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By ship on a golf trip: cruise, river cruise and ferry

On a cruise you can play golf courses in several countries in one week and only have to unpack your suitcase once. For that to work, you should know before booking how long the ship lies in port and who takes you to the golf course.

By Mirco TimmWritten on Last updated on About 9 minutes to read

Drawing of a golfer teeing off from the deck of a ship
Illustration from the book

In short

  • You have three ways. These are the cruise with a golf programme, the river cruise with fixed rounds and the ferry with your own car.
  • For a round over 18 holes during the time in port I would allow about eight hours.
  • Before booking you can ask whether the ship rents out clubs or whether you have to bring your own golf bag.

Golf and the sea are a combination that comes together surprisingly often. While the ship glides gently through the waves, you can work on your golf swing on a day at sea. The next morning you are then standing on the first tee in a new country. Cruises are enjoying growing popularity. In 2023 the number of passengers worldwide rose to 31.7 million.

Three ways of combining golf and ship

Not every trip by ship is a cruise on the ocean. For us golfers there are three kinds of trips by ship. They differ above all in who organises the round of golf.

  • Cruise with a golf programmeGolf teachers travel on the ship. They organise rounds ashore and practise with you on board.
  • River cruise with golfThe ship is your hotel. The rounds, the tee times and the transfers are included in the price of the trip.
  • Ferry with the carYou cross with your own car and your own golf bag. At the destination you then play as you like.
Drawing of a golfer teeing off from the deck of a ship
Teeing off from the deck. Illustration from the book.

On private yachts there is a fourth way as well. Biodegradable golf balls are offered for them that dissolve in the water and serve as fish food. You hit these balls from the deck straight into the sea. For a golf trip in the usual sense, though, that is more of a bit of fun on the side.

What a golf programme on board covers

A golf programme is more than just an excursion to the golf course. The shipping company Hapag-Lloyd Cruises describes its offer “Golf & Cruise” very precisely. This description shows you well what you can also ask other providers about.

Building blockWhat Hapag-Lloyd Cruises names
SupportPGA pros support the guests individually.
Rounds ashoreThe golf shore excursions lead in small groups to golf courses along the route. The transfers to the golf course and back are part of it.
PracticeOn board there is practice with video analysis.
Luggage and careThe package includes a luggage service, shoe cleaning and the cleaning of the golf clubs.
Rental clubsOn board there are clubs for right-handed and left-handed players for a fee.
For beginnersBesides the large package there is a taster package and a practice package.

The shipping company does not give prices on its golf page. They are stated with the respective trip. On some cruise ships there are also golf simulators. These simulators record the flight of the ball. On a day at sea you can use them to play a round on a virtual golf course.

Things are different on the ship Club Med 2. A PGA professional is on board there. Depending on the version, the golf package contains four or five green fees with buggy or trolley. There is no rental for clubs there, though. Every golfer brings their own equipment.

Before booking I would ask whether the ship rents out clubs. That decides whether your golf bag comes on board.

Golf on the river

On a river cruise with golf the rounds are already planned before you go on board. Amadeus River Cruises has put together a golf cruise on the Rhine for this. The product sheet of 2025 names these building blocks.

8 daysis how long the trip from Basel to Amsterdam lasts
4rounds of golf on four golf courses are part of it
1golf expert accompanies the group as tour guide

The rounds are played on the golf courses Le Kempferhof, St. Leon-Rot, Jakobsberg and Gut Velderhof. The price of the trip includes all green fees with guaranteed tee times and balls for the driving range. Added to that are the transfers from the ship to the golf courses and back as well as electric golf carts subject to availability. On request the crew carries the golf bags from the cabin and back again.

The product sheet applied to a date in October 2025. You can ask the provider about the dates and prices for your year of travel. For getting to the ship it offers a package with rail or flight.

Mirco’s tip

On a river cruise with golf the tee times are guaranteed. That is worth more than it sounds at first. You do not have to take care of a single booking and still play four different golf courses.

Golf on your own initiative in port

You can also play golf on a cruise without a golf programme. For the golf excursion to go smoothly, however, some planning is needed. You choose the golf courses along the route yourself and book the tee time and the transfer. For that you need two pieces of information. These are the time the ship lies in port and the way from the port to the golf course.

  1. Checking the routeBefore booking I would check which ports the ship calls at and how long it lies there.
  2. Looking for the golf course and the wayYou look for a golf course near the port and clarify how long the transfer takes.
  3. Allowing eight hoursFor a relaxed round over 18 holes I would allow about eight hours including the way there and back.
  4. Leaving a bufferYou book the tee time so that you are back at the ship well before it sails.

Popular cruise routes often lead through the Mediterranean, into the Caribbean or to the Canary Islands. For every port on your route I would look at how long the way to the nearest golf course takes. If this way is very long, I would rather plan the round for a different port.

The ship does not wait. A generous buffer helps you so that you do not arrive at the port when the ship has already sailed. An expensive domestic flight to the next port of call would be an unpleasant end to your day of golf.

Planned too tightly

The ship lies in port from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. You book a tee time at 11 a.m. on a golf course that is an hour away.

Planned with a buffer

You book the first tee time of the day on a golf course close to the port. Or you only play nine holes on this day.

In German travel law a cruise counts as a package holiday because the transport, the accommodation and the meals are sold as a package. A round that you book yourself with the golf course is not part of this package. The cancellation terms of the golf course therefore apply to this round.

Where the cruise comes from At the end of the 19th century the ships of the big shipping companies lay unused in port in winter. Albert Ballin of HAPAG therefore sent the “Augusta Victoria” on a voyage through the Mediterranean in 1891. This voyage is regarded as the first cruise.

Your own golf bag or rental clubs on board

On a ship the question of the clubs arises differently from in a hotel. Your golf bag has to come on board. On every trip ashore it also has to leave the ship again.

Your own golf bag

You play every round with your own clubs. In return the golf bag travels with you to the ship, on the plane as sports baggage or in the car. The shipping company can tell you where the golf bag is stored on board.

Rental clubs

You arrive with light luggage. Before booking I would ask whether the ship rents out clubs or whether you have to rent them separately at every golf course. You can ask about the price at the same time.

If you fly to the ship, the rules of the airline apply to your golf bag. You find them in the guide Flying to your golf trip.

By ferry to the golf course

The third kind of trip by ship is the simplest. You drive onto the ferry by car and have everything with you at the destination that you need for golf.

DestinationProviders and routes
MallorcaTrasmed sails from Barcelona and Valencia to Palma and from Barcelona to Alcúdia. Vehicles can come on board on all sailings.
England and ScotlandDFDS sails from Calais and Dunkirk to Dover and from Amsterdam to Newcastle. Stena Line sails from Hook of Holland to Harwich.
IrelandStena Line sails from Holyhead to Dublin, from Fishguard to Rosslare and from Liverpool to Belfast.
Denmark and SwedenScandlines sails from Puttgarden to Rødby and from Rostock to Gedser. Stena Line sails from Kiel to Gothenburg and from Rostock to Trelleborg.
NorwayColor Line sails from Kiel to Oslo and from Hirtshals to Kristiansand and Larvik.
LangeoogFrom Bensersiel the ferry takes about 45 minutes to the island. From the island station you walk to the golf course in a few minutes.

How you can secure the luggage in the car and what the tolls cost on the way to the port is explained in the guide By car on a golf trip.

These four mistakes happen particularly easily on a golf trip by ship.

  • You book the cruise and only afterwards look at the times in the ports.
  • You plan a round over 18 holes on a day in port of only six hours.
  • You assume that every ship rents out clubs.
  • You book the tee time without a buffer before the ship sails.

Questions for the shipping company

You can ask these questions before you book a trip by ship with golf.

Bottom line

On a ship your golf trip becomes a round trip on which your hotel travels with you. With a golf programme or a river cruise the provider takes the planning off your hands. If you play on your own initiative, the time in port and the buffer before sailing are what count. And if you would rather stay in a hotel and have a golf course right outside the door, you find suitable regions under the destinations, which are available in German.

Frequently asked questions

Can I play golf on a cruise?

Yes, you can. Shipping companies such as Hapag-Lloyd Cruises have a golf programme with golf teachers on board, with practice and with organised rounds on golf courses ashore. On other ships you can play on your own initiative during the time in port.

How much time do I need for a round of golf in port?

For a relaxed round over 18 holes I would allow about eight hours. This time covers the way to the golf course, the round and the way back. If the transfer takes long, time can get tight.

Can I rent golf clubs on board?

That depends on the ship. Hapag-Lloyd Cruises rents out clubs for right-handed and left-handed players on board for a fee. On the ship Club Med 2 there is no rental. There every golfer brings their own equipment.

Are there river cruises with golf?

Yes, there are. Amadeus River Cruises has offered a golf cruise on the Rhine from Basel to Amsterdam. It included four rounds, guaranteed tee times and the transfers from the ship to the golf courses.

Do I get to golf courses by ferry?

With your own car you can, for example, cross from Barcelona to Mallorca, from Amsterdam to Newcastle or from Kiel to Gothenburg. The ferry to the island of Langeoog takes about 45 minutes. The golf course there lies a few minutes' walk from the island station.

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The book behind the website

Golftourismus: Dein Guide für Golfreisen

So that you know what happens behind the desk on your next golf trip, I have written down what I learnt in the golf office, the golf hotel and in sales. The book is written in German.

„Mit seinem Buch ‚Golf-Tourismus‘ wendet sich Autor Mirco Timm gleichermaßen an Golfreisende, Golf-Pros, Hoteliers und Reisebüros.“

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