£495 for a Round of Golf. Seriously.
Green fees in the United Kingdom have always been climbing. But 2026 has delivered a number that deserves a moment of quiet contemplation: £495. That is the peak visitor green fee at Royal Birkdale this summer — up 24% on last year, and enough to make even the most devoted links pilgrim pause mid-swing.
The Numbers Are Startling
Royal Birkdale is not alone. In 2021, the average green fee across the UK’s top 100 courses was £161. In 2026, that figure stands at £265 — a five-year increase of nearly 65%. The most recent annual rate of increase has outpaced inflation by more than three times. Fifteen courses in Great Britain and Ireland now charge £400 or more for a peak visitor round, up from just eight last year. Add a caddie to your Birkdale round and you are looking at well north of £575 before you have bought a sandwich.
A Round at Birkdale or a Weekend in the Algarve?
Here is where it gets interesting. £495 is, give or take, the cost of a return flight from London to Faro, two nights in a decent Algarve hotel, and a round at one of the finest courses in Portugal — with change left for a very good dinner and a bottle of Alentejo red. The arithmetic is not flattering to Southport.
Portugal’s top courses — Quinta do Lago South, Monte Rei, Oitavos Dunes, Vilamoura Old — charge green fees that rarely exceed €180 at peak. They are played in reliable sunshine, on immaculate surfaces, with the Atlantic visible from half the tees. Nobody is suggesting they are Royal Birkdale. But at a third of the price, on a warm May morning with no wind chill involved, they make a compelling case.
The Links Dream Is Not Dead — Just Expensive
To be fair to Birkdale, The Open Championship returns there in July for the 11th time — and playing a major venue in its Open year is a genuine bucket-list experience. The club has also launched a ballot offering UK golfers a round for £99, which is a thoughtful gesture. But for the majority of visiting golfers, £495 is simply the asking price, take it or leave it.
There Is Another Way
For golfers who want exceptional courses, reliable weather, and a holiday that does not require remortgaging, the Algarve, Lisbon, and the Costa del Sol have been making that argument for years. In 2026, with UK green fees climbing past £495, the case has never been easier to make.
Browse our Portugal golf holidays and see what £495 can really buy you.
