully, there are numerous non-stop options from the United States to both London and Manchester, with Manchester being the more efficient entry point for an England's Golf Coast trip. Plan early and consult our Flight FAQs for additional tips.
Caddies
Unless you've played the courses before and are comfortable navigating them on your own, our suggestion is to always take a caddie when one is available. Caddie fees average around £70 to £90 per bag, with a gratuity of £25 to £50 on top depending on the course and the service. Of course, cost is just one thing to consider when taking a caddie. We've covered the rest in our Caddie FAQs.
Frequently Asked Questions
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