The best European golf courses with an island green

An island green can be pretty impressive and frightening for many golfers. On an island green, there is no room for error, no thin shots skipping along the fairway and ending up somewhere near the green. On an island green, your shot has to be perfect. The correct distance, but also straight. An island green is often a great opportunity to have a laugh with your friends.

Below the highest ranked golf courses in Europe are listed with an island green. We were surprised to find so many courses with an island green, especially in Austria. We are also quite sure that we will have missed a few, so feel free to share them with us! We only focused on real island greens, so that is why the 13th signature hole of PGA Catalunya for example did not make it to this list. Have fun and make sure to bring some extra balls if you decide to play one of them. Don't say we didn't warn you!

Golf architect von Hagge has utilised some of Sologne’s lakes to dramatic effect with island greens and water coming into play on no less than twelve holes. It's not easy to play at Les Bordes Golf as it is a private course, so you'll need to get an invitation. The island green can be found on the Old Course. The Old Course actually has another island green (hole 1) but that green is surrounded by sand.

The renowned design company Nicklaus Design has beautifully captured the raw nature and created a golf course with a unique layout and design. Nordic design combined with Nordic nature - all in uncompromising quality. The Great Northern is quite special and you will have to conquer many water hazards. You can tee off on an island on hole 6, hole 9 offers a big island green and the signature hole is the 18th hole with an island green just in front of the spectacular clubhouse!

Bro Hof Slott Golf Club has two courses, the Stadium and the Castle Course. If you want to play the famous 17th par-3 hole, then you should play the Stadium Course. It's a tricky hole, as the wind is a constant factor here. The course was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr.

Penati Golf Resort in Slovakia has quickly become one of the top golf resorts in Central Europe. Penati offers two championship courses, The Legend and The Heritage course, both designed by Nicklaus Design. Penati Legend course is home to the 712-meter 15th hole, the longest hole in Europe offering 11 tees. Equally unparalleled is the final and narrowest hole on the course with an impressive island green just in front of the clubhouse.

Again a Nicklaus Design course, Paris International Golf Club also offers an island green on the 18th hole, just like Penati Golf Resort. It is the only Jack Nicklaus designed in France and it is a private club. So, if you want to play here you will need to be invited by one of the members. The club has good practise facilities and a great restaurant.

The Duke in The Netherlands is a high-end private club, but it will accept a limited amount of green fee players. Expect to pay 150 euro. The course has been extended from 9 to 18 holes by Alan Rijks, while also revamping the old 9 holes. The Duke now has an island green hole on the 7th, a par-3 with elevated tee boxes.

The Albatros course of Le Golf National was host for the Ryder Cup in 2018 and it's finishing holes are one of the toughest on the European Tour. Both the 15th and the 18th hole end up on the same island piece of land, but both with their own green. Le Golf National is bookable online via Leading Courses, so getting on this course is easy!

Golf Club Hardenberg offers two 18 golf courses, the Göttingen Course - a 'classic' course - and the Niedersachsen Course, which is a new course and a bit more challenging. The island green on this Niedersachsen Course is pretty amazing as it resembles the head of a wild boar, which is also incorporated in their logo. A nice fact is that people teeing off on the 11th hole have the option to drink a small bottle of schnapps, to get rid of the nerves.

The Golf Club Schloss Miel, located in the charming landscape of the Voreifel and in the immediate vicinity of the Beethoven city of Bonn also has a par-3 island hole. The island green is located on the 18th hole, so even if you played well you might ruin your score there.

The first championship course in the Zillertal offers various new challenges for the individual golf game – elegance, exclusivity and an astonishing view of the surrounding Zillertal Mountain. Every hole has a special feature to be remembered: Hole 9 for example has an island green.

This modern 27 holes golf course - which actually has a long history - was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr and covers an area of over one million square meters. The course has many secular trees, streams, small lakes and gentle undulations of the land which all add character to the three loops of Castelconturbia with the massif of Mount Rosa in the background. The 7th hole on the Yellow course offers an island green. It's a par-4, so your tee shot has to be perfect to make a good score here. This club is bookable online via Leading Courses!

The Kempense Golf Club is playable year-round and when it was built more than 24.000 trees and bushes were planted, which have really transformed the place. The 8th hole - called Peter’s Island - is famous amongst its members. This par-3 is not easy, although laying up is possible. Your best score will then most likely be a bogey. The bridge leading up to the island is a copy of the Swilcan bridge at the Old Course at St. Andrews Links.

Lo Romero Golf club boasts possibly one of the most challenging holes on the Costa Blanca in the Valencian Community. The 18th hole of Lo Romero Golf course is a par-4 of 356m (from the yellow tees) played from an elevated tee that looks down onto the island green. Lo Romero is bookable online on Leading Courses!

The nearly 6500 yard course at La Finca has been designed to host golf tournaments. The natural setting not only provides majestic views of lakes, trees and mountains but it also challenges and makes the game more exciting, including an island green on the 5th hole. La Finca Golf is also bookable online on Leading Courses!

Set under the impressive Rocher de Roquebrune rock, the course of Saint Endréol winds around the river and a series of water obstacles, among dry garrigue, veteran oaks and umbrella pines. The famous 13th par-3 hole with its spectacular drop down onto a green in the middle of a lake is the signature hole and it's quite a challenge to get the distance right with the high elevated tees. Again, book this course conveniently via Leading Courses!

The estate can be found at the beginning of Stippelberg forests and sand dunes, heath and stately avenues mark the landscape. In the west ancient dunes lie as "dots" ("Stippel" in Dutch) in the landscape and that's where Stippelberg received its name. The par-4 9th hole - called Egelmeer - offers an island undulating green with 6 different plateaus.

Golfresort Haugschlag offers two golf championship courses: course Haugschlag and course Waldviertel. Both course actually have an island green. On the Haugschlag course it is the finishing hole, just in front of the clubhouse. On the Waldviertel course, the 13th hole offers an island green.

The championship course combines the characteristics of a Scottish links course with fairways and fantastic greens in 'American style'. The most spectacular hole on this championship course is hole 8. It's a par-3 with an island green, 131 meters from the tee. You will hardly find a hole in Seltenheim without water, so bring some extra balls!

The golf course of Golf Course Pfälzerwald was opened in 2002 with 9 holes and was expanded to 18 holes in 2007. The 56-hectare golf course is beautifully situated in the middle of the Palatinate Forest and offers, in addition to the varied fairways, a wonderful view over the Palatinate. Especially hole 14 stands out, which has a lovely par-3 island green.

Dirkshorn golf course is an 18-hole par-72 golf course located North of Alkmaar. The course opened in 2008 and was designed by Alan Rijks. The course is characterized by undulated fairways, fast greens, very good drainage and  an open character. Hole 17 is a par-4, dogleg to the right. This means the direction of the wind will vary. The island green is fairly large, but it has 6 plateaus. It's a genuine Dutch polder course and is bookable via Leading Courses.

Golfclub Oostburg lies in the South West of The Netherlands, close to the boarder of Belgium. The Club has one of the most impressive clubhouses in Europe; it's looks like the White House was dropped onto this piece of land. The course has many water hazards and the island green can be found on the 17th hole.

The 18 holes of the GC Montfort Rankweil are located in the heart of the Vorarlberg Rhine Valley on the edge of the "Rankweiler Weitried" plain. Hole 14 - a par-3 - ensures an increased level of adrenaline, because the green is an island in the middle of one of the two large water ponds of this course.

Golfclub zu Gut Ludwigsberg Turkheim has been improved quite recently, although it remains quite 'wet' so probably don't go here after a lot of rain. Still, the course is mentioned often as being a hidden gem in Vorallgäu and according to some golfers, it has the most beautiful island green in Bavaria.

Obviously, the list above is not comprehensive, but it is a nice starting point. Many courses just did not make it to this top 20 (a few extra courses were added based on input from our community) and due to the sheer amount of courses with island greens we might have forgotten a few, so feel free to send your suggestions to us or share them via social media. Some other courses with island greens that did not make it to the list:

Steenhoven Country Club in Belgium

Golf Club Grado in Italy - bookable via Leading Courses

GC Friedberg in Germany

Golfplatz Altenstadt in Germany

Golf Club Schloß Frauenthal in Austria

Santa Ponsa I on Mallorca

Kiawah Golf Park in Germany

Golfbaan Ockenburgh in The Netherlands

Golf La Marquesa in Spain