DESTINATIONGOLF. TRAVEL DESTINATION GOLF GLOBAL GUIDE AUTUMN 2026
Few golf resorts in Europe can match the combination of championship golf, tournament history, luxury accommodation and sheer variety offered by The Belfry Hotel & Resort in the heart of England. Set amid 550 acres of Warwickshire countryside near Sutton Coldfield and Birmingham, The Belfry has evolved from a renowned golf venue into a complete destination resort, yet golf remains firmly at its heart.
Crowned‘ England’ s Leading Resort’, The Belfry combines 468 bedrooms and suites with three internationally recognised golf courses, a luxury spa, restaurants and bars, extensive leisure facilities and more than 20 meetings and events spaces. Its location also makes it remarkably accessible, being around 15 minutes from Birmingham International Airport and close to the UK’ s major motorway and rail networks.
Its reputation rests heavily on the legendary Brabazon Course, a venue that has hosted the Ryder Cup multiple times – as well as the British Masters. The resort’ s £ 85m-plus expansion has also added a new dimension, with the Brabazon House wing introducing the hotel’ s first two-bedroom suite, while the new Masters Suite provides a high-spec events space for banquets, conferences, exhibitions and weddings, with sweeping views across the Brabazon and capacity for up to 920 guests.
If there is one hole that demands attention, it is the 10th on the Brabazon. It’ s iconic and globally regarded as a“ must play”.
The famous par-4 is played over water to a green that has become synonymous with The Belfry. It was the stage for Ballesteros’ celebrated drive during the 1985 Ryder Cup, while the hole’ s risk-and-reward character continues to make it one of the most talked-about shots on the course.
Standing on the tee, the challenge is as much psychological as technical. The water is conspicuous, the target appears deceptively inviting and the history surrounding the hole is impossible to ignore. It is precisely the kind of hole that can turn a routine round into a lasting golfing memory.
And don’ t assume the famous 10th is the only test. The 18th has
But for golfers, it is the courses that remain the main attraction.
The Belfry’ s golfing story is dominated by the Brabazon. Created by Dave Thomas and Peter Alliss, the par-72 layout was designed to test every aspect of a golfer’ s game. Tight fairways, strategically positioned bunkers, water hazards and quick, undulating greens create a course where accuracy and course management are just as important as power.
But statistics only tell part of the story. The Brabazon is effectively a living museum of Ryder Cup history. It was here in 1985 that Sam Torrance holed the putt on the 18th green that secured Europe’ s historic Ryder Cup victory, the continent’ s first victory in the competition. Seve Ballesteros also created one of the course’ s enduring images by driving onto the green at the risk-and-reward 10th during the 1985 contest. Irish golfers Christy O’ Connor Jnr and Paul McGinley also had historical moments on the 18th, there’ s even a plaque on the fairway where Christy’ s iconic 2-iron shot was taken from.
For visiting golfers, that history adds an extra dimension. You are not simply playing 18 holes; you are following fairways where some of European golf’ s most memorable moments unfolded.
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