The Best Golf Course Food From Around the World
Great golf courses are often defined by their prestige, setting, or signature hole. But those aren’t the only aspects that should gain the intrigue of golfers. Public or private, golf courses may offer a dining experience as unique as the course itself.
Clubhouses worldwide pride themselves on culinary delights and comfort food that reflect local ingredients and creative cooking — at least enough to get curious golfers in the door. And it’s no longer just hot dogs, popcorn, and beer.
If you’ve ever had a hankering for something different before or after your round of 18, check out a few of these imaginative golf course foods from around the world.
Golf Course Food From Around the World To Make You Lick Your Chops
You don’t have to be on the PGA Tour or even know what a Texas wedge is to enjoy some of the best golf course food from around the world. You only need an adventurous spirit, a hearty appetite, and a few extra bucks in your bank account. So whether you love traditional Western fare, street food, or an upscale dining room with small, delicious bites, you can have just what you want at these golf clubs and resorts worldwide.
American South: The Famous Masters Pimento Cheese Sandwich at Augusta
No list of golf course food from around the world is complete without including this famed sandwich from Augusta National Golf Club. Legend has it that husband and wife Hodges and Ola Herndon began making these delicious sandwiches sometime in the 1940s, selling them to patrons of The Masters Tournament on their way inside.
If you’re lucky enough to win The Masters ticket lottery, you can enjoy this savory concoction between two slices of white bread for an astonishing $1.50. You won’t find even Chinese takeout at that price anywhere else in America.
Mexico: The BLT Burrito at Quivira
Once reserved for the elitist golf resorts and country clubs around the globe, halfway houses — or comfort stations — have become more commonplace and accessible to average golfers. The idea is simple: the halfway house sits between the ninth and tenth holes. During your round of golf, you can pop in and grab something to satiate your appetite and quench your thirst.
Well, no one does it better than the Jack Nicklaus-designed Quivira Golf Club in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Blending all of the ingredients of a traditional BLT into a burrito, it’s handheld food in a Mexican-shaped wrapper. Heck, how often can you eat a BLT while you’re driving a golf cart?
California: The Burger Dog at Olympic Club
The Olympic Club in San Francisco is well-known for its stunning golf course backdrop and storied past that goes all the way back to 1860. While many linksmen book their tee times to enjoy the course, don’t sleep on the aptly named Burger Dog.
In the 1950s, another husband-wife team — Bill and Billie Parrish — started their American food truck known as Hot Dog Bill’s across from the famed Olympic Club. Figuring that they could save money on buns and get more grill space with rectangular, oblong patties, they put together the idea of the burger dog.
After seeing how much money the club lost on concessions, the Olympic Club eventually partnered with the Parrish’s, turning the Burger Dog from street food into a legendary menu item. Today, you can enjoy these rectangular beef patties topped with cheese, onions, pickles, and condiments. It may not scream the best golf course food from around the world, but once you have a bite, you’ll think otherwise.
Japan: Shrimp Tempura Soba (and Pastries) at Hanazono
If you venture across the Pacific, the food only gets more interesting. Though many golf clubs in the Land of the Rising Sun cater to Western tastes, the course at Hanazono offers just as much Japanese cuisine — and French pastries to boot.
Shrimp tempura soba — a tasty noodle dish topped with tempura-fried chicken and loads of veggies — has become a crowd-pleaser for anyone who dares to take the voyage. And with loads of fresh pastries from Pierre Hermé Paris — you can pass around these treats like sweet-tooth tapas with friends.
American Midwest: Sheboygan Bratwurst at Whistling Straits
German roots run deep in the Midwest, but perhaps nowhere more than in Wisconsin. Home of one of the most famous holes in golf and one of the most expensive golf courses in the world, Whistling Straits is a challenging option for many golfers. But it’s what you get away from the tee box that makes your journey all the more enjoyable.
Hot dogs are blasphemy here. To truly embrace the spirit of Wisconsin, you have to up your game with a bratwurst — and few are better than the Sheboygan bratwurst at Whistling Straits. Served with beer onions, sauerkraut, and mustard cheese spread on a Sheboygan hard roll, nothing hits the spot quite like this.
And there’s a bonus: the bratwurst is complimentary at the halfway house with a round of golf.
Canada: The All-Vegan Menu at Golf Executif Montreal
The harsh Canadian winter makes golfing a challenge to some, but Le Lounge at Golf Executif Montreal aims to fix that with abundant golf simulators. At a golf simulator or Top Golf-style atmosphere, you probably don’t think much about what’s on the menu. But in the spirit of healthy lifestyles and sustainability, this “golf course” turns to a 100% plant-based menu.
Of course, the Quebec classic poutine is on the menu, topped with vegan cheese curds and plant-based gravy next to a vegan burger and cauliflower wings. But the fresh fruit smoothies really steal the show. For only CA$6, you can choose from six different flavors, all designed to give you a jolt of energy for the virtual course.
South Korea: Golf Ball-Shaped Bread
South Korea is the third-largest golf market in the world, but it’s still in its infancy compared to some of the best golf course food from around the world. In an effort to lure more golfers, some courses have turned to sweet Vietnamese coffee, soft-serve ice cream, and even an alcoholic slushie known as makgeolli.
But the food that’s taken center stage is undoubtedly golf ball-shaped bread. Made with golf ball-shaped molds complete with golf dimples, these small, sweet breads stuffed with custard have sold over 3,800 cases in the last year alone. Apparently, the South Korean sweet tooth doesn’t stray far from the course.
U.K.: The Martello Breakfast at Felixstowe Ferry
Earning a top spot as one of the best golf course foods from around the world isn’t easy, especially when you’re in the place that birthed the sport. But Felixstowe Ferry Golf Club isn’t about any specialty or fusion foods to earn this distinction.
Instead, it relies on English classics, served up in hefty portions, and ready for you when you’re done with the round. The Martello Breakfast does it best — an English breakfast that includes pork sausage, bacon, eggs, mushrooms, seared tomatoes, and bread. It’s not a great option for your pre-game diet or routine, but it’s certainly comfort food that will hit the spot afterward.
Texas: Brisket Tacos at Escondido Golf & Lake Club
Everything’s bigger in Texas, so they say. But at Escondido Golf & Lake Club in Horseshoe Bay, Texas, the food isn’t about being bigger. It's about being better.
Blending all of the flavors of Texas and its storied history, the brisket tacos here shine with smoky flavors, tender meat, and your choice of toppings.
The key to the tacos is the meat preparation. The cooks brine the brisket for 24 hours, allowing flavor, moisture, and tenderness to permeate the brisket’s tough exterior. Once brined, the meat is smoked for 24 hours over white oak and pecan wood harvested from right on the property.
Once the workers place the brisket on warm flour tortillas, head over to the topping bar to add jalapenos, pickled onions, cilantro, or whatever else floats your boat.
Spain: Beef Meatballs With Iberian Ham at Finca Cortesin
Golf is no stranger to Spain, with Seve Ballesteros and Jon Rahm taking first place at numerous PGA majors. Yet make no mistake. The Spanish food is equally as good no matter where you go.
The first stop, however, is at Finca Cortesin in Casares, Spain. As one of the premier golf resorts in Europe, Finca Cortesin isn’t a surprise entry for some of the best golf course food from around the world.
While you’ll find basics — sandwiches, salads, and pasta — the beef meatballs with acorn-fed Iberian ham from the Clubhouse Restaurant will pump up the taste buds. Served with sauteed rice in a tomato sauce, you’ve never had anything quite this rich in a savory food — and it’s worth every part of its 30 Euro price tag.
Want Great Golf Course Food From Around the World? Look in Your own Backyard
All of this great golf course food from around the world surely has you licking your chops, but you don’t have to travel too far to find great food on your own. Golf courses in your area will offer something beyond the traditional hot dog and chips. But even if they don’t, sometimes it’s the simple pleasures in life that can take the sting out of a poor round of golf or add to the glory of improving your handicap. Bon appetite!
