A record number of international golfers visit the South West’s championship links in 2026
The leading championship links courses of the Southwest Premier Links network welcomed a record number of international visitors in 2026, the highest since the network was formed.
Southwest Premier Links was created to showcase the world-class links golf along England’s Atlantic coastline to golf travellers. The network brings together some of the UK’s most revered links, stretching from South Wales through Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, including Royal Porthcawl, Burnham & Berrow, Royal North Devon, Saunton, St Enodoc and Trevose.
In 2025 the network ran the first of what is now an annual FAM trip in collaboration with Golf Tourism England, giving international tour operators the chance to experience the courses first-hand.
Since then, the appetite for the region has grown year on year. The Golf Tourism England Convention 2026 was held at the Saunton Sands Hotel in North Devon, bringing operators from around the world to the region, with delegates playing Saunton Golf Club.
And in the summer, Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Luke Donald spent time at World Top 50-ranked St Enodoc in Cornwall ahead of The Open Championship. They were joined by St Enodoc club champion Finn Ellis, who partnered McIlroy against Lowry and Donald, with the latter pair winning 2&1.
Confidence is growing among golf tour operators that the South West corner of England offers great value and high quality compared with the UK’s more well-trodden golf tour regions, and 2027 looks set to build on this year’s momentum.
Find out more
To discover more about the courses in the network, visit Southwest Premier Links.
