If you’re plotting a 2025 pilgrimage to the great golf courses of Britain and Ireland, brace yourself. Prices at the most celebrated golf courses have marched upwards again, but a closer look shows there’s still genuine value to be found—if you know where to aim your tee peg.

Golfsupport.com analysed the top 30 layouts across the UK and Ireland using TripAdvisor ratings and current green fees, revealing which destinations deliver the best experience for your wallet.

North Berwick – the people’s links still lead the way

2025 peak-season green fee: ~£285

The West Links remains a rare mix of character, history and affordability by modern standards. The course is the 13th oldest in the world, dating back to 1832, and offers seaside golf with wall-lined fairways, wild greens and views over the Firth of Forth that feel criminal to rush through. Calm evenings are pure bliss; windy days are pure theatre.

St Andrews – Old Course: the pilgrimage that still defines bucket lists

2025 peak-season green fee: £340 (14 April–19 October)

“In second place is St Andrews golf course with a ranking score of 8.3. The course is thought of as one of the best in the world, and is considered to be the home of golf as it was first played here in the early 15th century. It is also the largest public golf complex in Europe.”

You’re paying for the nerves on the first tee, the walk up 18, and the lifetime bragging rights. Shoulder-season ballots and local initiatives can soften the blow, but the going rate in high season is what it is. Nothing else quite matches it.

St George’s Hill – Red & Blue: Surrey’s manicured sanctuary

2025 peak-season green fee: ~£285

This is prime Surrey heathland at its most polished—towering pines, sculpted fairways and an atmosphere that whispers “generational wealth.” It’s expensive, but its conditioning, scenery and layout still justify the splurge for golfers chasing something special.

Woodhall Spa – Hotchkin: inland golf with bite

2025 peak-season green fee: £230 (or £160 for members of other clubs)

The Hotchkin is pure, brutal inland championship golf: cavernous bunkers, firm turf and routing that tests every part of your game. For a course with this pedigree, its pricing is one of the more palatable surprises on the elite circuit.

Royal Aberdeen – Balgownie: coastal beauty with a stern warning

2025 peak-season green fee: £265

Balgownie’s opening stretch along the North Sea is so raw and dramatic it feels like a dare. Tight tee shots, towering dunes and unpredictable wind mean even the confident will find their game rattled. For a course of its stature, the pricing remains competitive.

Burnham & Berrow – Championship: top-tier links without top-tier pain

2025 peak-season green fee: ~£195

With big dunes, memorable par 3s and weather that keeps you honest, Burnham remains one of the most attainable championship links in Britain. Hard to argue with the value when others of similar status start with a three or four.

Kingsbarns – modern luxury, premium pricing

2025 peak-season green fee: £448

Kingsbarns is jaw-dropping. Almost every hole has the North Sea as a backdrop, conditioning is immaculate, and the experience feels designed for drone footage. The price is eye-watering, but so is the memory.

Royal Porthcawl – Wales’s heavyweight contender

2025 peak-season green fee: £225–£250 depending on month

With sea views from every hole and greens that roll like glass on a hangover, Royal Porthcawl continues to punch in the very top tier. Its 2025 pricing sits in the “ambitiously fair” bracket compared to other GB&I giants.

The European Club – play it before redevelopment closes it

2025 summer green fee: €320 midweek / €400 weekends (winter from €150)

A wild, sprawling modern links with a cult following, The European Club remains one of Ireland’s most distinctive tests. But its clock is ticking:

“The course will close from 8 December 2025 until spring 2027 for a major redevelopment.”
If it’s on your list, go this year.

Royal Portrush – Dunluce: Open-ready and priced to match

2025 peak-season green fee: ~£385

Towering dunes, cliff-edge holes, and a championship pedigree that speaks for itself. There’s another price jump coming in 2026, but even today, Portrush earns the premium with every step.

So where’s the value?

North Berwick remains the standout blend of world-class golf and sensible pricing. Woodhall Spa, Burnham & Berrow, and Royal Porthcawl continue to give regular golfers a chance to experience elite-level design without a financial stroke index of 25. St Andrews, Kingsbarns and Portrush are eye-watering, but unforgettable.

If you’re trying to make the trip stack up:

• Book winter or shoulder-season tee times
• Check for regional or “Golf Ireland” rates
• Explore ballots, packages and multi-round deals
• Be flexible—July and August will always punish the bank balance

And the original promise still rings true:

“From this study you can plan the ultimate UK and Ireland summer golf road trip for you and your friends, playing on the top courses to a budget that suits you.”

In 2025, that budget just needs to be bigger.

*All green fees accurate at the time of writing but are subject to change by individual clubs.