Top 10 Golf Courses in Israel
Israel's golf landscape is compact but has produced two courses of genuine regional significance — enough to support a small, enthusiastic golfing community and attract visiting players who combine a round with the country's extraordinary cultural and historical offering. The game faces challenges here that are unique in the golfing world: land scarcity, water restrictions in an arid climate, and the security considerations that shape so many aspects of Israeli life. Despite these constraints, the courses that exist are well-maintained and worth the considerable effort of playing them. The climate is a significant asset — winters are mild and dry in coastal areas, and the Mediterranean light that bathes the Sharon Plain and the Carmel coast makes for memorable golf from October through May. Summer golf is technically possible but the heat between June and September makes early morning starts essential. Open the map to locate Israel's golf facilities and plan your visit accordingly.
1. Caesarea Golf Club
Caesarea Golf Club is the flagship of Israeli golf, located on the coastal plain beside the ancient Roman city of Caesarea Maritima where the ruins of Herod's harbour and the Byzantine streets are visible from parts of the course. The 18-hole layout was originally designed in the early 1960s and has been updated several times since; the current configuration plays to around 6,400 metres across a parkland setting of mature pines and eucalyptus trees that the designers planted specifically to give the course its wooded character. The course has hosted numerous Israeli Opens and national championships and its conditioning reflects the investment of a serious club with a long competitive tradition. The par-3 7th, a short-iron shot to a green nestled between sand traps with Crusader fortress ruins visible over the left shoulder, is the hole that most perfectly captures the layered history of the Caesarea site. The club operates a semi-private model with visitor tee times available through advance booking; green fees are on the higher end by Israeli standards.
2. Ga'ash Golf Club
Ga'ash, situated in the coastal agricultural community of Ga'ash north of Tel Aviv, is the older of Israel's two main courses and carries a distinctly different character from the more resort-oriented Caesarea. The course was established by members of the kibbutz and moshav communities and the resulting layout has the honest, unpretentious quality of a course designed by and for golfers rather than developers. The 18-hole track plays to around 6,200 metres through a mix of open coastal meadow and managed eucalyptus woodland, with the Mediterranean visible from several elevated areas of the course. The greens are firm and fast, the bunkers are well-placed rather than merely decorative, and the club has a competitive culture that has produced many of Israel's top amateur golfers. Ga'ash operates a more open visitor policy than Caesarea and the green fees are considerably more modest. The coastal air and the relatively uncrowded fairways make it a particularly agreeable place to play on winter mornings.
3. Hod HaSharon Golf Club
Hod HaSharon provides the third option for golfers in the greater Tel Aviv area, operating a nine-hole course on the eastern outskirts of the city in a setting of citrus orchards and agricultural land that is increasingly surrounded by suburban development. The course is shorter than the full 18-hole tracks at Caesarea and Ga'ash but serves an important function in Israeli golf as an accessible introduction to the sport and a convenient facility for club members who want a quick round during working hours. The layout makes intelligent use of its nine holes by offering a variety of directions and shot types, and the course can be played twice from different tee positions for a reasonably varied 18-hole experience. Visitors are welcome and the green fees are the most affordable in the country.
4. Eilat Golf Course (Red Sea)
The golf facility in Eilat at the northern tip of the Red Sea is Israel's only desert course and operates in an environment as far removed from the coastal parkland of Caesarea and Ga'ash as it is possible to get while remaining in the same country. The course is a nine-hole track maintained with a minimal irrigation budget, and the desert conditions produce extremely firm, fast-running ball behaviour that suits a ground-game approach. The surrounding landscape — the granite mountains of the Negev, the coral-blue Red Sea, the Jordanian mountains visible across the water — is spectacular in a way that no amount of greenery could match. Eilat is primarily a winter-sun resort for Israeli and European tourists, and the golf operates within that market; serious golfers visit for the experience and the scenery rather than the quality of the test.
5. Maccabiah Village Golf, Ramat Gan
The Maccabiah Village in Ramat Gan, the home of the Jewish Olympics sports complex, includes a compact golf facility used for tournament play during the Maccabiah Games and operated as a practice and teaching venue in intervening years. The layout is short and designed for demonstration and competition rather than daily recreational play, but it is kept in good condition and accessible to visitors connected to the Maccabiah complex. For golfers interested in the history of Jewish sport and the particular atmosphere of the Ramat Gan stadium district, a visit here adds an interesting dimension to an Israeli golf trip.
6. Kibbutz Shefayim Golf Area
Several kibbutzim in the Sharon Plain area have developed nine-hole golf facilities primarily for the use of their members and guests. The facility at Kibbutz Shefayim near Herzliya is among the most developed of these, with a maintained course of modest length that provides accessible golf without the formality or cost of the established clubs. The setting in an agricultural kibbutz — the functional buildings, the communal dining hall visible through the trees, the tractors working the adjacent fields — gives this a unique character that is quintessentially Israeli in a way that neither Caesarea nor Ga'ash can claim.
7. Neve Ilan Golf Range
Neve Ilan in the Judean Hills west of Jerusalem operates primarily as a practice range and teaching academy, but the facility includes a small par-3 course that provides a legitimate if modest round of golf within striking distance of the capital. For the thousands of visitors who spend time in Jerusalem each year and want to play a hole or two, Neve Ilan offers the most convenient option. The setting among the forested hills above the Ben Shemen Forest is attractive and the air is noticeably cooler than on the coastal plain, making it a comfortable place to play during the warmer months when Tel Aviv courses are uncomfortably hot.
8. Tel Aviv Golf Academy
Tel Aviv's urban golf infrastructure is improving gradually, and the Tel Aviv Golf Academy operates a teaching facility and short course within the city's northeastern suburbs. The facility is primarily used for lessons and club fitting but the practice loop provides a useful taste of the game for visitors who want an introduction to golf during a short city break. Professional instruction is available in Hebrew, English and Russian, reflecting the multilingual character of Israel's golfing community.
9. Haifa Carmel Golf (9-hole)
The Haifa area has supported golf activity since the Mandate period, when the British administration's officers played on informal courses in the Carmel region. A nine-hole facility in the Carmel area continues this tradition, serving Haifa's northern community and providing an alternative for golfers who want a quick round while touring the Carmel coast. The setting in the wooded slopes above the bay is attractive and the course, though basic, is maintained to a playable standard.
10. Ashkelon Golf Center
The coastal city of Ashkelon in the southern Sharon Plain operates a small golf facility that serves the city's modest golfing community and provides a southern option for golfers who want to combine golf with a visit to Ashkelon's ancient tel and coastal parks. The facility is focused on practice and beginner instruction rather than competitive play, and green fees reflect its community rather than resort positioning.
Planning Your Golf Trip to Israel
The optimal golf season in Israel runs from October through May, when coastal temperatures are mild and the humidity that can make summer play uncomfortable is absent. The two main courses — Caesarea and Ga'ash — are both within an hour of Tel Aviv and are easily combined with a few days of sightseeing in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or along the Galilee. Green fees at Caesarea range from roughly USD 80–120 depending on the day and season; Ga'ash is considerably cheaper. Booking in advance is essential at Caesarea, particularly during the busy winter months when visiting golfers from Europe and North America are most numerous. Open the map to see all golf facilities across the country and start planning your round.