Golf journalists give their recommendations for 2010

Nick Bayly, Golf News

My top tips in the UK for 2010 are The Celtic Manor Resort and St Mellion International Resort on the basis that they offer genuine championship-standard courses designed by internationally-renowned architects, and have genuine four and five-star accommodation. People don't have a lot of time for holidays these days so when they go away, either with friends or family, they went to spoil themselves and go to places where they know that they will be treated well, enjoy great service and that the courses are of the very best quality.

Both these venues are tour-level courses, where tournaments have been held in the past and will do so again in the very near future. With The Celtic Manor Resort hosting the Ryder Cup in 2010 and St Mellion International Resort the English Open in 2011, both are guaranteed to be in the headlines for many months to come. As golfers we all like to test ourselves on courses where the best players in the world have played.

Within Europe, the resorts of Northern France (Le Touquet/Deauville etc.) will always have particular appeal to the UK golfer, who can hop on the ferry or go via Eurotunnel and be on the courses in a matter of hours, without the hassle of getting on a plane. French golf remains superb value when compared to the inflated fees being charged in Spain and Portugal, and they are far less busy and offer a genuine feeling of being on holiday rather than being in a resort, where there is little else to do besides play golf. The courses aren't quite so hard, but are still challenging and enjoyable and will appeal more to social golfers, groups and societies as well as husband/wife trips that will also involve shopping trips.

Richard Green, Freelance Golf Journalist

Woodhall Spa is without question my favourite inland course in Britain. It might be hidden in the middle of Lincolnshire but don't let that relative inaccessibility put you off. It's a sensational course, with glorious heather everywhere and some of the fiercest - and deepest - bunkers you'll ever play. It's perfect for golfers who love to make pilgrimage to the UK's finest courses, although it does have some forced carries over deep heather and is not one for beginners. St Mellion International Resort would by my other tip. It's recently undergone a massive facelift and the course is now back to the standard that made it a fixture on the European Tour in previous years. The setting is totally serene and the course very challenging. It's a great combination. The hotel and facilities are top-notch too and make it the perfect place for a weekend break. Non-golfers are well catered for too and families are very welcome.

Looking further afield, Le Touquet is my top choice. With the credit crunch biting hard, being able to share a car and get over to Northern France makes perfect sense. The land is absolutely ideal for great golf, with pine forests and sandy ground giving rise to a number of beautiful courses. Belle Dunes is my favourite - it's like playing (quite literally) in a wildlife sanctuary. Le Touquet itself is a small town with a good buzz and is ideal for groups of golfers. There are plenty of bars and restaurants and the courses are all within a 30-minute drive.

Looking a little further afield, Praia D'el Rey is my choice for people looking to visit Portugal. It's is a stunning course, played half in the dunes and half in the forest. It's very natural and one of Portugal's finest. With Donald Steel's Bom Successo Golf Course now open there's even more reason to visit. Lisbon is a wonderful city and thanks to a number of excellent courses is a genuine alternative to the Algarve.

It's perfect for those who prefer things a little quieter and want the added bonus of a city break in one of Europe's finest capitals.

Keith Baxter, Top100golfcourses

Druids Glen is perhaps the best and most exciting inland course in Ireland with its very own Irish “amen corner” at holes 12-14. Couple Druids Glen with its more user-friendly sister course Druids Heath and you’ll wake up smelling the Irish coffee. The Celtic Manor Resort is the goliath of UK destinations with its impressive hotel and facilities. The recent course changes have turned the venue into an even more desirable destination and, as the Ryder Cup approaches, the Twenty Ten course has to be played. St Mellion International Resort has just received a £20m facelift and the resort is now the best in the west by some margin. The Nicklaus course is one of England’s most challenging courses and will host the English Open in 2011 while the newly revamped Kernow course complements the Nicklaus layout admirably.

La Manga in Murcia, Spain is in its own league and remains one of my favorite European destinations. The resort’s facilities are second to none and the three courses are sufficiently different to appeal to all golfers. I personally prefer the West course with its dramatic barrancas and elevated tees… sheer delight. The Costa del Sol is one of the original package holiday destinations and the Costa del Golf is a veritable Aladdin’s cave of top golf courses. One of the Costa’s best new courses recently opened is Cabell Robinson’s La Reserva add this with the exciting 27-hole Almenara and you won’t go far wrong.

Mike Harris, Golf Monthly

St Mellion International Resort has undergone major improvement work in the last 18 months and added to the completely refurbished hotel, it is now perfect for a short break. It appeals to both couples and groups of any size. The major upgrade work will have had the opportunity to bed in and, with the remodeled Nicklaus course about to join the European Tour schedule in 2011; it will great to be able to play a course before it becomes a household name.

The course at Bowood Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort has always been highly regarded but until this summer accommodation has been very limited. The new hotel at completes the package excellently. Stylish design, great facilities (superb spa and health club) and superb service make it a real must visit destination. It really appeals to small groups, couples and families. The beauty of Bowood is that the variety of tees really do accommodate every standard of golfer – from the forward tees it’s an enjoyable round amid stunning parkland. From the back tees it’s a very stuff test for even the scratch golfer. Bowood offers genuinely rural tranquility but without the big journey times of some of the other UK resorts.

The Vilamoura golf courses in Portugal simply can’t be beaten for location. Being close to Faro airport and the hotels (like Dom Pedro Marina) means you can easily play on arrival/departure days, and the nightlife of the marina offers a great place to wind down (or live it up!) after a day on the course. Groups of any size are well catered for here. The six courses offer something for everyone and there is a good contrast between the Algarve’s trademark tree-lined layout at Pinhal to the more open water dominated design of Laguna (Millennium is a great hybrid of the two). The Algarve always offers guaranteed weather and great golf.

Kit Alexander, features writer, Today’s Golfer

I played Bearwood Lakes recently and that was in superb condition, also all the golf courses at St Andrews and in the surrounding area should get plenty of attention ahead after the Open.

Abroad, I visited the Lisbon Coast area earlier in the year and was very impressed with Praia d'El Rey and Bom Successo. Praia d'El Rey has a terrific course, and the 3 or 4 holes that skirt the edge of the Atlantic and some of the most stunning and enjoyable I've ever played. Bom Successo is very new and will get even better with time and the villas on the development are interesting to say the least.

Bearwood Lakes, St Andrews and Praia d'El Rey aren’t easy courses so will need a serious golfer, but by no means elite. I play off 16 and thoroughly enjoyed it and shot some decent scores. Bom Successo is quite open and a bit more forgiving. None of them are cheap so golfer's who are willing to pay to play the best. The more authentically Portuguese experience of the Lisbon Coast is a great alternative to the bustling Algarve and Spanish Costa's. There's a lot more to do than just golf and you really feel like you've gotten away from it all and experienced something new.

In 2010 I believe that St Andrews because of the Open and the Lisbon Coast will get a bit more attention because of some great new tracks.

Peter Masters, freelance journalist, Golf World

Woodhall Spa is one of the great courses of the world, set in a town that is a step back in time…an oasis of divine heathland that rises above the flat Lincolnshire fens with bunkers so big you could park a car in and not see it from the tee. Cardrona Hotel in the Scottish Borders is a quality championship layout that is, as yet, rather undiscovered. Marriott Druids Glen in Ireland is a big course, a real parkland heavyweight with some quality holes.

Le Touquet, France is a rare European links, created by one of the all time great designers in Harry Shapland Colt. Druids Glen and Cardrona offer modern, Tour-standard parkland, while Praia D’El Rey, Portugal (another of my favourites) is set amid mighty dunes and fragrant pines.

Kevin Brown, Today’s Golfer

Within the UK, Fife and East Lothian in Scotland, the west coast of Ireland and Dublin and the England’s golf coast of Liverpool and Southport are my favourite choices. Within Europe, Northern France and Turkey would be my tips. All offer a great variety of courses and, generally speaking, they're all fairly close to one another.

There's plenty to see & do and eat/drink etc off the course too. Courses within these areas will appeal to all golfers, from scratch to mid-high handicappers - though the latter will almost certainly struggle on premier courses in Ireland, Scotland and the Royals of the Golf Coast. Any golfer looking to take a golf break here, in a nutshell, would be guaranteed to have a great time on and off the course. For 2010, golfers want & demand a special golfing experience and the UK breaks should all achieve that while France & Turkey should suit golfers, and particularly groups of golfers, on a budget.