Golf Courses in South America
Prestige courses, passionate players
10 Top Courses
— Overview
Golf in South America
South America's golf tradition is older and more distinguished than most visitors expect. Argentina and Brazil have hosted professional golf for over a century, producing elite players and private clubs of genuine prestige. The continent's courses tend toward the formal and private, but for those with access, the quality of design and the cultural richness of a Buenos Aires or São Paulo round are unmatched in the southern hemisphere.
— Top 10 Rankings
Top 10 Golf Courses in South America
About Golf in South America
Prestige courses, passionate players. South America's golfing tradition runs deep — from the tree-lined private clubs of Buenos Aires to the Olympic course built for Rio 2016. The continent combines Old World formality with New World landscapes.
Golf took root in South America through British and European immigrant communities in the early 20th century. Argentina developed the most sophisticated golf culture — the River Plate region around Buenos Aires produced several World Golf Hall of Fame members, and the private clubs of Palermo and Olivos remain among the most prestigious in the southern hemisphere. Brazil followed a different path, with golf long associated with São Paulo's industrial elite before the 2016 Olympic course at Barra da Tijuca opened the game to a broader national audience. Chile has produced some compelling coastal and resort golf in recent decades, with the Atacama Desert and the Lake District offering landscapes unavailable anywhere else. Peru and Colombia are smaller markets but growing, with Lima's older private clubs carrying genuine historical character. The continent's geography ranges from sea-level tropical to high-altitude Andean courses where the ball flies significantly farther in the thin air. Seasonality in South America is the inverse of the northern hemisphere — the best golf weather in Argentina and Chile runs from October through April. Brazil's golf regions are more tropical, with year-round playability but wet-season caution from December through March in Rio and São Paulo. Private club access is the main logistical challenge; most of the continent's finest courses are members-only, and reciprocal arrangements or formal introductions are typically required for visiting play.