If you've got a golf trip booked in southern Europe, weather could cost you more tee time than you'd expect. New analysis by golfclubs4cash suggests that popular golf destinations in Spain, Portugal and Turkey have already lost 16,793 days of play to extreme weather since 2016 — and things are set to get worse, with unplayable days forecast to rise by 35.2% by 2040 compared to 2025.
The research comes as golf holidays boom among British travellers, with 940,000 UK Google searches for golf getaways in the first half of this year alone.
The worst-hit spot right now is Serik on Turkey's Mediterranean coast, which has logged more than 60,000 UK searches this year. It loses an average of 122 days a year to unplayable conditions. In Spain, Seville tops the disruption table, with around 115 days lost annually — mostly down to brutal summer heat rather than rain.
Portugal, by contrast, comes off lightly. Despite being the most-searched destination of the three, with over 136,000 UK queries this year, the country's main golf hubs have lost just 1,289 days nationwide over the past decade. If you want to maximise your chances of actually playing 18 holes, that's a compelling stat.
The forward-looking numbers are where Spain should worry. All three destinations forecast to see the biggest jump in lost days by 2040 are Spanish: Malaga faces an extra 52 unplayable days compared to 2025, La Rioja an extra 50, and Murcia an extra 44. Spain as a whole drew 64,820 UK golf-holiday searches this year, so this isn't a niche concern — it affects one of the most popular golf markets for British travellers.
What does this mean in practice? Timing is everything. Summer trips to Andalusian inland courses like Seville are increasingly likely to hit extreme heat closures, while shoulder-season breaks in April-May or October reduce the risk. Coastal and Atlantic destinations, particularly in Portugal, look like safer bets than inland Spanish courses as the climate warms. And if Turkey is on your list, note that Serik already averages over four months of unplayable days a year, so choose your window carefully.
The broader takeaway: climate volatility is quietly reshaping when and where to book a golf holiday in Europe. Courses aren't going anywhere, but the reliable summer golf break in southern Spain may not stay reliable for long. Booking trips outside peak heat, checking course conditions before you fly, and building flexibility into reservations will increasingly be part of smart golf travel planning.
