The UK’s stay-and-play circuit has quietly become one of the most compelling golf travel propositions in Europe. You can tee it up on an Open Championship venue in the morning, be in a spa suite by late afternoon, and sit down to a tasting menu that night, all without a passport or a currency conversion. 2027 is shaping up to be a particularly strong year to plan a trip: the summer calendar is packed, several flagship resorts have finished multi-year renovations, and operators have been releasing early-season rates to lock in bookings ahead of the usual spring rush.

We’ve put together our 2027 shortlist based on what our clients are actually booking, what the courses themselves look like on the ground, and what packages represent fair value for the money. Everything on this list is a resort we book regularly, so the write-ups reflect first-hand experience rather than press releases.

What a stay-and-play package actually includes

Before the resort-by-resort breakdown, a quick word on what “stay-and-play” means in practice. The format bundles accommodation with a set number of rounds on the resort’s own courses, and most packages add breakfast as standard. Beyond that, inclusions vary.

  • Standard inclusions: en-suite accommodation, breakfast, one or two rounds per day on the house course, use of the practice facilities, and parking.
  • Common upgrades: dinner on arrival night, buggy hire, a round at a nearby championship course (Ryder Cup venues often sit next to or near resort hotels), spa access, and complimentary balls or green-fee credits.
  • Watch for: tee-time flexibility (some resorts restrict package tees to midweek or late afternoon), season banding (shoulder months are substantially cheaper), and whether the quoted price is per person or per room. We quote per person throughout.

If you’d like a tailored quote on any of the resorts below, our team can put a package together with the extras that matter to your group. Explore our full range at England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland.

England: Ryder Cup heritage and championship venues

The Belfry, West Midlands

No other English resort can match The Belfry‘s Ryder Cup pedigree. The Brabazon has hosted the match four times, more than any other venue, and the famous 10th and 18th holes are still laid out exactly as the pros played them. The on-site hotel is a destination in its own right, with multiple restaurants, a Leisure Club, and the Belfry Spa, and the Derby and PGA National complete a 54-hole offering that justifies a three-night minimum. 2027 packages should be booked early for anything within six weeks of a Masters, PGA or Open window, when demand peaks.

Belton Woods, Lincolnshire

Belton Woods has quietly become one of the strongest-value stay-and-play resorts in the country. Set in 475 acres of Lincolnshire parkland, the resort offers two full-length courses, the Lakes and the Woodside, plus a nine-hole short course that’s ideal for a warm-up afternoon or a group with mixed abilities. The hotel sits literally on the fairway, so there’s no transfer, and the spa and dining operation is a cut above what you’d expect at the price. A classic two-night, three-round package here undercuts most of its Midlands peers by a comfortable margin.

Formby Hall Golf Resort, Merseyside

If links golf is on the itinerary, Formby Hall is one of the smartest bases in the north-west. The parkland course on site is a comfortable warm-up or wind-down round, but the real draw is the resort’s proximity to Royal Birkdale, Royal Liverpool and the wider Southport links coast. The spa is extensive, the rooms are quietly upscale rather than showy, and the F&B offering has stepped up considerably in recent years. Build an Open-coast itinerary around a two-night Formby Hall base and you’ll see three legendary venues inside 30 minutes.

Dunston Hall Hotel & Golf Resort, Norfolk

A Grade-II listed Elizabethan-style manor set in 150 acres of Norfolk parkland, Dunston Hall is a strong pick for groups who want their course and their accommodation under one roof without the premium of a true luxury property. The par-72 championship course has 71 bunkers and five lakes to keep things honest, and the leisure facilities (indoor pool, gym, spa) are useful on a weather day. Dunston Hall is also one of the easier resorts to get a competitive weekend rate on, which is rare for a venue this close to London.

Telford Golf & Spa Hotel, Shropshire

Telford Hotel, Spa and Golf Resort plays through the Ironbridge Gorge, and the setting is one of the most dramatic of any inland English course. The 18th plays towards the gorge itself, and several holes have genuine views rather than the usual parkland sameness. The hotel is practical rather than glamorous, which keeps the package pricing honest, and the spa is a decent size for a four-star. Pairs well with a round at nearby Hawkstone Park if you want a two-course trip in the West Midlands.

Forest Pines, North Lincolnshire

Three nine-hole loops (Beeches, Pines and Firs) give Forest Pines genuine variety, and the course has hosted the English Open on the DP World Tour. It plays through mature Lincolnshire pine forest, which gives it a European feel you don’t often get in England. The resort hotel underwent a refurbishment in recent years and the rooms are now comfortably four-star-plus. Forest Pines is a sensible choice for a bigger group because the three loops mean two different full 18s on consecutive days without ever repeating a hole.

Kilnwick Percy Resort & Golf Club, East Yorkshire

Lesser known than its Lincolnshire and Midlands rivals, Kilnwick Percy is a lodge-based resort set in the Yorkshire Wolds. The format is different from the hotel resorts above: you stay in a self-catering lodge rather than a hotel room, which works well for small groups who want their own space to cook, drink and plan the next day. The parkland course is a quietly good test, and the setting on the edge of the Wolds AONB is as peaceful as any inland course in the country. Our pick for groups who prefer a cottage-and-course set-up to a corporate hotel.

Slaley Hall, Northumberland

Slaley Hall sits in 1,000 acres on the edge of the Northumberland National Park and plays two very different 18s: the Hunting Course (a Dave Thomas design that’s hosted the PGA Championship on the European Tour) and the Priestman Course. The hotel is a proper country-house property with a serious spa, and the setting is the main differentiator — few UK resorts give you this much open countryside without being remote. A strong pick for a long-weekend group looking for the big-estate experience without going as far north as Scotland.

The Grove, Hertfordshire

The Grove is the London market’s five-star stay-and-play default. The Kyle Phillips course has hosted the WGC-American Express Championship and the British Masters, the Mansion hotel is one of the most refined in the home counties, and the location (18 minutes from Watford Junction) means you can be on the first tee two hours after leaving central London. Pricing reflects all of this, but for a special-occasion booking (big birthday, corporate trip, a last UK round before heading abroad) nothing else in the south combines the course, hotel and ease of access this neatly.

Scotland: the heartland

Gleneagles, Perthshire

Still, after more than a century, the standard against which every other UK golf resort is measured. Gleneagles is three courses (the King’s, the Queen’s and the Ryder Cup PGA Centenary), a five-star hotel, two Michelin stars across its restaurants, and a sporting estate that offers everything from falconry to clay pigeon shooting. The 2027 package to target here is a three-night, two-round combination that gets you the Centenary and either the King’s or Queen’s, with time left over for the non-golf estate activities that make Gleneagles different from pure golf-resort peers. Book 2027 dates early; summer midweek fills before Christmas most years.

Westerwood Hotel & Golf Resort, North Lanarkshire

If Gleneagles is the five-star benchmark, Westerwood is the central-belt value pick. The course is a Dave Thomas and Seve Ballesteros design in the shadow of the Campsie Fells, with the signature 15th (the “Waterfall” hole) playing to a green cut into a 60-foot cliff face. The hotel sits in 400 acres of its own grounds and the drive from Glasgow Airport is around 20 minutes, which makes Westerwood a smart base for a Glasgow-and-Ayrshire trip that pairs a resort round with a day at Turnberry or Troon. Noticeably cheaper than Gleneagles for a similar four-star-plus experience.

Wales: better value than it should be

Celtic Manor Resort, Newport

Celtic Manor hosted the 2010 Ryder Cup on The Twenty Ten course, the only course in the world specifically designed for the match. The resort has three courses in total (Twenty Ten, Roman Road and Montgomerie), a five-star main hotel, a four-star Manor House, two spas, and a run of restaurants that includes the two-AA-rosette Steak on Six. For a two-and-a-half-hour drive from most of southern England this is probably the most hotel-and-course value in the UK right now, and a two-night three-round Twenty Ten package here is one of the trips we book most often. For the full regional lineup, see our dedicated Wales 2027 guide.

Vale Resort, Vale of Glamorgan

The Vale Resort, 15 minutes from Cardiff, has two full courses (the Wales National and the Lake) and the largest spa in Wales. The Wales National has hosted European Tour qualifying and is a demanding, 7,400-yard championship test; the Lake is friendlier and plays well for a mixed-ability group. The hotel’s a solid four-star rather than five, which is reflected in the price, and the F&B operation includes a steakhouse that’s well above the usual resort fare. A good second-course option on a Celtic Manor trip, or a standalone two-night break in its own right.

Northern Ireland: a two-year-old Open venue and a Championship coast

Royal Portrush & Portrush Atlantic Hotel, County Antrim

The Open returned to Royal Portrush in 2025, and 2027 is a sweet-spot year to visit: the course is in Open-standard condition, demand has settled from its 2025 peak, and the surrounding Causeway Coast is still having its post-Open moment. Royal Portrush’s Dunluce Links is one of the great tests in world golf and the Valley Course alongside is itself a strong second-day round. We base most Portrush packages at the Portrush Atlantic Hotel or the Adelphi, both walking distance to the first tee and the town’s restaurants. A Dunluce round needs to be booked a long way out — in some cases a full year.

Slieve Donard Resort & Royal County Down, County Down

Pair the Slieve Donard Resort & Spa with a round at the adjacent Royal County Down, consistently ranked in the global top five, and you have one of the single best golf-and-hotel pairings anywhere. The hotel is a Victorian seaside resort property with the Mountains of Mourne as a backdrop; the course needs no introduction. Visitor tee times on the Championship Course are limited and release months in advance, so a Royal County Down trip has to be planned early. Our team runs a wait-list for 2027 dates.

Republic of Ireland: the natural extension

Not strictly UK, but almost every trip we book that includes Royal Portrush or Royal County Down crosses the border for at least one round. Three resort pairings worth building a 2027 itinerary around:

  • Adare Manor, County Limerick: the 2027 Ryder Cup venue. Pricing and availability for 2027 are at a premium for obvious reasons. If you want to play the course in Ryder Cup year, we’d suggest calling us about this one now, not later.
  • Carton House, County Kildare: the Montgomerie and the O’Meara courses on a 1,100-acre estate, a Fairmont-managed hotel, and 30 minutes from Dublin Airport. The most practical first-night base of any Irish resort.
  • The K Club, County Kildare: 2006 Ryder Cup venue, two Palmer-designed courses, and a five-star hotel. Pairs cleanly with Carton House for a four-night, four-round Kildare base.

If you’re planning a longer Irish trip, our Republic of Ireland collection covers Lahinch, Ballybunion, Waterville and the west-coast links, all of which are feasible as the second leg of a Portrush or Dublin trip.

Resorts we’re asked about but don’t book

In the interest of being straight with people, three resorts turn up in search traffic that we don’t currently package: Gleddoch Golf & Spa Resort near Glasgow, the Cave Hotel and Golf Resort in Kent, and The Mere Golf Resort & Spa in Cheshire. All three are reputable venues; we simply don’t have agreements in place that let us build competitive stay-and-play packages for them in 2027. If one of these is a specific must-play, call us and we’ll either sort an alternative in the same region or point you to the resort’s direct booking.

How to choose the right 2027 package for your group

A few practical rules we apply when putting together a 2027 trip:

  • Start with the course. Pick the one or two courses you really want to play, then build the hotel around that. It’s cheaper to drive 20 minutes to the course of your dreams than to settle for a less interesting round because it’s on the resort doorstep.
  • Shoulder season is the value sweet spot. March to mid-May and mid-September to late October usually land at 20 to 35 percent below peak summer rates, with the UK courses often in better condition than mid-summer. Northern Ireland and Scotland particularly reward a shoulder-season booking.
  • Three nights is the right unit. Two gets you one proper golf day; three gives you two, with a travel day on either side. Four is more holiday than most groups need.
  • Book Ryder Cup year venues early. With Adare Manor hosting the 2027 Ryder Cup in September, the knock-on demand for Celtic Manor, The Belfry and The K Club through 2027 is noticeably above normal. Peak-week tee times should be reserved by Q1 2027 at the latest.
  • Think about non-golfers. Spa access, dining and estate activities (clay shooting, falconry, walking) sit alongside the course at most of the resorts above. Celtic Manor, Gleneagles, Slaley Hall and The Grove are the strongest picks for a mixed group.

When to book

In rough order of urgency for a 2027 trip:

  • Book now (Q4 2026): Adare Manor, Royal County Down, Royal Portrush Dunluce Links, Celtic Manor Twenty Ten peak-summer midweek, Gleneagles summer midweek, The Belfry Brabazon peak weekends.
  • Book by Q1 2027: Open-coast packages around Royal Birkdale and Royal Liverpool, The Grove weekend bookings, Carton House and K Club peak summer.
  • More flexible: Dunston Hall, Telford, Forest Pines, Belton Woods, Vale Resort, Kilnwick Percy. All generally bookable inside eight weeks for most dates.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the cheapest way to do a stay-and-play break in 2027?

Shoulder season (March to mid-May, mid-September to late October), midweek, two nights, and one of the value resorts above (Belton Woods, Dunston Hall, Telford, Forest Pines, Kilnwick Percy). Group sizes of six to eight usually unlock better per-head rates than a pair or a four.

Do packages include the green fee at off-site championship courses?

Sometimes. If you want a resort stay plus a round at a neighbouring championship venue (Royal Birkdale from a Formby Hall base, Royal County Down from Slieve Donard, Carnoustie from a Dundonald or St Andrews area base), we’ll build it into a bespoke package rather than fitting it to a pre-set offer. Call us for the current price.

How far in advance should I book Royal Portrush or Royal County Down?

Nine to twelve months for peak summer dates, six months at a minimum. These are the two single most oversubscribed tee times on the island of Ireland.

Is The Open at Royal Birkdale in 2026 going to make 2027 harder to book?

Yes, modestly. Royal Birkdale and the surrounding Southport links will see a demand bump through 2027 as a knock-on effect, and so will Royal Liverpool. Formby Hall as a base, and Hoylake and Birkdale as courses, should be booked by late Q1 2027 for anything in July or August.

Can you build a mixed England and Scotland or UK and Ireland itinerary?

Yes. Multi-centre trips are the majority of what we book above six nights. The usual combinations are a south-of-England base plus a Scotland leg (The Grove then Gleneagles, say), or a Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland pairing (Portrush then Carton House or Adare). Internal flights and private transfers are handled as part of the package.

Are green fees cheaper booked direct or via a package?

In most cases, packaged rates match or beat direct booking because resort tour operators have pre-negotiated room and tee-time allocations. Where direct is cheaper on paper, it’s usually because you’d be comparing a resort’s cheapest shoulder tee against a prime-time package. We’re happy to show you the breakdown.

Ready to plan 2027?

If any of the resorts above are on your list for 2027, we can usually hold tee times and provisional accommodation for up to seven days while you confirm the group. The best time to call about Ryder Cup year (Adare, Celtic Manor, The K Club, The Belfry) is now; the rest of the UK calendar firms up through Q1. See the full regional collections below, or get in touch with your dates and we’ll come back with a tailored proposal.