Experience golf like never before in Japan, where East meets West and every round feels like a special occasion. Despite being home to over 20% of the world's golfers, Japanese golf culture remains a hidden gem, offering unique traditions from dual-green systems to post-round communal baths that transform a simple game into an unforgettable full-day ceremony.

On the remote Isle of Jura, where wild red stags roam and whisky flows like water, lies one of golf's most dramatic new courses – Ardfin. Carved into rugged cliffs by two ambitious Australians, this architectural marvel challenges players with heart-pumping forced carries over cliff edges and shots that seem to hang forever over the coastline, making every round as unique as the 28-hour journey required to reach it.

Welcome to Spain's Costa del Sol, Europe's undisputed golf capital, where sun-drenched fairways meet Mediterranean horizons and over 70 courses bask in 300 days of annual sunshine. From the legendary Valderrama to the recently-renovated Finca Cortesin, this golfer's paradise pairs world-class courses with cultural treasures, from ancient villages and traditional tapas to quick jaunts to Morocco, creating an experience that transcends the ordinary golf getaway.

Northwest Ireland, long overlooked by traveling golfers, is emerging as golf's most exciting hidden gem, where unexpected treasures like St. Patrick's Links and the reimagined Narin & Portnoo are redefining the region's golfing landscape. From the dramatic coastline of Ballyliffin to the pure golfing spirit of Portsalon, it's the courses you didn't expect that leave the lasting impression, proving that the most memorable golf trips often come from discovering the unexpected.

Nestled just 40 miles apart in the Allegheny Mountains, The Greenbrier and The Omni Homestead stand as living monuments to American golf and hospitality, where historic fairways meet presidential legacy. From C.B. Macdonald's legendary Old White to William Flynn's championship-tested Cascades course, these mountain retreats offer a uniquely patriotic golf experience that's been celebrated since America's earliest days, especially during their magical Fourth of July celebrations.

While most know New Zealand for its dramatic landscapes and the All Blacks' fierce haka, this island nation has quietly become one of golf's most exciting destinations, where world-class courses like Tara Iti and Te Arai Links celebrate rather than merely occupy their stunning settings. From Julian Robertson's cliffside masterpieces to Ric Kayne's modern trilogy of excellence, New Zealand isn't just a bucket-list destination anymore – it's golf's new frontier.

Tucked away in Missouri's Ozark Mountains, Big Cedar Lodge redefines the American golf resort experience through Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris's unique vision of blending world-class golf with wilderness conservation. From Tiger Woods' dramatic Payne's Valley to Coore & Crenshaw's masterful Ozarks National, this 4,600-acre wilderness retreat assembles an all-star team of architects who have created courses that work in perfect harmony with the natural landscape of limestone cliffs, pine forests, and crystal-clear waters.

Walking The Lido is like stepping through golf's greatest hits album, where every hole unfolds a new chapter of architectural brilliance. The "Channel" hole, perhaps the course's most dramatic statement, presents golfers with an island fairway that feels like a fortress surrounded by sand - a design so bold it would make modern architects pause. The "Strategy" hole stretches across an impossibly wide fairway that narrows like an hourglass as you approach the elevated green, offering a masterclass in risk-reward golf that feels as fresh today as it did a century ago.

In just over a decade, a rugged stretch of Nova Scotia coastline has transformed from abandoned coal mines into one of golf's most coveted destinations. From the pure links experience of Cabot Links to the dramatic clifftop theatrics of Cabot Cliffs, this remote corner of Cape Breton Island offers a golf journey that feels both ancient and new, where every round reminds you why you fell in love with the game in the first place.