Melbourne, AUSTRALIA

Of course it’s not winter golf if you travel halfway around the globe to Australia, at the heart of the planet’s golfing fraternity and in the midst of its very own sun speckled summer. Any golfing pilgrimage to Oz has to begin at Royal Melbourne, the undisputed top club in Australia and one of the world’s top 10 courses. In fact, the golf club boasts two world-class courses and has hosted the 1959 Canada Cup – now known as the WGC-World Cup – and was the first venue outside the US to welcome the Presidents Cup in 1998, with the tournament due for a return in 2011.

Which is all very well if money is no object, but if you want your round to cost less than your flight, Growling Frog Golf Club is just 20 miles from the centre of Melbourne and is also one of the top 100 golf courses in Australia. Growling Frog is a charming experience from the moment you drive through the vineyard on the way to the clubhouse. Prepare for stunning open vistas, wetlands, wildlife and magnificent 300-year-old mature river red gums.

Dordogne, FRANCE

The Dordogne valley is one of the most beautiful parts of southern France and enjoys some of its best weather in the winter months, making it a hotspot for culture vultures and golfers alike. The course at the Chateau des Vigiers Country Club is the epitome of golf in the Dordogne, paying homage to the region’s vineyard history by making the club’s chateau its centrepiece. The 9th and 18th finish off in front of the chateau, while the last was also named by course architect Donald Steel as his favourite hole from the long catalogue of his designs.

No surprises there – the 18th is simply breathtaking and has more than earned the tag ‘Vintage Finale’.

Souillac Country Club only opened its doors to golfers in 2003 after renovating an overgrown six-hole course to create the archetypal model of a resort 18-hole course in the midst of south west France. The result is an enjoyable golfing experience for players of all standards, where you get a real sense of the atmospheric countryside that surrounds the club and of the natural elegance of the region.

Paphos, CYPRUS

The name Aphrodite Hills may conjure thoughts of a romantic away break, but this is definitely a location to whisk your playing partner to rather than your spouse. Aphrodite Hills Golf Club is draped dramatically across the southwest Cyprus Mediterranean coastline, taking in two plateaux that overlook the ocean to create a water hazard that even Jean Van de Velde wouldn’t look twice at.

Head inland and Tsada Golf Club will meet your quota of culture as well as top golf. Set in a verdant valley in the shadow of a 12th century monastery, the Donald Steel designed course may not be the longest you will ever play, but it is without a doubt one of the most tranquil and enlightening. Lets you soak up a sense of history and

practice your short game before heading back to the seaside.

Algarve, PORTUGAL

The thriving golf scene on the Algarve makes it one of the most bustling and exciting golfing destinations in Europe. Visitors to Vilamoura Golf Club alone are spoiled for choice by no less than five courses offering a range of challenges for every player from the professional to the beginner. The Old Course, Pinhal, Laguna, Millennium and Victoria – which hosted the World Cup in 2005 and this year’s Portuguese Masters – make up one of the biggest and most illustrious golf resorts in Europe.

Vale de Lobo is another of the Algarve’s multi-course complexes, with the clifftop par three on the Royal Course’s 16th one of the game’s most recognisable and celebrated holes. Both of Vale de Lobo’s courses take players through umbrella pine and fig tree-lined fairways to the Atlantic, either along the cliff´s edge or via the beach.

Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA

It may be asking a lot for English golfers to travel to a country still buzzing with the euphoria of Ernie Els’ victory in the HSBC World Match Play and beating England in the rugby World Cup final, but there is no denying the pedigree of their golf courses. You can’t go to South Africa without visiting one of Gary Player’s designs, and Erinvale Golf Club is one of the best. The first nine holes are on the low, flat part of the estate and the second nine are on high, undulating ground. The variation may give you two different feels, but there remains a common thread – the perfection of the superbly shaped greens.

There are few clubs near Cape Town to trump Erinvale, but Jack Nicklaus’ Pearl Valley is one. The great man pips Player once again, concocting a potent mix of brilliant white river sand bunkers and sparkling water features against the backdrop of mountains surrounding the club. The Troon-managed course is without doubt the most visually stunning in South Africa, if not

the world.

Bangkok, THAILAND

December is the perfect time to visit Thailand, thus missing the rainy season and enjoying the year-round temperatures that go well in to the 20s centigrade. Bangkok Golf Club oozes exotic charm and scintillating golf, laying claim to an island green, an island tee and the most exciting – if not the only – waterfall hole you will ever play.

Amazingly, it is also one of the most accessible golf courses in Thailand, just a 20 minute drive from Don Muang International Airport and 30 minutes from downtown Bangkok.

Built specifically to host the World Cup in 1975, Navatanee Golf Course demonstrates a great deal more finesse in terms of its design and aesthetics than many of the top class courses you will come across in Asia. Thailand’s best renowned course, artfully designed by Robert Trent Jones junior, is characterised by water features that remain loyal to the landscape’s paddy field history, and by the ‘Flame of the Forest’, bougainvillea and Rosewood trees that adorn the fairways.

Costa del Sol, SPAIN

Even the merest mention of the Costa del Sol will have golf fanatics trembling with excitement at the thought of Valderrama Golf Club. Arguably the best course in Europe, Valderrama was the home of the 1997 Ryder Cup and since then has attracted countless players who dream of following in the footsteps of Seve Ballesteros’ winning European Team.

The best practice facilities in golf, one of the best holes in the signature par five fourth and without doubt among the best senses of occasion a golf club alone can offer.

Looking towards the future, Almenara Golf Couse is one to watch over the next couple of years. Just 500 metres from Valderrama, Almenara is brimming with potential and boasts arguably better views than its near neighbour. Surrounded by cork oak trees, wild pines and several streams as well as a natural lake, it will grow in to a classic.

Belek, TURKEY

The Antalya coast is one of Europe’s best-kept golfing secrets, soon to be exploded by a string of new resorts and courses designed by the likes of Pete Dye, Peter Thomson and Colin Montgomerie. The pioneer for these ‘coming soon’ attractions is Nick Faldo’s Cornelia Golf Club, arguably the masterpiece of Faldo’s portfolio so far.

Although largely flat, the natural elevation changes in the terrain have been utilised to the best of their potential, creating a comfortable course to play that is not without its severe tests characterised by intelligently placed doglegs, dangerous rough and distractingly ominous water hazards.Cornelia also lays claim to some of the best facilities and accomodation in the area, making it an excellent base to explore the Belek golf scene from.

Papillon Golf Club will soon play humble host to a new Montgomerie design and a not so humble 100 million dollar budget including 27 hole golf resort and hotel. While the aim is to have the new look Papillon up-and-running by the end of the year is still on track, this may be one for next winter. Yet make no mistake; Belek has well and truly announced its arrival as a future hot spot to the golfing fraternity.

Port El Kantaoui, TUNISIA

Right in the hub of Tunisia’s golfing centre, Port El Kantaoui has two fantastic courses plus easy access to the two other major Tunisian golfing resorts at Hammamet and Monastir. A regular host of the European Seniors Tour, the Kantaoui Golf Club’s Panorama Course truly lives up to its name with extensive views over the sea and marina to distract you from the challenge presented by narrow fairways and plentiful water hazards. Stretching ever closer to the waterfront, the Ocean Course is equally idyllic and an easier task to tackle for higher handicapped players.

If you are looking for a day trip, a journey to Carthage La Soukra Golf Club – just minutes away from Tunis and the coasts of Carthage – is more than worth the travelling time. Founded in 1927, La Soukra is one of the oldest golf clubs in Africa and its age is constantly on show thanks to the 100-year-old eucalyptus trees that shade the fairways.

Florida, UNITED STATES

What would be a list of winter golf getaways without a trans-Atlantic hop to the home of sunshine golf, TPC at Sawgrass. It may not be a bargain, but Sawgrass is a force unto itself when it comes to a round in the sun and needs no introduction. Best of all is the chance to try your luck on Sawgrass’ legendary island green - gorgeous to view, but enough to strike fear in to even top pros despite measuring only 132 yards. The hole consists of nothing but an undulating, 78-foot-long green and a tiny bunker in front of it, while its location amidst a canyon of trees causes the wind to swirl over the green.Around Orlando are a host of more affordable and less treachorous

options including world-class resort complexes at ChampionsGate Golf Club and Grand Cypress. Both boast more than one course, and encapsulate the synthetic glitz and glamour that makes golf in Florida so enticing and unusual.

ChampionsGate is the headquarters of the world famous David Leadbetter Golf Academies, while its 36 holes are graced by towering rows of palm trees. Both ChampionsGate and Grand Cypress - with its 45 holes of Jack Nicklaus signature golf - should bring a bit of Disneyland in to your

experience, and fingers crossed some of Walt’s magic and a fairytale

ending to your round.

Key Contacts

Algarve golf  Tel. 0871 218 0048

Chaka Travel  Tel. 028 9023 2112

Wizard Golf Tours   Tel. 0845 257 2122

Paradise Golf   Tel. 01932 423 154

Tour Trax   Tel. 01782 510 800