06Field Notes · Courses worth the detour
The Golf
Where riding and golf genuinely coexist in the same week — and the courses good enough to build a day around.
Very few places do mountain biking and serious golf equally well, and that combination is most of what we’re asked for. The trick is that golf should never become the trip’s centre of gravity unless someone wants it to. On most itineraries it’s one round, well chosen, usually at the end.
Golf AlcanadaMallorca, Spain
MallorcaRTJ Jr.Seaside
Robert Trent Jones Jr. on the coast, and the only seaside course on the island. Eighteen holes, then lunch at the clubhouse over the Bay of Alcudia — the restaurant does Galician-style grilled meats and it’s better than it needs to be.
Playa GrandeDominican Republic
CaribbeanRTJ Sr.Oceanside
Robert Trent Jones Sr., ten holes hard against the Atlantic, and the reason people call it the Pebble Beach of the Caribbean. Private club access and preferred tee times through the resort.
AntognollaUmbria, Italy
UmbriaRTJ Jr.Valley
A Robert Trent Jones Jr. course set in a valley framed by wooded hills and a medieval castle. Widely rated among the finest in Italy, and a short drive from the Umbrian estates.
Circolo Golf Villa d’EsteLake Como, Italy
Lake ComoHistoricLakeside
One of the oldest and most prestigious courses in Europe, above the lake. Two mornings here is not too many.
Royal AberdeenScotland
ScotlandLinksTop 100
Inside the world’s top hundred, and reachable from the Cairngorms. The links counterweight to a week of Highland riding.
The Golf Club at Dove MountainTucson, Arizona
ArizonaFazioDesert
Tom Fazio, dramatic elevation changes, ocean-free desert views on all eighteen. Cart and caddy, and a very good way to close a riding trip.
Argentario Golf ClubTuscany, Italy
TuscanyCoastalPar 71
Eighteen holes winding through Monte Argentario with the sea, the lagoon, and the Orbetello reserve in view. Challenging and unusually pretty.
OlgiataRome, Italy
LazioChampionshipPrivate estate
Just north of the city inside a private estate, oak-lined and serene. The West Course has hosted multiple Italian Opens.
Kauri CliffsNorthland, New Zealand
New ZealandTop 40Clifftop
Ranked inside the world’s top forty, on six thousand acres of coastal farmland above the Pacific. Worth the flight on its own.
04Begin
Tell us who’s travelling
and what a good day looks like.
That is genuinely the whole brief. We come back with a shape for the trip — or for the year — within a few days.